Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Classics.com - 50th anniversary of the Pegaso

Classics.com - 50th anniversary of the Pegaso


Memory of a Mirage -
1953 Pegaso Z-102 Thrill 1951 Pegaso Z-102 Barcelona
the PEGASO Sports and Competition cars of the Fifties

An exhibition at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
March 21st through June 4th, 2001


In the Barcelona of the second half of the forties, ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, S.A.) was created out of the vestiges of the renowned Hispano-Suiza; henceforth it was known as Pegaso - named after the winged horse in the greek mythology - with Wilfredo Ricart as Managing Director and Head of Projects. The firm�s priorities naturally centered on the production of vehicles for public and heavy transport, but Ricart had some very specific priorities of his own.

Pegaso Type 102 Sales Broshure
1951 Pegaso Z-102 Sales Brochure for France
Don Wilfredo Ricart
Don Wilfredo Ricart

To the engineer, who worked at the side of Enzo Ferrari, it was quite obvious that the country needed a new generation of specialists, technicians and engineers, capable of producing automobiles with comparable levels of technology and quality to other European countries. With the Pegaso Z-102 and Z-103, the Barcelona engineer Wifredo Ricart, tried to give the country some of the modernity and technical progress of the twentieth century, which seemed to be passing the Iberian peninsula by.

His strategy also had another advantage: the sale of these cars to the world's elite and competition racing would put Spain in the international limelight at a time when it was subject to political and economic sanctions. It would also demonstrate, that the prevailing perception in other countries of Spain as a rural backwater, would no longer be valid. A successful sportscar 'made in Spain' would be a very effective way to promote a new and modern spanish economy.

Generalissimo Franco visiting the ENASA factory
Generalissimo Franco visiting the ENASA factory
Pegaso at the 1953 New York Autoshow
Pegaso at the 1953 New York auto show

First presented at the 1951 Paris Salon, the Pegaso Z-102 claimed to be the " fastest car in the world ". In fact, a speed test at Jabbeke in Belgium revealed a potential top speed of close to 250 kilometers per hour, the equivalent of 160 mph. Not even Ferrari had anything like this to offer - with the exception of the race cars. This achievement must have pleased Wilfredo Ricart even more, since he and Enzo Ferrari had long standing disagreements in the past. Who would settle for a " prancing horse " if one could have a " winged " one?

In the following years, Pegaso also participated in several international competitions. The debut took place at the Monaco Grand Prix of 1952, but the two cars entered were not suited for the streets of Monte Carlo and missed the qualification.

In the next year an appearance in Le Mans followed, but the result was even more disastrous. An accident during the training at a speed of 200 kilometre per hour (120 mph) nearly cost Juan Jover his left leg. Without his best driver and with just one car left, Wilfredo Ricart announced the withdrawal of Pegaso from the 24 hours of 1953. In 1954, Pegaso competed in the Carrera Panamericana, but unfortunately without big success.

Lack of funding might have been one of the reasons, that the superior designed automobiles did not perform to the level one would have expected.

Pegaso Z-102 at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana
Pegaso Z-102 at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana

Pegaso Z-102 at the 1954 Copa Monjuic
Pegaso Z-102 with driver Joaquin Palacios at the 1954 Copa Monjuic
The engine of the new Pegaso Z-103
Don Juan de Borbón and Wilfredo Ricart at the 1955 Paris Auto Salon with the new engine of the Pegaso Z-103.

In 1955 - at the Paris Auto Salon - the even bigger and more powerful engines of the model Z-103 made their debut. Instead of 2.5 or 3.2 litre eight-cylinder engines in the Pegaso Z-102, the new successor would have 3.9 or 4.5 litre V8 powerplants instead. With superchargers as an option, the output would be up to 350 hp and the top speed 170 mph. Like most of the Z-102 bodies, Touring built the majority of the new Pegasos.

1957 saw the demise of this rather extravagant project, one which was without a doubt incomprehensible to the politicians of the time. The lack of general interest went so far as to allow spare parts, moulds and bodywork to be sold as scrap metal. Much of the company's archives was also lost, with the consequent dispersion of the technical manufacturing drawings. A real catastrophe. The history of these Pegaso cars is, in review, the spectre of modernity which barely managed to raise its head.

Pegaso at the 1953 New York autoshow
1953 Pegaso 'Thrill' with a body by Touring


Flying in from California...
1956 Pegaso Z-102 Panoramica Coupe 1956 Pegaso Z-102 Panoramica Coupe

This 1956 Pegaso Z-102 Panoramica Coupe really took off to join the exhibition in Barcelona. If it looks familiar to you, you might have seen it before in Hillsborough or Newport Beach or at the Concorso Italiano. The owners, Jack & Vi Vopal from Simi Valley, California brought the marque of Pegaso into the public view by participating with their exceptional automobile in many classic car events throughout the last years.



 1956 Pegaso Spider Serra
1956 Pegaso Spider with a body by Serra
 1953 Pegaso Berlinetta Touring
1953 Pegaso Berlinetta Biposto designed by Touring

The exhibition in Barcelona is showing eleven of the eighty-six automobiles manufactured, of which only a third seem to have been preserved in the world. Pegaso usually only supplied the chassis - the bodies were created and built by coachbuilders like Touring, Serra or Saoutchik. Because of this circumstance, no two Pegaso are alike.

The exhibition also includes technical drawings, documents and posters about union activity at ENASA (later known as Pegaso), and graphic, press and advertising material will be used to place the appearance of Pegaso and Wilfredo Ricart in the political and sociological context of the Spain from 1951 to 1957, the years during which this singular automobile was manufactured.

 1954 Pegaso Spider Pedralbes
1954 Pegaso Spider Pedralbes
 1953 Pegaso Berlinetta Touring
1953 Pegaso Cabriolet with a body by Saoutchik
The exhibition will be from March 21st through June 4th 2001 at the
Centre de Cultura Contemporània
in Barcelona, Spain.



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Motoring Memories: Pegaso, 1951 - 1958 - Autos.ca

Motoring Memories: Pegaso, 1951 - 1958 - Autos.ca

Motoring Memories: Pegaso, 1951 – 1958

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June 30, 2006

Motoring Memories: Pegaso, 1951   1958 motoring memories
1956 Pegaso Z102. Click image to enlarge

Story and photo by Bill Vance

Although Spain was not one of Europe’s main automakers, it has produced vehicles ranging from the massive Rolls-Royce class Hispano-Suizas of the 1920s and ’30s, to the tiny 1950s single-cylinder Biscuter minicars. It also built a rare and exotic sports car called the Pegaso, named after Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology.

After the Second World War, the state-owned ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones SA, or National Truck Manufacturing Co.) in Barcelona wanted to glamorize its image, demonstrate Spain’s technological prowess, and introduce something exciting for its apprentice tradesmen to work on. If it revived Spain’s auto industry, that would be a bonus.

To capitalize on the rising popularity of sports cars, ENASA decided to produce one that was technically equal or even better than the world’s best. ENASA’s lead engineer for the project came with solid credentials. He was Spanish-born-and-educated Don Wilfredo Ricart who had been Alfa Romeo’s technical director before joining ENASA.

Ricart began designing the new sports car in 1950. He chose a V8 engine, an unusual configuration in Europe at that time. He fitted double overhead camshafts, a feature that had been confined to competition vee-type engines, although they were used on Jaguar’s famous XK120 inline six. It was an indication that Ricart intended to create in the Pegaso a car that was almost Grand Prix racing technology dressed in street clothing.

In addition to the four cams, the engine had other competition oriented features such as sodium-filled exhaust valves for cooling, dry-sump lubrication, and an oil cooler. It made extensive use of light alloy.

One, two or four Weber carburetors could be fitted, and compression ratios ranged from 7.8:1 to 9.0:1 to cope with post-war Spain’s uneven gasoline octane.

The engine displaced 2.5 litres in its original form and was said to produce some 165 horsepower. This was soon be enlarged to 2.8 and then 3.2 litres, with supercharging available.

Power reached the rear wheels through a rear-mounted, five-speed manual transaxle unit. Braking was by huge finned and ventilated drums, outboard at the front and inboard at the rear, with twin hydraulic systems. Unfortunately they would prove to be inadequate for serious competition.

Suspension was by torsion bars all around, longitudinal in front and lateral at the rear, where a solid De Dion axle was fitted. The Pegaso was relatively small car, riding on a wheelbase of only 2,337 mm (92 in.).

The Pegaso Z102 was introduced at the 1951 Paris Auto Salon where it created considerable interest for both its exotic specifications and its Spanish origin. No one quite expected a cutting-edge sports car from a truck and bus company, especially one located in a country without a strong automotive heritage.

The factory fitted its own body, or would prepare the chassis for custom coachwork from the styling houses of Italy or France.

Performance of the 998 kg (2,200 lb) car was quite strong for the era. England’s Autocar magazine recorded zero to 80 km/h (50 mph) in 8.3 seconds, and zero to 161 (100) in 35.0 seconds with a 2.5 litre Z102. Top speed was over 161 km/h (100 mph).

ENASA tried to establish the Pegaso’s reputation in competition, but with mixed results, due in part to bad luck. Two roadsters were entered in the 1952 Monaco Grand Prix, held as a sports car race that year, but withdrew due to poor handling.

Some successes were had in hillclimbs, and two cars were entered in the 1953 Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in France. Unfortunately a factory fire damaged them so badly they could not compete. A quickly prepared replacement car was entered, but crashed heavily, killing the driver.

To demonstrate its top speed capability a supercharged Pegaso was taken to the Belgium’s famous Jabbeke highway where it reached 245 km/h (152 mph) for a flying kilometre, and 241 km/h (149.76 mph) for a flying mile. Everyone was suitably impressed until Jaguar went to Jabbeke a few weeks later with a nearly stock XK120 roadster and ripped through the flying mile at 278 km/h (172.41 mph).

Pegaso’s principal racing exposure in North America came in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, better known as the Mexican Road Race, a border-to-border dash through Mexico. The Pegaso had risen to challenge the front runners before crashing and burning on stage four of the race.

Pegasos were largely hand-built, so production was never high. By the mid-1950s demand for the company’s commercial vehicles was straining its facilities and the car took lower priority. Ricart designed a new pushrod overhead valve V8, which came in displacements as large as 4.7 litres, but few were made.

Pegaso car production ceased in 1958, and the company returned exclusively to trucks and buses. It is estimated that between 100 and 125 were built, making it one of the world’s rarest production cars.

Double overhead camshafts, alloy engines and five-speed transmissions are common today, but they weren’t five decades ago. The Spanish flying horse was truly ahead of its time.