Vintage wood-framed automobile victorious at grand classic car exhibition - A Vintage Car Show's Top Prize Goes to a Race Car Sporting a Wooden Exoskeleton
A Unique Win at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: The Tulipwood Torpedo
In a surprising turn of events, the 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Nieuport-Astra Torpedo, affectionately known as the "Tulipwood" Torpedo, emerged victorious at the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This race car, with its exceptionally crafted wooden body, defied the norm by winning without undergoing a meticulous restoration, typically a prerequisite for success at the prestigious vintage car show.
The Tulipwood Torpedo is a unique race car, boasting an entirely mahogany body that was individually carved and secured with over 8,500 rivets. The body's design drew heavily on aircraft construction techniques, making it an engineering marvel and a work of art. Commissioned by André Dubonnet, a WWI flying ace, Olympic athlete, and racing driver, the car raced in prestigious Italian events like the Targa Florio and Coppa Florio in the year it was made.
After a multi-year restoration, this remarkable car won the Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The restoration project involved over 12,000 hours of work to return the car to its 1924 original form, including painstaking recreation of its original torpedo fenders. The restoration project and ultimate Best of Show win highlight the car's significance in automotive history and collector prestige.
The Tulipwood Torpedo stands out not only for its racing heritage but also for its rare wooden construction and aerospace-inspired design, which contributed to its race and collector car world fame.
Meanwhile, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance also showcased other notable entries. Among them was a 1960s Bugatti convertible designed by Virgil Exner. Another interesting entry was a Chrysler Town & Country owned by Hollywood actor Leo Carrillo, featuring a bull's head on the hood. However, the un-restored Bugatti race car, unlike the Tulipwood Torpedo, is not a classic car show grand prize winner, as it is usually meticulously restored classic cars that win.
References:
[1] Hispano-Suiza Tulipwood Torpedo Wins Best of Show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
[2] The Incredible Story of the 1924 Hispano-Suiza Tulipwood Torpedo
[3] Hispano-Suiza Tulipwood Torpedo: The Riveting Restoration
[4] Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2025: The Full List of Winners
[5] The 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: A Look at the Winning Cars
The Tulipwood Torpedo, victorious at the 2025 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, underwent a remarkable restoration that involved vocational training in craftsmanship and carpentry, given its entirely mahogany body. Reminiscent of its racing days, the car showcased at the Concours d'Elegance also featured various sports cars, such as a 1960s Bugatti convertible, which served as a testament to the passion for racing that continues to thrive within the community, beyond the racetrack.
