Hispano-Suiza at Peralada Castle

Perelada, Spain

Introduction

I am taking you on a little tour in Peralada in Spain, a small medieval town close to Figueras (and its famous Dali museum). The Peralada Castle has belonged to the Mateu family since the early 1920s. Why a castle visit in the Automobile Museums blog? Well, as it happens, Damià Mateu i Bisa, great-grandfather of the current owners, has been in 1904 one of the co-founders of Hispano-Suiza, the famous luxury car manufacturer and a large room in the castle museum is dedicated to this brand.

Hispano-Suiza’s (eventful) history

Damià Mateu joined forces with Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt (hence the name Hispano-Suiza) and another Spanish entrepreneur, Francisco Seix Zaya. In fact, Hispano-Suiza had already been founded in 1902 with Marc Birkigt, but went bankrupt in 1904 due to a lack of capital to expand the company. A successful Barcelona entrepreneur, Damià Mateu was also one of the creditors of the first Hispano-Suiza company. The Spaniards contributed their capital and industrial know-how, while the Swiss engineer brought his technical skills and established reputation as an engine builder.

The brand aimed for luxury and the top end of the market, supported in particular by King Alfonso XIII, a great lover of automobiles. But lacking a wealthy Spanish clientele, sales of Hispano-Suiza cars remained low, and in 1911 the brand set up a subsidiary in France to assemble and sell its models, then built a factory in 1914 near Paris, from which most of Hispano-Suiza’s production would come out (leading many to believe that Hispano-Suiza was a French brand). At the same time, Mark Birkigt filed patents for aircraft engines, from which some Hispano road-going engines were derived.

During the 1st World War, the factories devoted themselves to the production of aircraft engines, notably for the famous Spad aircraft. This led Hispano-Suiza to start sporting a stork-shaped radiator cap in 1919, in tribute to Georges Guynemer’s squadron, which flew SPADs powered by Hispano-Suiza engines. This marked the beginning of a golden age for the brand, which rivaled Rolls-Royce and established a reputation for luxury and robustness that continues to make it a renowned and sought-after brand today. As was customary at the time, Hispano-Suiza H6 and K6 (in-line 6-cylinder) and J12 (V12 engine) chassis were dressed up by the most prestigious coachbuilders in every shape and form, from sporty coupé to grand limousine.

Unfortunately, the political ups and downs of Spain and France were to undermine the company’s position as a luxury car manufacturer, and production of these cars came to a halt at the end of the 1930s, with a total of some 3,000 models built.

The Hispano-Suiza Room

The Museum’s Hispano-Suiza Room displays a wealth of memorabilia from the Hispano-Suiza automotive adventure. Here you’ll find original engine and chassis drawings, complete with detailed dimensions, machinery and tooling, mechanical parts, including an impressive aircraft V12 engine crankshaft. This 27-liter (!) engine developed up to 1000 hp, which explains the size of the piece! There are also photos of the factories and cars, as well as furniture that once belonged to the founder.

And of course, a Hispano-Suiza is presented, a splendid K6 model bodied as a coupé by Vanvooren. The stork sits on the hood, above the Hispano-Suiza emblem, with Swiss and Spanish flags. Last Hispano-Suiza model, the K6 was produced from 1934 to 1937, in just 200 units. With its 120 hp in-line 6-cylinder engine, the Hispano- Suiza K6 offered good performance combined with top-level roadholding and braking.

In 2019, Miguel Suqué Mateu, great-grandson of the founder, has relaunched the Hispano-Suiza brand with “Carmen”, an electric hypercar with over 1,000 hp, whose carbon-fiber body is inspired by the unique Hispano-Suiza H6-C Dubonnet Xenia designed by Jacques Saoutchik in 1938. A front and rear hood of the Carmen are also presented, along with some photos of this hypercar.

The other museums

The Peralada Castle Museum, which occupies the premises of a former convent, in fact offers several museums. It houses a large part of the Mateu family collections. The library is one of the castle’s most important cultural assets, with over 100,000 volumes. The collection includes a huge Cervantes collection, with 5,000 copies, over a thousand of which are different editions of Don Quixote in 33 languages. There are also 200 incunabula, unique or extremely rare books, deeds of nobility and numerous Gothic works and manuscripts.

The Museum of Glass and Ceramics is one of the most important private collections in the world, with over 2,500 pieces dating from the Egypt of the Pharaohs to the 19th century, crystal pieces and numerous traditional objects. The ceramics collection comprises some 1,000 pieces, almost all from traditional Spanish factories and dating from the 15th to the 19th century. A numismatic collection of over 2,000 catalogued coins ranging from antiquity to the Spanish monarchy completes this historic hall.

The church was extensively restored in the late 19th century to its original Gothic-style and features a remarkable polychrome coffered ceiling. The guided tour lasts around 1 hour, offering visitors a wide variety of subjects.

The Castle’s grounds and gardens are also open to visitors in summer.

Practical information

Opening

Only guided tours, lasting around 55 minutes
From September 1st to June 30th	Tours at 10am, 11am, 12am, 3:30pm, 4:30pm and 5:30pm
July 1 to August 30	Visits at 10am, 11am and 12pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm and 7pm.
Sunday and public holidays	Visits mornings only
Closed on Mondays, December 25 & 26, January 1 & 6
Closed afternoons December 24 and 31

Rates

Adults	10,00 €
Students and Seniors	7,00 €
Enfants (- de 10 ans)	Free
Reservations mandatory for groups of 10 or more
The same rates apply to the gardens visits
Museum + garden tickets	15,00 €
Online ticketing recommended
Free parking outside the village

The photos on this page belong to Automobile-Museums, no use or reproduction is allowed without written permission from the owner.