by In the USA, a rare 1936 Hispano-Suiza J12 convertible was put up for auction by Gooding & Company. The convertible is expected to fetch between 2.5 and 3.5 million dollars. This is reported by Focus. The high price is due to the rarity of the model – only 120 luxurious Hispano-Suiza J12s were produced. Of these, only 10 received an elegant convertible body created by the Ukrainian-born designer Jacques Saoutchik. Jacques or Yakiv Savchik (his real surname is Savchuk) moved to France from Ukraine with his parents in childhood at the end of the 19th century. In 1905, the 25-year-old Savchik, having changed his name and surname in a French manner, established a body workshop in one of the suburbs of Paris. Yakiv Savchik created bodies of exclusive design for individual orders. He worked with luxurious models from Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, Pegaso, and collaborated particularly actively with Hispano-Suiza. Although most of Savchik’s creations were very avant-garde and unusual, the J12 convertible stands out for its sophisticated design with smooth body lines and a large amount of chrome. The interior is adorned with leather and wood. The Hispano-Suiza J12 is equipped with a huge 11.3-liter V12 engine producing 250 hp and a 3-speed manual transmission. The two-ton car is capable of reaching 150 km/h. The Hispano-Suiza J12 convertible underwent a complete restoration and won the Grand Prix at the prestigious vintage car competition in Pebble Beach (USA) in 2012.
