Burned-out Hispano Suiza convertible sells for a supercar price

Someone has actually paid U.S. $224,000 for a 1934 Hispano Suiza J12 Vanvooren convertible completely destroyed in a fire.

It is believed that only 120 examples of the J12 were made from 1931 until 1938. Many of them ended up with third-party body designs from leading European coachbuilders. This particular example had previously undergone a full restoration and won multiple retro car show awards – before it was ruined in the fire, that is.

The car landed on the second place at the last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A few days later, it spontaneously combusted and burned down along with the trailer it was being transported on. Auctioneers had estimated its value at $2,000,000 before the blaze.

Few details were released regarding the causes of the incident, but photos suggest that the car was almost entirely destroyed. The heat warped some of the body panels and left a charred metal clump where the engine had been. The interior was also lost. It is currently unknown whether the new owner, who paid such a steep price for the remains of this classic, intends to restore it or not.