Pegaso: history of a chassis

They say that Pegaso, the winged horse of Greek mythology, was the first of its kind to reach the gods. Almost as imposing and fascinating as the figure of the Greek Pegasus stands another Pegasus, the one that for years was the emblem of cars, buses, trucks and tractors throughout the country. And, like the mythological being, this earthly Pegasus also reached a kind of Olympus. This was its history.

The beginnings of ENASA

Our journey begins in the 1940s, in the early stage of Franco’s Spain. The Government aspired to create an industry capable of producing, annually, 5,000 cars up to 12 HP, 9,000 of 25 HP, 15,000 gasoline trucks of 3.5 tons, and 1,000 diesel trucks of 7 tons. In this context, in 1946 Hispano-Suiza, the Spanish luxury and racing car company, was nationalized by the Government. From its ashes, that year ENASA was born, acronym for Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, S.A., already under the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI). “Hispano Pegaso I” was the name given to the first truck manufactured by ENASA. It was a vehicle known as “el Mofletes” (the Snub-nosed) due to the shape of its cabin, with the steering wheel on the right and very high fuel consumption, in addition to other flaws. A year later, at the 1947 Barcelona fair, an improved version was presented: the Pegaso II. With it, the Pegaso brand finally saw the light of day. Created from “el Mofletes”, in 1949 the brand’s first tractor unit appeared, the Pegaso Z-701. In the same year, ENASA also introduced buses to its vehicle portfolio, with the Pegaso Z401.

Pegaso Z401: First Pegaso Bus

The Pegaso Z401 was an urban bus developed from the chassis of the Pegaso I and II and also featured its 145 horsepower gasoline engine. This bus had a peculiarity: the gear lever was on the floor and the selector for high or low gears was on the steering column, forcing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel to change gears. A few years later, the gasoline engine would be replaced by a diesel engine, the first manufactured in Spain, which managed to halve fuel consumption.

1950s

In 1952, Pegaso presented its Z-403 bus, characterized by its monocoque body made of light alloy, 10 meters long and up to 45 seats, with independent front suspension and a 125 horsepower engine. Three years later, the Z-404 was launched, with a Seida body and its distinctive cross-shaped grille. At the same time, the Pegaso Z-207 truck appeared, better known as “El Barajas”, as it had been developed in the new factory that ENASA had opened in Barajas, dedicated exclusively to the production of this model. “El Barajas” had a passenger variant in the Z-407 bus. This vehicle was named “El Millonario” (The Millionaire): its rounded rear significantly increased manufacturing costs, so it was ultimately canceled just before its market launch. In its place, first the Z-408 and shortly after an improved version of it, the Z-408i, appeared.  

 

Pegaso Comet

The 1960s began with the Pegaso 1090, better known as Pegaso Comet, which had been manufactured in collaboration with the English industrial vehicle company Leyland. As we mentioned in our post dedicated to the restoration of the Vitrasa Pegaso Comet, the Pegaso 1090 truck was a very reliable and robust vehicle, with a 6-cylinder engine called 9020, delivering 125 horsepower. Its characteristic robustness was combined with ingenuity through a sales strategy that included a relatively affordable price, resulting in great sales success. In this context, ENASA began to supply chassis for the bodywork sector, including Castro Unión Carrocera Gallega and, later, Castrosua (in Santiago de Compostela), led by Don José Castro Suárez. During the 1960s and 70s, large quantities of Pegaso Comet buses, bodied for numerous clients, left our factories in Santiago and Vilagarcía. Puedes leer más sobre este este modelo en este post.

 

Pegaso 6000

Pegaso played a particularly important role in the development of Spanish urban transport through its 6000 model. So much so that these vehicles remained in circulation until the late 1980s. In 1964, the historic Pegaso 6035 was presented, whose features included a six-cylinder engine block, 10,170 cubic centimeters, 170 horsepower, and a four-speed Wilson semi-automatic gearbox. ENASA is responsible for another of the sector’s major milestones in Spain: the development of the first articulated bus of Spanish manufacture. It was a vehicle very similar to the 6035 model, with an initial length of 18 meters and a capacity for 180 passengers. Later, to comply with regulations, it had to be reduced to 16.5 meters. These articulated buses remained in service until 1981.

 

ENASA is absorbed by IVECO

We jump to 1990. That year, the Italian company IVECO, which had begun an expansion strategy by acquiring historic brands, acquired ENASA. On March 11, 1992, the first Iveco made in Spain saw the light of day, specifically, the popular Daily van. From then on, Pegaso vehicles began to gradually disappear from our roads. This marked the end of the history of one of the most iconic brands in the Spanish automotive sector.   Cover image: Bus number 44 of Soler i Sauret, a Pegaso 6035/5, passing through Sant Just Desvern, serving the suburban line from Sant Feliu de Llobregat to Barcelona-Avinguda de Sarrià. Source: THE STB – CC BY-SA 4.0