SOLVED: WTH # 541 - Hisso Special by Benham and Aicher w Hispano-Suiza engine

[sixtee5cuda]

For one point, name the car, the engine, and the builders.

[sixtee5cuda]

Nobody wants to start guessing what kind of race car this is?  Where it was built?  What powers it?

[sixtee5cuda]

Because the Experts are asleep, time for the Professionals to give this car a try.

Up!

[oko94]

US race car with US V8 engine ?

[sixtee5cuda]

The car was built and raced in the U.S.  The engine is not from the U.S., and it is not a V8.

[oko94]

European 4-cylinder engine ?

[el_monty]

British V6?

[sixtee5cuda]

It is a European 4 cylinder, not from Great Britain

[oko94]

Italian engine ?

[sixtee5cuda]

The engine is not Italian

[oko94]

German engine ?

[sixtee5cuda]

Not a German engine

[oko94]

French engine ?

[sixtee5cuda]

Engine was not built by a French company.  (To clarify engine answers:  I know which company built the engine.  Sources do not indicate the country where this individual engine was built.)

[oko94]

European Ford engine ?

[sixtee5cuda]

Not a Ford engine.

[oko94]

Is it an engine from a manufacturer that is still active today ?

[sixtee5cuda]

The engine maker is no longer active.

[nicanary]

Well I've found the answer, but only by pure luck. I wondered if the motor was a Puch of some sort (don't ask me why) and I asked Images for some suggestions, but it came up as "push" engines. I persevered and found an interesting site of old drag racers when in fact I had assumed the puzzle car was a sprint/midget racer.

It's the Hisso Special built by Ron Benham and Paul Aicher fitted with a 4-cylinder Hispano-Suiza aero engine. Would this motor date from WW1?

[sixtee5cuda]

And the point goes to nicanary for the correct answer.

The engine is from 1914 or 1915, being 1/2 of the V8 out of a Spad VII aircraft.

Great color: