1954 Pegaso Z102B Coupe

This car is equipped with the desirable 2.8-liter, quad-cam engine that features the extremely rare and potent dual four-barrel Weber carburetor and a 8.1:1 compression ratio. This configuration produces a respectable 195 horsepower and coupled to a five-speed ZF transaxle and is capable of speeds well over 120 mph. All of the components of the chassis and the lightweight alloy engine were produced at the Pegaso factory in Barcelona. Its first private owner, from Madrid, purchased the Pegaso in February, 1956. Following two subsequent Spanish owners, it was purchased by an American Air Force pilot, Garland W. Burke, stationed in Madrid, who took the Pegaso home to the United States and drove it for several years before putting it into storage. It was brought out of hibernation in 1989 and restored including an engine rebuild by a specialist in Europe. The tubular bumpers were deleted, leaving on the clean lines of the finely sculpted nose and tail. The car has been refinished in its original Pearl White with a Grey Metallic roof.

It has been in the care of its current owners since 2016.

This Z-102 Coupe is the first of the five Series II cars produced by Pegaso with the renowned French coachbuilder Jacques Saoutchik.

Spanish engineer Wifredo Ricart designed his own Ricart-Pérez and Ricart-España branded cars in the 1920s, moving to Alfa Rome in 1936, where he was responsible for the Tipo 512 Grand Prix car. He also worked alongside Enzo Ferrari, another future marque founder.

Ricart established Pegaso in 1946 as a marker of highly exclusive, advanced sport cars. It was a state-owned sports car company designed to 'attract and train a highly qualified workforce for ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, S.A.)' – a Spanish manufacturer of trucks and buses of which Ricart was appointed Managing Director and Head of Engineering Projects following the war. Pegaso's logo was the Flying Horse, perhaps to better the Italian Ferrari Prancing Horse logo. No expense was spared in designing and building the pre-production Pegaso Z-102 entirely in-house at the old Hispano-Suiza factory in La Sagrera, near Barcelona. The all-aluminum, 2.5-liter V8 engine was given hemispherical combustion chambers, twin overhead camshafts, and dry-sump lubrication. It was paired to a five-speed transmission that was positioned behind the differential in an advanced reverse transaxle configuration. The suspension was comprised of a double-wishbone independent setup at the front and a rear de Dion axle. There were inboard drums at the back.

The initial Z-102 prototypes wore steel coachwork designed by Pegaso, including the car that debuted at the 1951 Paris Motor Show. Later production examples were clothed by Saoutchik of Paris, Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, and Serra of Barcelona.

Coachbuilder Jacques Saoutchik offered the Z-102 in closed and open configurations, eventually bodying 18 of the 83 Z-102 chassis produced. Of these, seven examples were Series II Berlinettas, six of which were left-hand drive. This particular example, chassis number 0148, is believed to be the first Saoutchik Series II Berlinetta produced, and one of two examples chosen to be on display on the Pegaso stand in October 1954 at that year's Paris Motor Show. It was initially registered as 'M-138.223' under the ownership of Madrid resident Don Julian Sanchez Araguena in February 1956, passing to two subsequent Spanish owners before entering the care of Garland W. Burke, a United States Air Force pilot stationed in Madrid.

During Mr. Burke's ownership, the Pegaso resided largely in storage in the United States. In 1989, it was sold to Arthur L. Foley III, who gave the Pegaso an extensive restoration executed by Phil Reilly & Company which included a complete engine rebuild by European specialists. Upon completion, the Pegaso was shown at the 1994 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and also participated in the Colorado Grand under Mr. Foley's stewardship.

It was later sold to Jim Patterson, who treated it to a second, comprehensive restoration to concours standards by RM Auto Restoration. The work included rebuilding the five-speed transaxle, refinishing the exterior in a period two-tone Pearl White accentuated with a Grey Metallic roof, retrimming the interior with new grey leather hides, and refurbishing the original Podiomatic radio and Bosch heater. Mechanical components such as the suspension and brakes underwent careful disassembly, adjustment, and refurbishment.

This Pegaso is powered by a numbers-matching 2.8-liter, quad-cam V8 engine breathing through a dual four-barrel Weber carburetor paired with an 8.1:1 compression ratio.

The freshly restored car was shown at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and associated Tour d'Elegance, and at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, where it received an Amelia Award in the Pegaso feature class.

This Pegaso has been owned by its current caretakers since 2016. It was shown at the Arizona Concours and won best-in-class accolades and runner-up to Best of Show at the Keels & Wheels Concours in Houston. It returned to Pebble Beach in 2023 and featured in a Pegaso class, winning an award ribbon for 'Most Elegant Road Car.'

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2024