Francisco Godia in his Pegaso in May 1955 while another Pegaso is on the shoulder.
Book Review Pegaso by Monsalve by Pete Vack
Purschase from: autodromo@autodromo.es. (any questions? contact vack@cox.net)
Direct link to purchase page (in Spanish)
Softback, 90 pages, B&W and color
$55 USD in Europe, $65 USD rest of world
Naturally, VeloceToday includes the Pegaso in our portfolio of strange and wonderful cars that don’t quite fit in the regular scheme of things French or Italian. Pegaso has links to Alfa Romeo, Touring and the Swiss-French-Spanish Hispano Suiza, so it fits well within our borders.
The problem is, or has been, a good lack of information about these cars. They are not only rare, but extremely rare in the U.S., and come to find out, a lot are held dear within the borders of their native country.
Recently, the staff of autódromo magazine, an AQ-like classic car magazine published in Barcelona, Spain, got in touch with us and wanted to know if we’d review a special edition of their magazine devoted to the Pegaso. Sounds great here, as our audience in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries is growing every day, and of course we love Pegasos anyway. Send it along we said and they did. And, to our surprise, it was in both Spanish and English.
We present the full two page layouts. Here, a new Saoutchik bodied Pegaso is about to start in the Rallye Firestone-Bilbao in 1953.
The introduction, written by Pegaso historian Manel Baró, begins by telling us about the much-maligned Wilfred Ricart, who was responsible for the Pegaso sports car as well as the rebuilding of the Spanish truck and auto industry in post war Spain. We’ll have more on Ricart in upcoming editions of VeloceToday, but what we learn from the autódromo book was that Ricart was given the task of planning and restructuring the entire Spanish car and truck industry. Once done, he gave his engineers and factory workers a high tech leading edge project as an incentive to “attract and train a highly qualified workforce for ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, S.A.)” Lofty, true, and Baró also makes the point that “last but not least the Z-102 aimed to be the masterpiece of a natural born creator who dedicated his life to mechanical excellence…” Ricart was probably also still upset with Alfa and Ferrari, providing his own incentive.
Ironically, Ricart did not wish to see his pride and joy on the racetracks of the world. The commercial production of high performance race cars was not Ricart’s goal. ENASA did however, aid certain private entries and even made a few full factory backed competition and record attempts.
Page set up illustrates car at right and event information. This is Juan Jover in his Touring Berlinetta.
So Pegasos in competition were ultra-rare – we don’t recall one being on the grid of any U.S. race (anyone out there ever see one on the track Stateside?). There were cars entered at Le Mans and a few other events without much success, but at least eight Pegasos took part in a number of Spanish events from 1953 to 1955. Enter a young photographer by the name of Eduardo Monsalve. Starting with an East German Kine Exakta, he took a photo course and soon began taking photos of motorcycle and sports events. From 1954 to 1982 when he finally retired, Monsalve took thousands of photos and wrote innumerable stories for magazines, eventually becoming the motoring editor of the famous Spanish Dicen magazine.
The second of the ENASA bodied Pegasos at Montjuich in 1954.
Monsalve passed away in Barcelona in 2005, leaving thousands of photos for others to sort through. The editors of autódromo found a series of Pegaso photos taken by Monsalve and realized that these must be made public.
Along with the full sized 8×10 photos are placed documents from the event pertaining to the car; time sheets, spec sheets, drivers, entry forms, etc. For historians, this is welcome information. The authors have also identified the cars by chassis numbers, another plus for researchers, owners, restorations shop and historians. Nicely done layout with this contributing material make an attractive (if slim) package.
Montjuich 1955: ENASA Spider with a fiberglass body, chassis 0182.
Pegaso by Monsalve is along the lines of our own VeloceToday Select series. Too long for a magazine article and not enough material to fill a complete book, the subject matter is still compelling and in need of publishing. autódromo took it a size larger, still softback, and in a 8.5 by 11 inch horizontal format with 90 pages of black and white photos on heavyweight glossy paper. And like our Select Series, it is small print run; there are only 500 numbered copies.
The price then. Before we had the experience of printing and shipping, we would have thought that $55 to Europe and $65 to the rest of the world (including shipping) that the price is wee high. But we know better now, and autodrómo is making a very slim profit on each book sold. Weigh that with the fact that of the era Pegaso photos are rare and racing Pegaso photos are even rarer, and the price seems reasonable. At this time, the best way to order a copy is directly from autódromo, at autodromo@autodromo.es. Tell them VT sent you!
Many years ago when I was racing a Bug Eye Sprite in SCCA regional events – late 1960’s – I used a mechanic in New Jersey not far from NYC. There in his shop was a Pegaso owned by the owner of a Chinese restaurant in Queens. Anyone know what happened to the car?
Pegaso did compete at Mt Washington, Aug 15, 1954..owned by Lou Fanelli
(see Road & Track for Jan 1955) car also entered for Watkins Glen but sat” lonely, neglected ” per Chas. Gilllette of R&T staff
Jim Sitz
Oregon
US importer of Pegaso was Brewster Motors on Long Island. in 1953 they took
single car,,blue coupe by Touring carrozzeria and toured various cities to try to get some interest stirred up, after being in Houston the coupe came to Pasadena, California
I saw it on the floor of Peter Satori Motors, ans very handsome it was,,couple weeks later it went to San Francisco for further promotion and display. By 1956 Col Vogel of Hollywood acquires such a Pegaso but cannot be sure if same one, This man had previously had Darrin bodied cars and Delahaye 135 convertible..owner of TEMPO RECORDS.
Jim sitz
Oregon
In 1957, my cousin and I were living in the south of Spain, near Cadiz. Amongst the people we met, one of the most interesting was “Manolo” Domeque, while attending bullfights. We had several cars to drive, including a C Jaguar, which was how we first struck up a conversation with the young Spaniard, as we were traveling and came upon his car, which was a berlinetta Pegaso, in bright orange, with smooth body work that went well inside the wheel wells and were painted a bright white. We stopped along the way and I asked how he kept the so perfect, on the Spanish roads. “They are re-painted any time they are damaged”, he said, which turned out to be often. Obviously then, from a wealthy family, confirmed by being the future heir of the famous family of winemaker’s. He was an exciting driver, and fast. We were all aided, back then,by the fact that in the Franco era, cars were only for the rich and sports cars extremely rare. Traveling through the small cities we were always greeted by cheers from the pedestrians and waved through intersections by the local police.
Just before I left Spain, Monolo told us he was getting married. After congratulating him, I could not resist asking if he would be was getting a wedding present from the family. “Ah, yes; it will be a castle” he said.
When I was a teenager my father worked in Tehran, Iran with the USA AID group he was FAA and was helping them set up a air traffic control system in Iran. This was in the 1960’s and I was a bit of a car nut as most boys of that are were. One of my friends, his farther was the head of maintenance with PanAm, and once a year the Shah of Iran would sell off his older cars that he no longer used. My friends farther made a offer for his Pegaso Z-102 and he won the car. The only problem was they would not release it to him until they replaced all the gold plated switch’s and handles in the car with brass ones. Well it took a year before he got the car, he ran it a few times at the airport on DC-3 fuel as there was not much hi-test gasoline with the proper octane. If I remember correctly he then was in touch with someone in Spain possibly the factory which was then just making trucks and pulled the engine and sent it to them to go over it and shipped the body back to the states. And that’s the last I know of it.
wbill
A fortuitous find. Those photos I mean. And certainly deserving of a book with explanations, date, location, driver etc.
This would make an ideal companion to L’Aventura Pegaso by Mario Laguna (2006) which includes more of the marque’s competition history.
In ’52, the year the Monaco Grand Prix was run for sports cars (won by Marzotto in a Ferrari ) a pair of Pegasos entered for Joaquin Palacio Power and Juan Jover. There was a third car on the official entry list but as there was no nominated driver it may have just been a spare. Practice showed they were not suitable, (steering too heavy, brakes not up to the job) and Ricart withdrew before the start.
Two cars were entered at Le Mans in ’53 for Palacio Power/Reh and Mitternich/Jover but were withdrawn after Jover had a serious accident in practice.
A better showing was at the ’54 Carrera Panamericana.
Curiously entered under the flag of the Dominican Republic as political relations between Spain and Mexico were not too good, the car driven by Palacio Power and Celso Fernandez was running third behind the Ferraris of Maglioli and Hill/Ginther when it was eliminated in an accident.
Laguna’s book is worth seeking out and it would even be worth taking Spanish lessons if you do not speak the language but want to know more about the magical Pegaso.
I will try to get Mario to look in here, he may know more.
A man pulled into Autos of Italy with an alloy Pegaso spider on his trailer; it was complete except for one side curtain and two 4v Webers which he said he’d send us from his mother’s house. Yeah, sure. Somehow I also got a copy of an owner’s manual and a bunch of 8×10 b&w promotion photos of various Pegasos. I sold the car for what it cost me–$2,500–to Alf Francis, who was going to restore it at his shop in Wichita. I had misgivings which came true: within the year he’d lost the Pegaso and the Serenissima/LolaGT original tub car I’d sold him for the same price. God bless him. He should’ve stayed in Europe where he was appreciated.
p.s. wasn’t there a white Pegaso at or maybe running in the Monterey Historics a dozen years or so ago?
RE: PEGASO IN QUEENS LATE 60’S
During the 50’s-80’s I was an avid reader of the NY Times Antique Auto ads, bought many cars including a RR PII Sedanca by Binder of Paris for $1600. Oh for the good old days. Biggest loss was a 300SL Gullwing for $3500 but 35 years later going to pick up an ebay item I inquired about his pristine 300SL, it was the same car.
Caribbeans, many drivable Eldorado Broughams from $400 UP, Mark II’s, a plethora of Facels…. Back to the Pegaso…
Only once did I see one in the Times, an open car for $3500, too late but from the description it was identical to the car in the article and it was in Brooklyn/Queens?? Fifteen or so years later I was at Bob Turnquist’s Hibernia Restoration and there was a semi-shabby identical car I believe with a faded red body and a white/tan top.
It was that car I believe.
Just wish I had bought a time machine when they were affordable.
Nice, at last more on Pegaso. I remember reading a lot about in the 80s and 90s in France, but all of these magazines are now.
I’m looking forward to the next articles on it. Ricart was an amazing person and I don’t understand the strange reputation he had.
Fred – when were time machines ever affordable?
Dear Velocetoday and Pegaso contributors,
It was a nice surprise finding Velocetoday magazine thanks to an alert from Australia-based Chris Martin.
In the first place, please indulge me a few words on my recent trip to America, sharing a friend’s 1958 Borgward Isabella coupe all the way dawn from N-Y to Miami across eleven Estates. It was a wonderful experience, not only because of the breathtaking scenery and back roads, but also for all the friendly people we met everywhere. They all wanted to know more about the car and kept taking photos every time we stopped and even when in motion.
I can’t imagine what it should have been if we were driving a Pegaso!
As a Pegaso fan and modest contributor to the marque history, allow me, in the second place, to congratulate you all for your knowledge on such as rare vehicles and Pegaso-related experiences, in particular to ex-Pegaso drivers and keepers!
I have heard of some of you before. The following is a quote from my book La aventura Pegaso I find on page 195:
“CLASSIC AND SPORTS CAR (GB). Enero de 2005
“Anatoly Arutunoff, de Oklahoma, afirma haber vendido un Pegaso spider a Alf Francis a mediados de los años setenta. Arutunoff temía la complejidad de la mecánica del Pegaso y recuerda que en aquella época se vendían muchos coches interesantes a 2.500 dólares”.
Interesting the $2,500 quid for such as a historically important car. Today, the couple of surviving ex-Le Mans Touring Superleggera spiders must return in excess of $1.5M apiece.
About the excellent Velocetoday review, although Autódromo certainly is a tremendous effort for a quality printed magazine, I guess is generous to compare it yet to sadly missing AQ, whose roots go back to the early ’60s.
ENASA had not limited resources at all. On the contrary, the Government owned factory had outstanding facilities in Barcelona and Madrid and built trucks and buses in big numbers. They could afford to loose money in every sold Pegaso sports car in return to some international recognition in a time when Spain struggled to break post-war isolation. When this mission was accomplished, the Pegaso adventure ended. In 1956, when the Pegaso project ended, the Spanish international framework was in much better shape than in 1951, when the first Pegaso Z-102 was introduced at the Paris Show.
Mitch, our N-Y to Miami experience began in New Jersey, just in front of Newport harbor. Pity the Pegaso wasn’t there.
Jim, very accurate information on Mt Washington! but I think it was in 1953. There is a photo of the race on page 57 of my book.
James, in the Sherry family there was also a Pegaso by Saoutchik, Domecq used it in open road speed records, from Jerez to Madrid. Those were the days.
Bill, General Franco gave #0102.150.0119, the very first Z-102 with Touring Superleggera coachwork as a gift to Reza Palevy. This should be the car your friend bought in ancient Persia.
Chris, all agree with you. Many thanks for remembering my book.
Toly, yes indeed, Stephen Block raced ex-Le Mans #0102.153.0145 at Monterey, then it was a Pebble Beach entrant in 1994.
Fred, interesting Queens story, thanks for sharing.
Keep the Pegaso flame alive.
Mario,
Many thanks for all the comments clarifying a host of issues! I will delete the reference to “limited resources”. Toly Arutunoff has contributed many articles to VeloceToday, and they can be found by inserting his name into the “Find” box on the right. Jim Sitz, of course, was the best fact-checker (researcher) around for years, working for Road & Track, Forza and other magazines. Many of my earlier feature articles in a variety of magazines were fact-checked by Jim, (thank goodness). Chris Martin is the author of “Montier’s French Racing Fords” published by VeloceToday in manner similar to that of autodromo.
We’d welcome any works on Pegaso that you might like to submit; we know our readers are looking forward to more on the marque.
The Editor
Nicolas, you are right. Wifredo Ricart is the most unsung engineer in motoring history. Maybe it is because he was a good engineer and nothing else. I mean Enzo Ferrari and other celebrities were not engineers.
Ricart designed the most outstanding piston aircraft engines of its time when he was Head of Projects at Alfa Romeo and the Ricart’s flat 12 Alfa Romeo for the 1939 mid-engined type 512 anticipated in a decade the Porsche’s Cisitalia, to name a few.
Pete, thank you very much for such as warm welcoming to Velocetoday.
Indeed an English version of any Pegaso book is long overdue. For a piece on Pegaso in English, have a look to AQ Vol 49 No. 3
Being the writer of the “Pegaso by Monsalve “ introductory wording, let me congratulate for your site and thank you for your interest and personal memories in the Pegaso sportscars.
During the last few decades , marque experts, collectors and connoisseurs have been digging deeply into secluded, neglected and often scattered documentation worlwide and thus ,diverse books and regular articles have depicted, mostly in Spanish tongue, the often hectic life of these mechanical jewels.
Just some comments to your personal memories:
As you might remember, the Z-102 was internationally launched at the Paris Motor Show, autumn 1951, and early 1953 the World Motor Sports Show held at the N Y’s Madison Square Garden, was the venue were most American motor enthusiasts discovered the atractive newcomer. On display were the two Touring prototipes (chassis no. ….0118 barchetta and no… 0119 berlinetta), a pair of Saoutchik-bodied coupés, (chassis nos…0117 and …0125 respect.) along with the home-made futuristic “Tea Rose” , chassis no. ..0120/1, and a cut-away show car, chassis no… 0123, respect. Few weeks later, collected further prizes at Hartford and NY’s Central Palace motor shows.
Chassis nº …0117, the first coupé bodied by Saoutchick, was actually the very first Pegaso ever sold, to a NY resident , 2/53 and got four further owners before Mr. Ch. Woul, the patron of the popular “Dragon Seed” restaurant, Elmhurst , Queens, adquired it in 7/63 painted red/white top. So to refer Mitch Cahn and Fred Kanter.
Chassis nº…0119 was indeed , as Mario rightly points out, the very first Touring berlinetta bodied Pegaso and was the smart peripatetic demostrator of Brewster Automobile Co. , Oyster Bay, NJ, the colorful agents and distributors in the U.S.A., rambled from NYC to LA and even visited Ciudad Juarez to watch the last leg of 1953 Panamericana race. This is the very same car presented, duly updated, by the Spanish Goverment to friend Reza Pahlavi, the Persian (Iran) Shah, 5/57. Got two further owners over there: an Iran native and American citizen, and now apparently resides in the UK in good shape. So to refer Jim and Bill comments.
Should you have further interest, I would gladly try to help.
In the early 1960s I remember a coupe coming down off Mulholland Drive into Hollywood. Will never forget the sound. I think Bill Harrah eventually bought it.
Hi Jim S, The Pegaso coupe I saw in 1961 in Hollywood may well be this car. It was a rather dull gray-blue by then. I first knew of the Pegaso car in about 1955 after seeing a travel log movie made in Spain. I was in Jr. High. I sent to NY and got several sales catalogs. The Touring Z-102s and the Cunningham C3 coupes were my favorite cars as a kid. Hugh
A powder blue Z102 coupe was entered in a Short Hills NJ SCCA concours in something like March 1964 alongside the one and only 4 liter Lusso Berlinetta and my Two months old Avanti for which they handed me a hose and a bucket to actually make presentable for entry. I chatted a long while with those other two owners. Sorry I have lost the name.
Further to the Bill Barton post above, there was a guy in UK named
John Colinsky, if I remember his story, the car had been owned by the ex Shah of Persia a Pegaso Z 102.
If I remember correctly it was metallic light blue.
I have photos somewhere.