Five special edition, tailor-made Boulogne models will complement fourteen Carmen, for a production total of nineteen. The Boulogne moniker pays tribute to three consecutive George Boillot Cup victories achieved by Hispano Suiza between 1921 and 1923. The 3.5-hour endurance race on the roads around the French town of Boulogne was won by a performance-focused version of the company’s H6 Coupé with drivers André Dubonnet, Paul Bablot and Léonce Garnier. The firm responsible for bringing the Hispano Suiza name back – Grup Peralada – have drawn inspiration from this history and claim to channel this motorsport spirit into the new Carmen Boulogne.
On paper the figures match the legacy. The Carmen Boulogne takes 2.6 seconds to reach 62mph and tops out at 180mph. Development of the all-electric powertrain has yielded a boost of 94bhp, sending a total of 1,114PS (1,099bhp) to the rear wheels. Mainly thanks to a longer-ratio gearbox, a new silicon carbide transistor but also a host of Formula E tech courtesy of a partnership with QEV Technologies. Two 410kW permanent-magnet synchronous motors – aided by sophisticated torque vectoring tech – can deliver a maximum torque of 1,600Nm all the way up to 6,500rpm.
Despite these crazy figures, the creators of the Carmen Boulogne emphasise its driver-focused dynamic and claim it will display exceptional handling whilst remaining “predictable and easy to drive”.