To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Villa Erba event, 25 May
2019.
Estimate:
€550.000 - €700.000
- Offered from the ownership of Douglas Blain
- One of the last Z-102s built; the seventh of ten Series IIs by
Touring
- An extraordinary example of early '50s design
- Technologically advanced beyond its years with a dry-sump
quad-cam engine
- One of the finest and most original examples in existence,
retaining its original interior
- Sympathetically restored and mechanically rebuilt
Finding itself in an isolated position in post-war Europe, General
Franco's government sought to promote Spanish interests. Producing
a world-beating sports car appeared to be one of the best methods
of doing this. It also seemed like a recipe for disaster; a
totalitarian dictator striving for national pride. However, using
the former Hispano-Suiza factory at Barcelona and an extremely
talented former Alfa Romeo engineering team led by Don Wifredo
Ricart, the result was the Pegaso Z-102. It became one of the most
extraordinary cars ever produced.
Ricart's main coachbuilder of choice was Carrozzeria Touring of
Milan with their Superleggera technique, which produced a
relatively lightweight alloy-bodied car suitable for competition
whilst presenting as one of the most luxurious cars of the
immediate post-war period. The engineering underneath was also
extremely advanced calling on ideas Ricart had developed from his
time at Alfa Romeo in the 1930s as Chief Engineer for Special
Projects. The Z-102 featured an innovative chassis using
stress-bearing inner panels and a five-speed transaxle with the
engine situated right against the bulkhead, which produced a car
with 50/50 weight distribution. The suspension utilised the best
ideas of the time with torsion bar double-wishbone suspension at
the front with a De Dion rear axle. The greatest engineering marvel
of the Z-102 was the all-alloy V-8 engine, arguably the most
advanced road car engine ever produced at the time; it had 32
valves actuated through four gear-driven cams, all lubricated using
a dry-sump system with the only two outsourced components being
Weber carburettors and Bosch magneto.
This wonderful example, chassis number 67, is a rare Series II
example benefitting from having the largest-displacement 3.2-litre
engine. Delivered new with Superleggera coachwork by Touring (the
same entirely original body that it carries today), this Z-102 was
registered NA 11-095 with its first owner, a wealthy associate of
Franco and the owner of Urra SAE in Pamplona. By the early 1960s,
the Pegaso had passed to its second owner, Alejandro Espino of
Palencia, a racing driver who raced it on the 1961 Rally RACE, the
Spanish equivalent of the Mille Miglia, before using it again on
the 1962 editions of Rally de San Antolin and Rally de la Toja. By
the early 1990s, it was owned Dr F. Aguilera Novo of Pamplona who
showed it at Barcelona's Auto Retro in 1993.
Moving into the current ownership of Douglas Blain in 2007, chassis
67 has been restored and maintained with little regard to expense.
The restoration was carried out by the Light Car Company,
well-known for looking after important Ferraris, who completely
rebuilt the drivetrain with particular attention paid to the
complex steering linkage and transaxle. The full engine rebuild was
entrusted to Formhalls who replaced the crankshaft and other
internals and rebuilt all the ancillaries. The cosmetic aspects
were tended to by the Light Car Company as well, who took
particular care in preserving the beautiful patina of the original
interior whilst restoring the exterior, making sure that this very
original Pegaso has the authentic feel and appearance of a
64-year-old car with an appropriate bare-metal repaint in the
original colour scheme.
The current owner, Douglas Blain, is better known as the co-founder
and founding editor of Car magazine during the period which brought
journalists such as LJK Setright to the fore; he also founded the
Spitalfields Trust credited with preserving this historic area of
London, and is now publisher of The Automobile. His experience of
driving many of the world's great cars, coupled with his discerning
taste, brought him to Pegaso ownership, and his eye for detail has
only helped make this Pegaso Z-102, one of the best examples in
existence. During his ownership, he has shown this Pegaso by
invitation at both the Heveningham Concours and Goodwood Cartier
Style et Luxe as well as at the special exhibition Pegaso: The
Forgotten Marque, at Autoworld, Brussels in 2018. This Pegaso would
make an ideal concours entrant for the next owner and is eligible
for the most prestigious racing events.
This stunning masterpiece of '50s design is as thrilling to drive
as it is to look at and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner.
An extremely rare example of one of the great early post-war
sports-racing cars, this highly original Pegaso is an opportunity
not to be missed, a car that could rightfully reside in any of the
world's great collections.
---
Proveniente dalla propriet� di Douglas Blain
Una delle ultime Z-102 costruite; la settima, di dieci, Serie II di
Touring
Uno straordinario esempio di design degli inizi degli anni '50
Tecnologicamente avanzata per i suoi anni, con un motore a carter
secco e 4 alberi a camme
Uno degli esemplari pi� belli e originali esistenti, conserva
ancora il suo interno originale
Restaurata in modo attento, meccanica totalmente revisionata
Trovandosi in una posizione isolata nell'Europa del dopoguerra, il
governo del generale Franco cerc� di promuovere gli interessi
spagnoli. Produrre un'auto sportiva in grado di battere il resto
del mondo, sembrava essere uno dei modi migliori per farlo.
Sembrava anche la ricetta per un perfetto disastro, con un
dittatore totalitario che lotta per l'orgoglio nazionale. Tuttavia,
utilizzando la vecchia fabbrica Hispano-Suiza di Barcellona e un
team di ingegneri ex-Alfa Romeo di grande talento, guidati da Don
Wifredo Ricart, il risultato � stato quello di creare una delle
auto pi� straordinarie mai prodotte: la Pegaso Z-102.
Il principale carrozziere scelto da Ricart, era la Carrozzeria
Touring di Milano, con la sua tecnica Superleggera. Touring era in
grado di costruire una carrozzeria in alluminio relativamente
leggera, adatta per le competizioni, facendola comunque rimanere
una delle pi� lussuose del primo dopoguerra. Anche l'ingegneria di
base era estremamente avanzata e sfruttava idee che Ricart aveva
sviluppato nel suo periodo all'Alfa Romeo, negli anni '30, come
Ingegnere Capo per i progetti speciali. La Z-102 pu� quindi
sfoggiare un telaio innovativo che utilizza pannelli interni
portanti in acciaio stampato, cambio transaxle a cinque velocit� ed
il motore posizionato proprio contro la paratia parafiamma,
soluzioni che hanno permesso di ottenere un'auto con una
distribuzione di peso del 50/50. Le sospensioni utilizzavano le
migliori soluzioni dell'epoca, con, all'anteriore un doppio braccio
trasversale a barra di torsione mentre, l'assale posteriore era del
tipo De Dion. La pi� grande meraviglia ingegneristica della Z-102
�, comunque, il motore V-8 completamente in alluminio,
probabilmente il motore da strada pi� avanzato che fosse mai stato
prodotto all'epoca; con 32 valvole azionate attraverso quattro
alberi a camme azionati da ingranaggi, � lubrificato con il sistema
a carter secco. Gli unici due componenti esterni, erano i
carburatori Weber ed il magnete della Bosch.
Questo meraviglioso esemplare, telaio numero 67, � una rara vettura
della seconda serie, che beneficia del moto...for more information
please contact the seller.
