What car killed Arthur Capel,
friend of Coco Chanel? (UPDATE: Hispano?)

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The photo of this nasty accident was sent to us by Martin Grangé. He’s working on a movie telling the life of Coco Chanel, who created fashion and perfume. Around 1909 Coco met an Englishman named Arthur Capel. He became a close friend and lent her the money to start her own shop. Although married, Arthur kept visiting Coco whenever he was in Paris, but in December 1919 Arthur crashed during a trip from Paris to Monte Carlo. A tire blew, the car ended up in a ditch and Arthur was killed. As soon as she heard of the accident, Coco insisted on being driven to the spot of the accident to pay her respects. Since this was an important event in the life of Coco Chanel and thus the movie, Martin tries to find out more about the car. Maybe the radiator shape will help? Can you tell what it was?

Update by Ivan Saxton: "Engine is a T-head, probably 5-6 litres guessing from the size of the exhaust. Inlet manifold has to be on other side. It is definitely not Issota/Lorraine, because the outlet of the exhaust manifold is vertical rather than angled as all Isottas had. It is definitely not early monoblock Stutz, as the chassis is far too light and the wheelbase is very short. Also most Stutz exhausts exited vertically at the front. My guess, looking at the damaged radiator, is maybe the biggest 4 cyl T-head Hispano."

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