Ivan Vicario Martin
La FEVA has just launched the first of the notebooksdedicated to the brand National Pescara and written by Pablo Gimeno Valledor. In this way, one of the objectives of the Federation is fulfilled, which is to review the history of the Spanish automotive industry, covering all aspects, from industrial to sports.
This initiative has been started with a publication dedicated to Nacional Pescara, a shooting star within our industrial past. With an ephemeral existence and highly advanced technology, he only manufactured a handful of vehicles that caused astonishment to all who have come to know his cars.
No one better to trace this story than the historian Pablo Gimeno Valledor, author of more than two dozen books on national automotive. It is a job to which he has dedicated countless hours and resources of his own. In addition, Pablo Gimeno has recently come to lead the FEVA Culture Commission and, since the beginning of the year, it is also collaborator of THE SQUARE.
ABOUT NATIONAL PESCARA
born of the initiative of Raúl Pateras Pescara de Castellucio, Marquis of Pateras Pescara, the Fábrica Nacional de Automóviles SA was founded in Barcelona in 1929. By then, Raúl Pateras was already an outstanding engineer, owner of dozens of patents, including one of the first helicopters. Imagined during World War I, it came to light in the early 20s.
Nacional Pescara had the support of King Alfonso XIII and the Spanish Government, as well as an initial capital of 16 million pesetas, a huge figure in those years. To design the brand's first car, in addition to his outstanding talent, the Marquis of Pescara had the help of his brother Enrique and the Italian engineer Edmond Moglia. To complete the template, technicians were recruited from Hispanic-Suiza and Elizalde, the most cutting-edge Spanish companies of the moment in the automotive sector.
The firm's first model was an 8-cylinder car, very technically advanced, with 4.800 cm3. Proof of the state-of-the-art technology used was that many of its components were made of Electron, a new alloy of aluminum and magnesium. Only a handful of units of this model were built, one of them being acquired by King Alfonso XIII.
OF RACES
Very quickly a sports version was prepared, with a shorter frame, which Enrique Pateras put to the test in La Rabasada in 1930, achieving a victory and breaking the record in his category. In 1930 a competition team was put together with the pilots Juan Zanelli and Esteban Tort, which managed to prevail in the European Mountain Bike Championship, defeating brands as successful as Bugatti.
By 1932 the firm had projected a new model, with 10 cylinders and 4 liters of capacity, which was called Type P. However, This project did not go beyond the plans, due to the arrival of the Second Republic, which led to the exile of Alfonso XIII and Raúl Pateras himself. The economic situation worsened rapidly, and the company ended up in the hands of Fiat, who wanted to acquire a Spanish brand to establish himself in our country.
Raúl Pateras still built a last model in Paris, before national Pescara disappeared in 1935. It was a 16-cylinder car, with a propellant supplied by the Swiss firm SLM. In short, Raúl Pateras and his creations proved to be at the top of engineering in those years. Despite its brief existence, it caused an important impact and achieved an outstanding sporting record.
NOW ON SALE
The FEVA notebook on Nacional Pescara can already be purchased for a price of 22 euros. This figure stays at 20 euros for members of the Federation. From five copies, shipping costs are free. Orders can be placed through the email ppgad@pucrs.br.
Undoubtedly, a work that cannot be missing from the bookshelf of every good fanSo, despite being a brand of notable importance, the history of Nacional Pescara is little known. From here, we applaud this FEVA initiative.
