Power About Pegaso
Pegaso (IPA: [pe'É°aso]; Spanish for "Pegasus") was a Spanish brand of trucks, buses, tractors and armoured vehicles, and, for a while, of impressive sport cars. The parent company, Enasa, was created in 1946 based on the old Hispano-Suiza factory, under the direction of the renowned automotive engineer Wifredo Ricart. The main Pegaso plants were located in Barcelona, Madrid and Valladolid.
Enasa, a state-owned company, had its main business interest in the truck and bus market. Therefore Pegaso became one of the leading European industrial vehicles makers, with significant export activity both to Europe and Latin America; the Benelux, Venezuela and Cuba were Pegaso biggest markets, while a substantial contract to supply tactical trucks to the Egyptian Army was signed in late 70s.
Between 1946 and 1990 Pegaso built 350,000+ units, yearly maximum production being 26,000+ in 1974.
The forties
First Enasa produced truck, just a slightly modified Hispano-Suiza 66G, was the Pegaso I, of which only a few units were made along 1946 and 47, mostly due to the severe shortages of the post-war era. An enhanced, but still petrol-engined, version, the Pegaso II (model code Z-203), was launched in late 1947 and reached some hundreds of units, while awaiting for a much needed diesel model. This was the 125hp Pegaso Diesel (Z-202), nicknamed Mofletes (chubby cheeks) for its rounded bulbous front end, that made its debut in 1949 and quickly established itself as the leader of the in those days weak Spanish truck market. Artic tractor, road train and coach or bus versions were also available soon, and all together they became El camión español (The Spanish truck), as proudly stated Enasa badges and advertisements.
The fifties
Pegaso built about a hundred high-end Z-102 sports cars in the 1950s. The cars were in many ways advanced for the time, as they had all wheel independent suspension, a five-speed gearbox, and were offered with the choice of Touring, Saoutchik or Enasa's own luxury bodies.
