Page 1 of 3 Next >> Today it is hard to fathom that in the early 1950s the most advanced and fastest road car was built not in Italy, Germany or England but in Spain. It gets a little easier to imagine when we learn that this 'supercar' was the brainchild of former Alfa Romeo designer Wilfredo Ricart and built by ENASA in the remnants of the Hispano Suiza factory. On the other hand it must be noted that none of Ricart's designs were particularly successful and that ENASA specialised in buses and trucks. Regardless they got it absolutely right when they launched the Pegaso Z102 at the 1951 Paris Auto Salon. Well actually not quite but more about that later.
Before joining Alfa Romeo in 1936, Ricart had successfully built and raced cars under his own name in Spain. He and his family were forced to flee the country because of the civil war. During his time at the Italian manufacturer, he quickly climbed the ranks and was soon appointed head of design of 'Alfa Corse'; the newly established racing department, which was headed by one Enzo Ferrari. It is commonly believed that the two men did not get along very well, ultimately resulting in Ferrari's famous departure. At Alfa Romeo Ricart designed several inspiring road and racing cars, which for various reasons never got beyond the prototype phase. The most famous of these was the 512 'voiturette' racer, powered by a supercharged, mid-mounted flat 12 engine.
With peace returned to Europe, Ricart returned to his native Spain. Here he joined the government backed ENASA, short for Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones SA. Business was booming and towards the end of the 1940s he approached company executives with the idea of developing a Spanish supercar. The nationalistic government was very interested in this unique opportunity to do one better on the traditional automobile manufacturing countries in Europe. Ricart received the green light and started drawing up designs immediately. Perhaps as a gesture to Enzo Ferrari and his legendary emblem, the name Pegaso was picked. This was derived from the Greek mythical creature Pegasus; a flying horse. Page 1 of 3 Next >>