FLYING HORSES

FLYING HORSES

TIME was when we used to Iltiuck of the Ilispano-Suiza as the only Spanish. car (when it was Mil Frellek), hill Or o rSe lie experts have long since changed ;di that. Nowadays they reel off lists ci sonorous therian MAIM’S to our deli-etalion, an,. ,1 most or tiwol kilvo remained less sonorous in the halls of motoring fame tlum they sound to the car, ticlatest of them. the Pegaso, first shown to an admiring world at the recent Paris Salon, does seem likely to prove an exception to this general rude. We were therefore duly grateful when Senor Nava, of Barcelona, for long a good friend to Moron Set are and its contributors, most kindly :trranged a visit for us, on the day I efore the Spanish. Grand Prix. to the WI>rks where ti aPegaso car is Matte : and, IllOref Wel% Wert’ duly flattered when we found that our guide on this °erasion was 1(1 be Senor Carlos Carreras, Huchief’ of I e production department of ENAS 1, the manufacturers of the car. In a (‘it roc II taxi of respectable age we drove (ad In the works, witiel1 fire those to Will011. Inosed jut 1910 telwn they outgrew their original factory nearer the centre of the city. and %Odell. 111.0re reeently, when the Spanisli lispatm-Suiza company Callte to all end, were taken over by II ccErni:resit Nacional Antocamiones S.A. (ENASA), cr National Lorry 11anunteturing Co. inevitably they present ci striking contrast 1.0 Milli/arable raetories nearer home. It hough it was the end of Octolcer, there was probably a fog in London. in this favoured Mediterranean setting a bright sun was shining from a cloudless blue sky onto groups ()I’ terra-eott a

eolottred lctcilchiccgs. sePar”ted Y”11″w roads flanked with plane trt•es. As we came into the entrance hall its Shade WaS al1110St grateful, and So WIdoubtedly were the exhibits violet’, it Itonsed. They ranged frtan ct polishe(I l’egaso 21-litre engilw to the first petrol car ever !atilt in Slain, which was desiglied Icy Mare Itirkigt it) i900, four years before Ite joined the new Ifisparm-Suiza etc:went. and whielt NI’llS Vaned II 1./1 Ctutdra, after its manufacturer. In between them was a sectioned example of the 9.3-litre six-cylioder diesel lorry engine, so beautifully designed and -tett that one mistook it at first for • tero engine, Every lorry aS well as ars, bears the emblem of Peoustis, —lying !forst., and tlw tour of the wide!) we now undertook with • Carreras Was (pate Stlineiellt 10 LIS Illat even the korries were fed by flying of no cart-horse type. .,,aps the most powerful impression of the whole phtee was its cleanliness, and after that its vompleteness. In Spain there are few outside suppliers of components., and steering gears, hearing metals and other parts. which in some other e01111Ities would he supplied by specialists, are here Made on I lie SpOt . For this the factory is well equipped, wil hi. among other things. a most elaborate laboratory, so clean and beautifullv kept that it is hard to realise Iltat Were IlOt ill a hospital. .kull appearatwes. it seems, do not belie reality for in this experinwitlal section. Senor t’arreras infot•med its they have recently, succeeded in probing the secret or iwariogg, which was formerly held only by the Germans, This is illIpOrittflt. we %erre assured, lweatise Spain is short or

rilrions sumo-ion ill cc VOIIIII ry whichwccs tale of the ancient teorld’s main sources of the metal and setter(‘ the Itio Tinto. the •witw-rert riser.’ ran red with the cuprous stain. N’e admired then, this evidently efficient factory seherc are built the chassis of pott-erfill commercial chicks, nutny of them with their big six-eylinder diesel engine amidships. with live rOrWard speeds or four and a double reduction gear giving eight in all, and compressed air brakes with the pylinders mounted on the loctek axle. 1Ve admired too the body shops and the final product in the shape COltelleS, 1110SI elabOralely equipped, which, 1111 aet.1111Ilt or itieir size, we i-oxrather glad 0111′ (IOC’S 110t Meet 1111 the roads 1)f 1:nglatill. Itiul while we were thus convinced that in thy manufatetto-e of such. veltieles Spain has little to learn from other eountries, it

WILS uc the 111.1V rlISI car I hat %VC Were. 111:rilap5. particularly interested, and it AVaS With 3 Veda’ thrill that %Vi. entered th.(• shop vont:titling the short assembly line on winch it is to be built, ill some IplitIllil y. as rr011t January. 1952. In appearance the Pegaso is reminiscent. tor se:ts to the preSeIll writer. of :t 1)112 .1st(m-11;trtin, but perhaps it is Ferrari, with his side ()I’ little more than 50 ears a year, that will rind in the Spanishi c:tr a particularlykeen vonqwtitor. .1 prier for the latter or 510,000 was mentioned, and I ItiS NV011111 appear iti he It s’ery reaStallthle 4 me. fit,. II costwk. $10,1100. for from its vs folir-castishat engine to its imprtived dc 1)ion linal drive the whole eltassis is obviously lite ollirom, or the mo,it advanced engineering. II is, moreover, practieally entirely Spanish ut Origin, al1110St Mr tally foreign components beitw the Italian aluminium It Ittlgetype setwels (lilted ;edit Pirelli ti-res made iii Spain), the Itosell ignition and the Lockheed brakes. Meelutnivally, perhaps. the transmission and susptlisitat :try almost the most interesting parts of the car, for in this design the ult• ” dead ” axle paSSI’S ill front of instead of behind VC-speed gearbox-ennt-different ial gear and the tht•ust is transmitted I rough. a single point at the rear where Ilie radins-arms meet lush-cut of through lieu points forward of the wheels as in the usual (le I/ion lay-out. Full advantage is taken of this fact in the design of the torsion-bar suspension to give the car :t very high roll centre al the rear. and its roadholding is said to Ice remarkahlc. Villa cc teeight of about 21. esets., or just tinder a ton without ” (ornaments as it teas put to ovi Icy Senor (arreras it sltould amply fulfill its function as a very fast touring car. and the short engine stroke (dimensions 75 Icy 70 mon.) situ:odd mean Iltal on Continental roads ttr all to ralla it Statalt1 prOVe etallplelely ctuctiuiccg The capacity (:I’ 2.471 (..e.ccc

neatly tits the limit imposed for (;rand l’rix Elleillgr from 1951. I lilt ‘We e011111 1101 rOrbear to ask our host ‘whether he haul not here a Formula. I raring car in eittbrytt. Senor Carreras. however. was retieent. ” First of all.” he said, ” NVe 1111/St Iccuilcl cars to sell.” TIte next morning, how ever, as sic’ Watelted rr011t lite Press stand the preliminaries or tile SlucicuiSIL Grand Prix., we sate the course opened by three Peg,ttsos, driven round it ;it no mean 0-1111 ii “Ile entirely self hood inside information, that in three y-ears linte a team cci Pegasos will he carryin, the red and yellow of Spain in a gram*, (;preitre. 011e W011111 he IlraWillg a hOW at a ventitre to loose 1111 :wrote might yet find 🙁 joint in the

It•trness or lily or fate. E. K, If. K.