Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS EXHIBITION «FORGOTTEN BRAND PEGASO«: RR.SS AUTOWORLD BRUSSELS
Although today it may seem surreal, Brussels belonged to the territories of the Hispanic Monarchy for about two centuries; until in 1713 - and by virtue of the Treaty of Utrech - it passed into Austrian hands at the same time that the British acquired the strategic Rock of Gibraltar. However, the presence of the Spanish administration was never a dish of good taste for the merchant Belgian people; so difficult was the stubborn and suicidal possession of those hostile territories that the expression "Put a pike in Flanders" it was coined as a synonym for a feat accomplished even against all probability.
Well, centuries later it seems that one of the industrial milestones of our country has achieved "Put a pike in Flanders" achieving the recognition of one of the main European automotive museums. We talk about the exhibition "Forgotten Brand Pegaso" organized in the Autoworld museum in Brussels with a selection of Z-102 racing cars of the Spanish brand. Thanks to the good disposition of the owners and the tenacity and work by Mario Laguna, It is possible to recreate yourself with this sample of the winged horse brand that will last until December 9, 2018.
With up to 13 copies of Pegaso Z-102 -a not inconsiderable meeting taking into account that only around 75 are preserved- and a mythical Comet truck this temporary exhibition rescues for the public the memory of a brand that, although initially associated with the manufacture of commercial vehicles, was also able to build one of the most vigorous GTs of the 50's thanks to the drive and knowledge of Wilfredo Ricart. Perhaps one thing went hand in hand with the other, constituting the adventure of the stickers the best school to teach precision procedures to the operators who built the trucks and buses.
And all this in the framework of an impressive exhibition hall located in one of the key points of the Belgian capital - the Cinquantenaire Park - next to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Aviation Museum and the Army Museum. Let's go through what Autoworld has prepared to celebrate the history of this "Forgotten brand"...
SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC PEGASO Z-102
If there is a car that can delight all those journalists and fans with a taste for rarities and rummaging through archives for the adventures and modifications of each chassis number, that is the Pegasus Z-102. The Spanish sports car accumulates almost as many aesthetic and mechanical versions as manufactured copies. Keeping track of many of its units is a challenge for motor genealogists in which you play with the confusion produced by models that went from being coupe to cabriolet, changed their original color or received substantial modifications, among other variations.
Thirteen Pegasi together they are not repetitive at all, because they look little outwardly like a cabrio version bodied by Greenhouse with the coupe dressed by her own ENASA. In this sample especially highlights the Thrill designed by the Milanese Touring; Placed in a separate place to be fully admired by the visitor, the history of this futuristic unit is one of the most passionate of all the Z-102, since it was conceived by ENASA to be precisely a show car, designed to shine in the great international salons.
Aside from the Thrill, Autoworld's Pegaso Z-102 exhibit features a Spider Pedralbes; for us one of the best qualities of this sample, since it reminds us of the attempt that Ricart himself led to make the Z-102 a GT with such success among the wealthiest buyers as well as on the circuits of the moment. Also striking is the coupe unit painted in shades of pink from the French museum of Mulhouse, as well as a green Z-102 ENASA and one of the cabrios signed by Serra, precisely the Pegaso Z-103/4 prototype guarded by Iveco que we had la chance to try a few years ago.
THE SAMPLE DOES NOT FORGET THE TRUCKS
Anyway, and as fascinating as the genesis of that unexpected sports car which is still the Z-102, the truth is that if something characterizes Pegaso are its trucks. They are so close to the popular imagination of our country that one does not understand the economic development of the 50s and 60s without them, not to mention that who else and who less has a story or anecdote in which a Pegasus is involved. For all these reasons, the incorporation of a Comet model in perfect condition to the sample is, at least for us, a great success.
And it is that although the Z-102 is one of those rarities with which every fan of the classics is amazed ... The truth is that the engine is to live it more than to contemplate it and in that an industrial vehicle like this Comet is unbeatable, with its six cylinders in line of 6550 cc and up to 135CV to carry loads that could weigh even 13.000 kilos.
Pegaso and its trucks are so exceptional that they even have their own song… Can it be heard at the Forgotten Brand Pegaso exhibition that will be open until 9 December at the Autoworld museum in Brussels? 😉
