June 03, 2009

Pegaso Z-102

A little history

For a time during the Fifties, Spain had its own prestigious GT, the Pegaso Z-102. Its manufacturer had only built trucks previous to its launch in 1951, and again after its demise seven years later, until it was finally taken over by Iveco in 1994.

Designed by Wilfredo Ricart, the Z-102 targeted the same market as did Ferrari, whose founder Ricart had a long rivalry with. For its supercar, Pegaso built its own engine, an all-alloy 2.8-litre V8, coupled to 5-speed gearbox. Though base models boasted a 175 hp output, various options, including a supercharger, could push this figure up as high as 360 hp. This latter version briefly made the Pegaso the fastest production car in the world, reaching close to 245 kph during the autumn of 1953. Nevertheless, Pegasos were found heavy and tricky to drive, which, along with their extremely high price, limited their total production to 86.

(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)

About the model

Model: Pegaso Z-102
Year: 1952
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.73 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

This time Altaya didn’t even put a French registration onto its Touring-bodied Pegaso coupe, taken straight from its Spanish series Nuestros queridos coches as we have already seen regarding several other models. So a collection which ambition was to present popular French cars of the Fifties and Sixties ended up with Eighties models and a Pegaso registered in Andorra... Well, don't be too narrow-minded and this model will be a pleasant surprise, though the wire wheels, as it is customary for press release versions of Ixo models, are rather simplified, unfortunately. Still, this original model is worth 13/20.

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