Hispano Suiza
The Swiss engineer Mark Bikigt was hired design engines for a company in Barcelona which eventually restructured in 1902 and finally in 1904 became "La Hispano-Suiza Fabrica de Automoviles", manufacturing a range of 4 and six cylinder cars.
As the main market for their sales ended up being in France, a factory was opened to assemble the cars in the popular French motor car manufacturing suburb of Paris in 1911, with production finally moving to larger premises in 1914 under the name Hispano Suiza. During the war Marc Bikigt designed the Hispano V8 aero engine, undoubtedly the best engine the Allies had (and were also built under licence by many companies), while straight after the 1914 - 1918 war Birkigt came out with the H6 series, which was replaced with the J12 in 1934. The French government to a majority stake in the French company to start the Hispano Suiza aircraft engine production. During the war in 1940 (of which Spain was not a part of) the Spanish Hispano Suiza works were restructured into what later became SEAT, while post war the French arm stayed with aviation, specialising in aircraft landing gear, much of which was made at the Bugatti works . . .
