The Spanish government decided to promote the automobile industry at the end of 1940 and the result was the Pegaso Z 102.
Maybe this car that we are going to talk about today is not among the 9 fastest in the world, but In his time he was revolutionary. We are referring to the Pegaso Z 102, a vehicle that was the result of the Spanish government's decision to create and promote the Hispanic automobile industry at the end of 1940. An industry that would end up manufacturing classics such as the Seat 600 or the Seat 1430.
Earlier this year, as reported AutoBild, a car manufactured in Spain was auctioned and reached a price close to half a million euros. The vehicle sold to an anonymous bidder was a beautiful but rare Pegaso Z 102, a car that managed to be the fastest in the world, surpassing brands such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche and Jaguar.
The Pegaso Z 102 was the fastest sports car in the world
The car sold had an incredible story behind it. It all goes back to the period known as the First Franco Era (1939-1959), when Spain was going through many economic difficulties. In these years the country's government decided to promote the national industry and in this process automobile design was encouraged. Thus, on May 1, 1946, the Center for Automotive and ENASA Technical Studies was born..
Both organizations, based on the historical Hispano Switzerland; which had manufactured some of the most luxurious cars and engines at that time, they focused on the design of buses and trucks. However, the Catalan engineer Wifredo Ricart, who headed ENASA, had more ideas than making great vehicles: build a car that would become a symbol of Spanish technological progress.
Ricart got to work and in 1948 his work resulted in the creation of a car with very interesting features. It would not be until September 20, 1951 when the company officially presented five prototypes in Barcelona and a month later it debuted at the Paris Motor Show. There, in the French country, it was hailed as a “pure jewel of mechanics”.
What did the Pegaso Z 102 have to be applauded in this way? Well, nothing less than a V8 engine, double overhead camshaft, dry sump lubrication and rotated up to 8,000 revolutions. Added to this were other features such as the self-locking differential and the 2.5, 2.8 and 3.2 liter engines that reached 208 and 218 horsepower. In addition, the adjustable steering wheel was added so that the driver could find the best driving position. An innovation at the time.
With such internal characteristics it was not strange that in the mid-1950s The Pegaso Z 102 achieved different speed and strength records that took him to the top positions in the world. Thus, in this way, Wifredo Ricart demonstrated that the mechanics that were made in Spain were of the first level, even though the materials were limited.
The history of this motorsport colossus ended in 1957 when production was closed with 86 examples manufactured. With a price of 450,000 pesetas, it was sold to very select people., since in that gray Spain that was gradually leaving hunger behind, no one had the fortune to acquire a sports car of this class. However, the Pegaso Z 102 engine resonates in the country's history.