Interestingly, the first car that can be traced used electric power but it wasn’t long before internal combustion engines were adopted. The company grew rapidly and eventually would produce aircraft engines and armaments in addition to cars. Hispano Suiza always had roots in Barcelona and that’s where the new carmaker is headquartered. The current proprietors are descendants of the founding family, the fourth generation to be involved with the cars.

The Carmen is a stunning looking car and seems to draw no inspiration at all from rival hypercars. It’s highly original design is distinguished by a distinctive teardrop profile. There’s a familiar looking Hispano grille up front but the rest of the car features all kinds of fascinating styling touches like rear wheel spats 1930s style. The back window tapers to follow the curvaceous rear bodywork and looks as though it may not provide very good visibility.

The doors open upwards and access is quite good for a car in this class. The bodywork is fabricated from carbon fibre and is thus exceptionally rigid and light. This helps minimise overall weight, always a challenge with any EV with its battery packs.

The Carmen uses four electric motors, two at each rear wheel, which may not create the wondrous sounds of a vintage Hispano V-12, but certainly provide massive levels of power. The basic car, if such a term is appropriate for the Carmen, develops 1,005-horsepower and an uprated Boulogne variant offers an additional 94-horsepower. A lithium-ion battery unit is located behind the two seats. Hispano Suiza has built five of the cars so far and they’ve been displayed all over the world from Monterey Car Week to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The factory is located close to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the chosen constructor has a history of building successful Formula E racing cars. Right now, a production run of 19 Carmens is planned.

The interior design team did not go quite as wild as the people who penned the bodywork, but that’s not to say that it isn’t a very luxurious and original cockpit. As might be expected of a car priced in the millions, customers can opt for all kinds of materials and exotic woods for the trim.

The hip-hugging seats are superbly trimmed by Spanish leather artisans and look as good as anything you’re ever likely to encounter – even at this price. It’s good to see four round air vents ranged across the dash and not some fiddly-to-operate hidden units. The digital instrument panel in front of the driver is a delightful mixture of vintage and modern with an ‘engine-turned’ aluminium appearance rather like a Hispano Suiza from the early 1920s.

The Carmen is a bold effort to say the least and hopefully will spawn other cars bearing the fabled nameplate, perhaps at more affordable prices. One thing’s for certain: if you ever see a Carmen out on the road, you’ll never mistake it for anything else.

EV DRIVE SYSTEM Four electric motors, 1,005-horsepower. 80-kWh, 700-volt battery pack.
TRANSMISSION Direct drive.
ACCELERATION Zero to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds (top variant).
TOP SPEED Governed at 290 km/h.
I LIKED Revival of one of the great marques in automotive history. Stunning, if eccentric, styling. Wonderful detailing and build quality, inside and out. Outstanding performance. Great vintage touches around the car.
I DIDN’T LIKE Many purists want to hear some engine noise when they open up their supercar. Price is startling, though probably justified.
MARKET ALTERNATIVES Lotus Evija, Pininfarina Battista, Rimac Nevera, Deus Vayanne.
WHO DRIVES ONE? Discerning collectors and enthusiasts who are familiar with the great nameplate and would love to own one with state-of-the-art technology and a green powerplant.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY The first car was set for delivery to a customer in Miami at the end of 2022. Expected to cost at least €2 million.