1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet Burns Following Pebble Beach Concours

Collectible cars are always kept under a watchful eye, but following this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance a second rarity has been destroyed in a fire. The news report from CBS notes that a 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet by Vanvooren was caught in a fire while being trailered home from the event. 

The news comes just weeks after the Ford Ghia concept was caught in a similar fire, which left the one-of-one concept burned to a metal shell.

While transporting the J12 cabriolet from Pebble Beach on Highway 68, the trailer caught fire leading to minor injuries for the driver, who was able to successfully detach the trailer from the tow vehicle.

The Hispano-Suiza J12 came from an era when manufacturers provided a rolling chassis, which would then be fitted with bodywork by a coach builder–Carosserie Vanvooren created the bodywork for this particular cabriolet, which took second in its division at the Concours event. 

The Spanish car manufacturer would often work with Vanvooren, and around a third of the 114 estimated J12 models would’ve been outfitted by the coach builder. The cabriolets were much rarer, with production numbers considered to be under 20 original cars. 

The model featured a unique 9.4-liter V-12 engine capable of about 220 horsepower. Read the full report from CBS News here.