1924 Hispano‑Suiza H6C Nieuport‑Astra Torpedo Wins Best of Show at Pebble Beach 2025

Hispano‑Suiza H6C Takes Top Honor at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2025

A 1924 Hispano‑Suiza H6C fitted with a rare Nieuport‑Astra torpedo body was awarded Best of Show at the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, prevailing over an extraordinary field of coachbuilt classics. The car, owned by collectors Penny and Lee Anderson of Naples, Florida, arrived after a freshly completed restoration and quickly caught the judges' attention for its craftsmanship and presence.

Ownership and Restoration Story

The Andersons acquired the car three years ago at a Sotheby’s sale held in Pebble Beach. According to Lee Anderson, representatives handling the sale suggested the car had strong concours potential—and they were right. The torpedo‑shaped sporting cruiser, notable for its yacht‑like mahogany coachwork and aluminum rivets, had just completed a meticulous two‑year restoration using period‑correct wood and materials. It was shipped straight to the concours less than a week after the restoration finished.

Design and Coachwork

This Hispano‑Suiza is a textbook example of interwar coachbuilding. The Nieuport‑Astra bodyline reads like a piece of fine furniture: long, low, and elegantly tapered with the warm grain of varnished mahogany. Details such as aluminum rivets, teak trim, and hand‑shaped decking underscore the combination of marine and automotive craftsmanship that makes wooden‑bodied cars so compelling to collectors and judges alike.

Specifications (period‑correct)

- Model: Hispano‑Suiza H6C (1924) with Nieuport‑Astra torpedo coachwork
- Engine: Era‑appropriate straight‑six Hispano powerplant (large‑displacement, torque‑oriented for cruising)
- Body: Hand‑crafted wooden coachwork (mahogany) with aluminum fasteners
- Layout: Front‑engine, rear‑wheel drive; long‑wheelbase chassis typical of 1920s luxury sportliners
Note: Exact factory numbers for horsepower and displacement vary by H6 variant and coachbuilt configuration; restorations emphasize authenticity over modernized performance.

Performance and Driving Character

While not a modern sportscar by any means, the H6C delivers a distinctive driving experience: substantial low‑end torque, smooth inline‑six refinement, and chassis dynamics designed for long, graceful cruising rather than outright speed. In concours settings the emphasis is on authenticity, mechanical soundness, and period correctness rather than lap times.

Market Positioning and Collectibility

The H6C sits at the pinnacle of the pre‑war collector market. Coachbuilt Hispano‑Suizas are prized for their mechanical sophistication and bespoke bodies by forgotten and celebrated ateliers. Cars with rare bodies shown in concours condition command top prices at auction and are often considered museum‑quality investments, appealing to high‑net‑worth collectors who value provenance, restoration pedigree, and rarity.

Comparisons and Context

Compared with contemporaries from Rolls‑Royce, Bentley, or Delage, the Hispano‑Suiza H6C blends sporting chassis characteristics with high luxury and exotic coachwork. Judges at Pebble Beach have historically favored immaculate, coachbuilt interwar cars, and this selection reinforces that tradition: craftsmanship and originality remain decisive criteria.

Significance at Pebble Beach and Monterey Car Week

Judges and curators praised the car’s extraordinary level of workmanship, saying such vehicles are almost impossible to replicate today. The award both honors an individual vehicle and reaffirms Pebble Beach’s long tradition of celebrating the finest coachbuilt automobiles of the 1920s and 1930s. At Monterey Car Week, where automotive culture converges on mechanical, technological, and sculptural achievement, this Hispano‑Suiza served as a reminder of the artistry that helped shape the automobile’s cultural significance.

Conclusion

More than a trophy winner, the 1924 Hispano‑Suiza H6C Nieuport‑Astra Torpedo is a living piece of automotive art—an intersection of marine‑inspired woodwork, precision engineering, and historic provenance that resonates with collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.