ANDRÉ DUBONNET’S ‘TULIPWOOD’ TORPEDO Aperitif scion André Dubonnet lived a life of excitement—six aerial victories as a young pilot during the Great War, development of a namesake automotive suspension he sold to General Motors, and a pioneer of solar energy.

In between all these things he competed in Olympic bobsledding and loved fine, swift automobiles, racing Bugattis and Hispano-Suizas.

It was the latter that would make his name immortal in motoring circles; he would commission a particularly fabulous streamlined coupe on an H6C chassis from Saoutchik, and create his own Hispano-Suiza-powered automobile, which failed to fledge.

Both of these came after his most famous Hispano-Suiza, a car now known to enthusiasts as the “Tulipwood” Torpedo—a car that has been famous since virtually the moment of its birth.

Dubonnet’s machine began as an 8-liter overhead-cam Hispano-Suiza H6C chassis of the newly developed Type Sport .

Only Hispano-Suiza co-founder Marc Birkigt himself took del...