It has often been said that car collecting is a rich man’s hobby and perhaps that has never been more turfier the upper crust cars that existed between WWI and the great depression. There were some truly magnificent automotive treasures produced around the world during that time from the supercharged Duesenbergs here at home to amazing machines across Europe from companies like the one represented on this radiator, Hispano-Suiza. The Spanish company rose to prominence as a manufacturer of airplane engines and cars from about 1916 into the middle 1930s. The stuff they built was bad ass for its time and the cars have incredible value today. This radiator is claimed to be for an H-series car. Best we can tell, the H-series was made from 1916-1933.
Like everything back then, this would have been a hand crafted piece and it needed to work. This radiator would have been working to cool a six cylinder engine that displaced between 400 and 500ci, made about 200hp and was expertly crafted. Imagine this. These guys used billet cranks in their engines in the ‘teens and 1920s! Today a CNC machine knocks them out. Back then guys on manually controlled mills would have been making them. Awesome…and expensive.
These cars competed with Rolls Royce for the business of the world’s ultra-elite. They made 2,350 H-series cars in nearly 20 years of production. It does not seem that a job in the Hispano-Suiza plant was exactly balls to the wall at all times. Of those 2,350, we bet only a couple hundred survive and of those couple hundred they have to be a dozen or a couple dozen that need to be restored. How much are they to restore? Well, a factory radiator apparently costs $41,000 so you do the math.
Look at the quality of this thing and understand that someone, perhaps 100 years ago made it with their own two hands. Amazing, right?
eBay: Here’s the listing for the $41,000 Hispano-Suiza radiator – insane!
I often wonder if the value of these cars will increase/decrease 20 years from now when the younger generation start investing in vintage vehicles, if they do at all.
Looks like seller has hundreds of unrelated oddball items presumably obtained from digging around barns and estate sales in the Central CA coast wealthier areas, most not automotive-related, some at a good price and some…well, not. Anyhow this is not a regular H.S. collector here, who probably wouldn’t buy their furniture dollys at Harbor Freight. These type parts tend to top out where a very good craftsman could make a copy that would pass as real for less money, I can’t say if it’s there yet. I’m glad I don’t happen to need that radiator or a ’62 Vette steel wheel for $3,000.00.
Ha!, I’m not the only one who noticed the juxtaposition of Harbor Freight dolly under a $40k radiator.