spanish cars

Hispano-Suiza Alfonso

July 3, 2018 By pete

By Pete Vack

As it would be for many a classic car, it was Ken Purdy who introduced the Yanks, (and I would venture to guess a few Brits as well) to the Hispano-Suiza Alfonso. Writing circa 1950, his chapter in Kings of the Road, “Hisso and Isotta, Isotta and Hisso”, elaborated on the merits of the two greatest cars of the inter-war period. Purdy recounted that Hispano-Suiza did not actively participate in racing. Only for a short while before WWI was competition considered, primarily due to the urgings of King Alfonso XIII. In 1909 Alfonso declared that a 226 mile race would be established near Barcelona and yes, Hispano-Suiza was obliged to enter, thank you.

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Hispano-Suiza and Pegaso Reviewed

July 3, 2018 By pete

Reveiw by Pete Vack
Images from the book unless otherwise noted

Order here

David Beare first introduced himself with the publication of Panhard, the Flat Twin cars 1945-1967 and their origins in 2013, which we thoroughly enjoyed. His books, then and now, are enthusiasts publications; softback, low price, chock full of technical information and historical information. Our kind of book.

After the success of the Panhard book, Beare decided he wanted to write a book on Pegaso but found that it was almost impossible to do so unless he researched the creation of another car, the Hispano-Suiza, and Spanish social and political history. What began as a single slim volume on Pegaso became a larger two volume work that incorporates not only an overview of Hispano Suiza, but Marc Birkigt and the often sad and violent history of the Iberian peninsula. [Read more…] about Hispano-Suiza and Pegaso Reviewed

Spanish Streets and G.N.Georgano

January 27, 2015 By pete

Fiat 1500 by Viotti, Madrid, 1961

Review by Pete Vack
Photos courtesy Autodromo and from the book

We review a book featuring Georgano in Spain, and preview an upcoming book on the GTO by the same publisher.

For non Spanish customers: Contact:autodromo@autodromo.es
Softback, 90 pages, B&W
Price INCLUDING shipping: 35 Euros to Europe, 40 Euros for the rest of the world

Google gets more formidable everyday as a valuable fact finder, assuming one can trust the source. One of these years, it may replace both personal and private libraries.

But not quite yet. Despite our penchant to use Google, one of our most effective, fastest, most accurate and comprehensive sources of information are two huge volumes edited by G.N. Georgano: The Complete Encyclopedia of the Motorcar, (1973) and The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport (1971). Even though millions of individuals have been loading the Internet with information for roughly 20 years and is remarkably complete in itself, one still has a tough time finding anything on the Econom or F.D. But there they both are in the pages of Georgano. His landmark words are with me always, and very battered and beaten but still eminently serviceable. Take that, Serge!

A rare six seater Lancia Aprilia from 1947, photographed in Seville, 1965.

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