A few weeks ago we talked about Hispano-Suiza in Xataka. The Spanish car firm that rivaled Rolls-Royce and is now trying to reborn with electric car after a good mess of names, patents and owners.
But before the Hispano-Suiza Carmen, the Franco regime put an end, now we know that it was not an end, to the history of the company. In the 1940s, the Government repeatedly pressured a Hispano-Suiza in decline, which was finally sold to the newly created National Institute of Industry (INI), founding Enasa, in an expropriation.
The first idea of the Franco government was to create a company that provided heavy transport to the country: trucks, buses, tractors… and for this he founded Enasa (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, SA).
A little history
For him birth of Enasa, the Government took advantage of all the infrastructure that Hispano-Suiza had built. This was already dedicated to heavy transport for the transfer of both merchandise and passengers, so work quickly began with these already established pillars.
The purchase ended up being carried out in 1946 and in 1947 what was actually a slightly modified Hispano-Suiza 66G left the factory in La Sagrera (Barcelona). The leaf springs were retouched to adapt them to a higher weight, the tires and some aesthetic aspects, as reported on the specialized transport website Transport3.com.
This first model was called Pegasus I. Consequently, the name caught on very quickly among the public, which was accompanied by a horse on the front, created by the founder of Enasa himself, Wifredo Ricart. Curiously, the horse was not winged, since the American company Mobil already had a registered trademark with the mythological animal.
This first truck was followed by a Pegaso II, which received some changes that, above all, improved its behavior at low speed and, despite everything, managed to launch the vehicle up to 72 km/h, for the previous 60 km/h. h maximum speed.
In a context of autarchyit was about motorizing the country with simple, modern and reliable heavy transport, so that it could overcome the pitfalls of a country that was still trying to rebuild its infrastructure after the Civil War.
Over the years, Enasa continued to grow and in 1968 it took over Sava (Sociedad Anónima de Vehículos Automóviles), which competed from Valladolid in the production of trucks. Since then, it was the only company that produced this type of product. Something he did until 1995.
Before, in 1990, Enasa had already been sold to Iveco, owned by Fiat. However, the models under the name of Pegaso continued to come out of the doors of the plant (in the Zona Franca, since 1980 when they left La Sagrera) until 1995, when their history came to an end.
A sports car that everyone wanted
But if there is something that is remembered with special affection, it is his Pegaso Z-102 and Z-103. Considered one of the best sports cars of the moment, the company put a total of 86 units on the street between 1951 and 1957.
Presented for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in 1951, the Pegaso quickly attracted the interest of the wealthiest public and, of course, what was ultimately sought was achieved: to generate interest around the brand and make it known.
To get a better idea of the size of these sports cars, the Pegaso Z-102 became the fastest sports car in the world, with a top speed of 245 km/h. A real outrage that, we must not forget, was recorded in the 50s.
To achieve this figure, the first Spanish supercar had a 2,814 cc V8 capable of developing 170 hp. It was accompanied by a five-speed gearbox and drum brakes on all wheels, which was a rarity at the time. Of course, we must not forget that Hispano-Suiza was already famous for its brakes.
But actually what Pegaso offered was the chassis of the car, which later another firm had to bodywork. It is one of the reasons why the remaining units are so sought after. There are versions of all kinds and there are up to 30 different bodies, as explained in Expansión. In 2016, one of these sports cars already touched one million euros.
In Icon Road they explain the reason. In addition to dealing with some problems with the steering or the aforementioned brakes, he also had to deal with a body that was too tall and heavy, since it was made of steel. Aware of the problems, Wifredo Ricart decided to entrust the job to Carrozzeria Touring in Milan, which delivered 45 units.
Some other units were finished by the French Saoutchik, creator of one of the most iconic Pegaso Z-102, that of Baron Thyssen. This unit was yellow, upholstered in leopard skin and had some gold details inside. In addition, with its Pegaso bodies it won some beauty contests. Pedro Serra, in Barcelona, was in charge of dressing some of the latest units.
And if Pegaso shone among the wealthiest public of the time, he could not say the same in competition, although he was able to participate in the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the wild Pan-American Race, over 3,000 kilometers long. route.
In 1958Unfortunately, the history of the Pegaso supercars ended. A car that was never profitable and, nevertheless, some of its units cost 540,000 pesetas. A price that far exceeded the 25,000 pesetas that a Ferrari could then be worth.
In Xataka | What happened to Hispano-Suiza: the Spanish brand that looked face to face at Rolls-Royce and that survives with the electric car
Photo | Rutger van der Maar and Charles
