Alastair Miller - #4 Wolseley Viper 1  – 1921

This British Wolseley Viper is the earliest known racing car to be powered by a Hispano-Suiza engine.  It competed at the Brooklands racetrack in Surrey, England in 1921 and 1922 – The Brooklands Society collection

Alfieri Maserati - #5 Issotta-Franchini Special  – 1922

This may be the first known racing car to be powered by a four-cylinder Hisso engine although it is not known if it predates the #6 Kennedy Dynamite Hisso to claim that honor – The Roaring Twenties by Cyril Posthumous

Earl Vance - #6 Kennedy Dynamite Hispano-Suiza – Early 1920’s

Earl Vance drove this Hisso for owner Ralph Kennedy.  It is not known if this car predates the #5 Issotta-Franchina Special to be the first known car to be powered by a four-cylinder Hisso Engine – Jeff Adams collection

Walter Lezotte - #37 Shiesser Hispano-Suiza - 1922

Walter J. “Ruff” Lezotte is shown here in the car in which he lost his life in a crash at Allentown, PA on September 23, 1922 – September, 1922 Allentown, PA newspaper clipping from the Jeff Adams collection

Larry Beals - #31 Beals Hispano-Suiza – Early 1920’s

Larry Beals utalized the full 719 cu. in. Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine in this early racing car – Larry Beals collection

Larry Beals - #37 Beals Hispano-Suiza – 1923

Larry Beals utalized the full 719 cu. in. Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine in this early racer.  The car was described as being ugly and hard to handle.  The #6 car lined up next to Beals is the Kennedy Dynamite Hisso – Larry Beals collection

Larry Beals - #6 Kennedy Dynamite Hispano-Suiza - 1924

Larry Beals drove the Kennedy Dynamite Special in an AAA sanctioned race at Bass Park in Bangor, ME – Leland Gohlike collection

Don Harkness – Harkness Hispano-Suiza Minerva - 1925

Don Harkness in his Hispano-Suiza V-8 powered Minerva on Gerringong Beach, New South Wales, Australia right after a run through the measured mile there at an average speed of 107.14 MPH on October 17, 1925.  Harkness reached a top speed of 120 MPH during these land speed trials sanctioned by the RACA – From the book Half A Century of Speed - Australia

Larry Beals - #24 Beals Hispano-Suiza – Mid-1920’s

Larry Beals utalized the full Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine in this early racer – Jeff Adams collection

Lou Scheibell – #150 Scheibell Special - 1926

The 150 h.p. Model-A Hispano-Suiza airplane engines were called A150’s for short.  This is probably how the car number on the Scheibell Special was derived.  This car later became the Superior Special

Abe Scruggs – #2 Nelson Special - 1928

Abe Scruggs drove this bobtail Hisso owned by August Brunke of Excelsior Springs, MO.  That is the Superior Special Hisso visible at left in the photo – August Brunke photo

Wilson Pingrey – #100 Howe Hisso - 1929

The Bill Howe Hisso from St. Louis was one of the first, if not the first Hisso to use a custom crankcase rather than the unreliable stock airplane case.  This car started showing up in race results in 1927 and 1928.  Shown in this 1929 photo is Wilson Pingrey who crashed with John Gerber on August 17, 1929 at the Illinois State Fair.  Pingrey was seriously injured and retired from driving – Larry Sullivan photo

#5 Howe Hisso - 1929

This car was built by Bill Howe in 1929 specifically to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but the actual racing history of the car when it was owned by Howe is unknown.  The car is different in many ways from the other Howe Hissos.  Howe changed the car to #35 before he sold it to Clarence Delagrange in 1939.  Please contact Bob Lawrence if you know anything about the history of this car during the period it was owned by Howe – Tom Delagrange collection

“Ducky” Scott - #1434 Superior Special - 1930

“Ducky” Scott of Topeka, KS is shown here in the Superior Special Hisso that Mack McAnally, Wendell Sparling, and Tom Murie also raced in Kansas.  The photo was taken in front of the Superior Garage at Winfield, KS – Larry Sullivan collection

Lou Fenno - #100 Howe Hisso - 1930

Lou Fenno with the #100 Howe Hisso at Vincennes, IN on May 11, 1930 – Jeff Adams collection

“Wild Bill” Cummings – #100 Howe Hisso - 1931

“Wild Bill” Cummings drove the #100 Howe Hisso in 1931 – Larry Sullivan photo

Bob Carey – #100 Howe Hisso - 1931

Bob Carey in the Howe Hisso at Cedar Rapids, IA – Roy Eaton collection

Dick Glover – #1 Glover Hisso - 1931

Dick Glover of Benton, IL in a car he built in 1931.  This car later became the #1 Davis Hisso and still later it was raced at the #35 Snell Hisso – Glover family collection

Bryan  Saulpaugh – #100 Howe Hisso - 1931

In 1931 and 1932, Bryan Saulpaugh from Taylor Ridge , IL drove for Bill Howe who is shown here leaning on the car.  Bryan had the required driving style to get the big Hisso up front – Larry Sullivan photo

John Tersinor – #V-5 Tersinor Hisso - Early 1930’s

This was the first Hisso owned by John Tersinor of West Frankfort, IL - Tersinor collection

Gordon Condon – #1 Ambler Hisso - Early 1930’s

This Ambler Hisso was unusual in that the tail and cowl were cast in one piece aluminum.  Gordon Condon was killed on July 13, 1932 at Hollidaysburg, PA while test driving a car he had built for a friend – Jeff Adams collection

Mark Billman – #98 Howe Hisso - 1932

Mark Billman of Indianaoplis, IN won a lot of races in Indiana and Ohio in the late 1920s and early 1930s.  He walked with quite a limp as one leg was shorter than the other due to a bad crash at the Black Demon Speedway north of Terre Haute, IN in 1929.  He lost his life while competing in the 1933 Indinanapolis “500” – Larry Sullivan photo

Mauri Rose - #100 Howe Hisso - 1932

Mauri Rose drove Bill Howe’s #100 Hisso a year before making his first ever start in the Indy “500” – Larry Sullivan photo

Dick "Frosty" Frost – #97 Adams Hisso - 1932

The Adams Hisso was another early design.  William Adams was the owner and Dick Frost was the driver when this photo was taken in 1932.  The car was later driven by Tommy Thompson of St. Louis, MO – Larry Sullivan photo

Tom Murie – #43 Superior Special - 1932

After Lou Scheibell’s death, his #150 Scheibell Special was sold to Wendell Sparling who repainted it the #1434 Superior Special.  It is shown here with even later owner and driver, Tom Murie after the number had been changed to #43.  Note the open hood exposing the four unused cylinders in the stock Hispano-Suiza block – Al Murie collection

Bill Hart – #80 Apple Valley Machine Special - 1932

Bill Hart struggled in the #80 Apple Valley Machine Special before finally crashing it at Ascot Speedway in California the year before car owner Paul Fromm dubbed Rex Mays to drive the Hisso – Newspaper photo in the Johnny Klann collection

Zeke Meyers – #54 Ambler Special – 1932

Zeek Meyers of Germantown, PA is shown here in the #54 Ambler Special.  Meyers was involved in a near fatal crash in this car at the Cressona Fairgrounds in Schuylkill Haven, PA on June 5, 1932 – Jeff Adams collection

Bert Karnatz – #22 Murray Tire Special - 1933

Bert Karnzta of Michigan is shown here in the Murray Tire Special Hisso during a race at Brockton, MA – Jeff Adams collection

Rex Mays – #21 Fromm Hisso - 1933

A west coast car, the Fromm Hisso with the great Rex Mays behind the wheel – Ted Wilson photo

Tom Scheck – #1 Davis Hisso – Early 1930’s

Tom Scheck a.k.a. Shorty Burns is shown here in an early Davis Hisso.  Scheck continued to drive the car after it became the #35 Snell Hisso - Davis collection