Francisco Carrion
Abadal y Cº, mythical brand of the Catalan automotive industry
Under this title and to commemorate the first centenary of Abadal automobiles, an interesting temporary exhibition has been organized on the figure of Francisco Sarramalera Abadal, an important Catalan industrialist who He was always linked to the automotive world in different facets such as those of a body builder, representative of various brands or even a builder.
He was born into a wealthy industrial family and soon began his fondness for wheeled gadgets, becoming a well-known successful cyclist at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
With the creation of the Hispano-Suiza de Barcelona, he saw a new business opportunity and obtained one of the first official representations of the brand, establishing the so-called “Central Auto Garage” whose facilities were on Consejo de Ciento street in Barcelona.
In 1905 Paco Abadal -as he was generally known- also became one of the first pilots of the stork brand, since his concerns as a "sportman" also led him to the field of speed, knowing that this was one of the the best possible advertisements.
And it is that Abadal he was always a restless and advanced man that he used everything in his power to achieve the best possible visibility for the products he sold.
Hispano-Suiza 6-cylinder to Don Alfonso XIII, sitting next to him
Thanks to these qualities, he managed, for example, to convince the then King Alfonso XIII of the purchase of his first Hispano-Suiza. In addition to representing this brand, it soon established itself as a representative of various other car manufacturers and, after associating with Pedro Homet and establishing the company “FS Abadal y Cª”, it moved its workshops to Letamendi street.
The new larger facilities offered great possibilities that Paco Abadal, as was often the case, did not want to miss out.
After a period of disagreements with Hispano-Suiza, the representation was withdrawn, and then he saw free way to realize one of his greatest wishes: to build a car under his own banner.
Thus, in 1913 the magnificent Abadal automobiles were presented, which from the beginning received rave reviews from the specialized press. However, these cars were not entirely manufactured in Barcelona, but their mechanical parts were manufactured in Belgium, specifically in the Imperia car factory.
The skillful Abadal had reached an agreement given that his workshops lacked the necessary equipment to produce all the mechanical components, so that the cars arrived in Barcelona from Belgium semi-disassembled and, once there, received the bodywork and finished their assembly.
However, these beautiful and fast cars would also be the subject of litigation with Hispano-Suiza, since their sophisticated mechanics were nothing more than almost exact copies of the Alfonso XIII models with the 45 HP long chassis and their younger brother, the 15-20. HP.
It cannot be denied that the Abadal had a good presence
The beginning of World War I and the occupation of the Imperia factory by German troops caused production to cease prematurely in 1914, the last chassis being sent completely disassembled to the Barcelona workshops.
It is estimated that a little more than a hundred Abadal vehicles were manufactured before the end of production, having even carried out notable sports participations in France and Spain.
Currently only two Abadal are known to exist, which have been brought together for this temporary exhibition. Both cars maintain a high degree of originality, although the bodywork such as Coupé-Chauffeur had been missing for many years since it was a regular participant in the rallies of the 60s and 70s.
The Abadal 45 HP could perfectly be considered as sports cars in their time. This belongs to the Museum of Caramulo (Portugal)
The other unit present is in excellent working order and, as we were able to verify in the last edition of the Centenary of the First Spanish GP, "He ran that he peeled them." His behavior can be considered that of a true sports car of his time, how could it be less being the "technological son" of Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII.
There will be few opportunities to see these two rare examples of Spanish automobile history together again, especially if we take into account that the red specimen has been loaned courtesy of the Portuguese museum in Caramulo.
The other cars in the exhibition are a Hispano-Suiza T16, a 1906 Peugeot Lion owned by the Salvador Claret collection and another illustrious disappeared, a 1903 Clement that Paco Abadal premiered and that was still taken to England where it has been auctioned for an important figure.
His poster was still up, explaining that "he has been taken to England for a photo shoot" ... and something else, as we learned later. The sample is completed with a small movie theater where a documentary about the character and a large display case with personal belongings of the Abadal family is shown.
Finally, and as the only downside, the almost total absence of mentions to the Abadal-Buick stage (1917-1923), in which the American brand supplied the chassis and the Catalan firm dressed them with striking “sport” bodies. And this despite the fact that the Terrassa museum collaborates actively with the Claret de Sils Collection, in which there is –although highly modified and not very original- one of these cars that would also wonderfully cover the painful gap left by the auctioned Clement.
For those who do not want to miss the very interesting Abadal exhibition, we inform you again that it is temporary and that It will only be in the museum until June 30 of this year. The price of the general admission - not only to the transport section - is 4,50 euros, the reduced price being 3,50 euros.
