Hispano Suiza

About Hispano Suiza

Hispano-Suiza (Spanish for 'Spanish-Swiss') is a Spanish automotive company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damián Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and by the 1930s had several factories in Spain and one in France that produced luxury cars, aircraft engines, trucks and weapons. In 1923, its French luxury car arm became a semi-autonomous partnership with the Spanish parent company. In 1937, the French arm was taken over by the French state for war production and after World War II continued as an independent aviation engine and components manufacturer under the Hispano-Suiza name. In 1968, the company was taken over by the aerospace company Snecma, which is now part of the French Safran Group. Meanwhile, during the Spanish Civil War, Hispano-Suiza's Spanish factories in Barcelona and Seville were taken over by both sides for war production. In 1946, its Spanish assets were taken over by the truck manufacturer ENASA.