1953 Pegaso Z102

History

Named after Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, the Pegaso Car Company produced very rare and exotic sports vehicles. Wilfredo Ricart was one of Enzo Ferrari's colleagues at Alfo Romeo's race department. He left Alfa Romeo after the war and teamed p with various engineers and technicians to begin working on their own vehicle. This eventually resulted in the Pegaso Z102.

A very modern race-bred V8 engine was placed in the Pegaso Z102 which made it a supreme competition for vehicles built in Maranello, Italy. The Pegaso was fitted with double overhead camshafts, a feature that had been confined to competition vee-type engine, though they were utilized on Jaguar's famous XK120 inline-six. The engine also featured sodium-filled exhaust valves for cooling, an oil cooler, and dry-sump lubrication while also using extensive use of light alloy. The option of one, two or four Weber carburetors could be fitted while compression ratios ranged from 7.8:1 to 9.0:1 to keep up with post-war Spain's unpredictable gasoline octane.

Receiving the elite status of being the only Spanish car to receive international supercar status during the 1950s, the Pegaso Z102B was introduced in 1951 at the Paris Auto Salon. With a top speed of 140 mph, the vehicle featured 250 horsepower at 6300 rpm. The Pegaso Company was government-backed at the time and had extensive experience constructing large 9-liter coaches. No one expected such a cutting-edge sports vehicle from a bus and truck company. Arond 125 Z102's were produced, with only two of them ever receiving bodywork from Saoutchik.

The Pegaso was a replacement for the esteemed Hispano-Suiza and was created to be a sports vehicle of the highest quality. Producing up to 300 hp, all Pegasos was powered by dry-sump V8 engines that ranged from 2.8 to 4.7 liters and featured torsion bar suspension along with 5-speed gearboxes with ZF limited-slip differentials. The 2.5 liter Z102 achieved 50 mph in just 8.3 seconds and 0-100mph in 35.0 seconds and had a top speed of 100 mph.

The Z102 range comprised a glass-backed coupe, a 2-seater cabriolet by Saotchik, a 2/3-seater Berlinetta, and a 2-seater sports model constructed by Superleggera Touring of Milan.

The Pegaso Z102B featured an increased engine with 2,816cc by 1953. The very exotic 'Thrill Berlinette' by Superleggera Touring was added to the range. The Z102B featured very aerodynamic side panels that blended from the rear body into the roof to form stabilizing 'fins' on each side. Considered to be the best known of all Pegaso's, the Z102B featured very exclusive red and black paintwork along with polished spoked wheels.

Pegaso models were largely hand-built and very innovative and advanced for their time. Only 88 models were ever built due to their extremely hefty price tag. Production ended in 1958 and the Pegaso resumed exclusively producing trucks and buses.

By Jessica Donaldson