The story of the SunRed SR21 begins back in 2000 at the Geneva Motor Show, at a stand with Hispano Suiza branding.
The legendary automaker (seriously, its pre-Second World War designs are incredible) was back, in spirit at least, thanks to Mazel Group Engineering, a capable Spanish engineering and design consultancy.
2000 Hispano Suiza HS21 concept car • Mazel
As a show of its capabilities, the Willennium-grade Hispano Suiza HS21 truly was a truly fearsome supercar powered by a “BMW-Judd” V10 engine. Note the lack of hyphen in Hispano Suiza; this was to stay clear of trademark issues, apparently…
A few years later in 2002, it showed off the HS21-GTS , a longer, lower race car powered by the same BMW-derived Judd V10 engine.
The goal? To make six cars and to compete at Le Mans.
That car (above) became this HS21-GTS, somehow • Hispano Suiza / Mazel
Hispano Suiza HS21-GTS in fire sale orange • Hispano Suiza / Mazel
Updated in 2004, a road car resurfaced, but by this time was lower on the list of priorities. Le Mans beckoned.
At that time, its tube frame steel chassis would have been par for the course in the top-level GT class, but a quick glance at the entry list for Le Mans in, say, 2003 shows the Prodrive-supported Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello finishing ahead of the works Chevrolet Corvette team — a fast few cars by any measure.
I’m not sure the HS21-GTS would have placed well, or at all.
What to do, what to do…
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