1953 Pegaso Z102 Spyder

In the early 1950s, the most advanced and fastest road car was built not in Italy, Germany, or England but in Spain. This Pegaso Z-102 was the brainchild of former Alfa Romeo designer Wilfredo Ricart. Touring of Milan and Saoutchik of Paris were commissioned to body the chassis with its quad-cam, V8 engine. Ricart also built a lighter, racing version of the Z-102. Touring fitted the racing cars with lightweight, Superleggera roadster bodies designed for the 1952 Monaco Grand Prix for sports cars. Sadly, neither proved ready for Monaco or for the LeMans 24 Hours. After a few minor races and hill climbs the cars were eventually ready for Le Mans in June 1953, but after a fatal crash in practice, they were withdrawn from the competition. The only notable performance of a Pegaso in an international event came during the 1953 Carrera Panamericana, when Joaquin Palacio ran as high as third behind the leading Ferraris but then crashed heavily. This car (chassis number 0155) is one of the two cars that practiced for LeMans in 1953. It was sold by Pegaso in 1955, modified, then badly damaged in a 1958 race in Barcelona. It has now been restored to its 1953 configuration by its current owner.

Amongst the 86 Pegaso Z102 sports cars produced by Enasa, only three of these models were made and all of them were for official factory competition. Bodied by 'Touring', painted in white with a 'touring blue' interior it has a 2800cc motor. This example is one of three made.