Description

Chassis No. 0102-150 0148

Spanish engineer Wifredo Ricart was an exceptional talent and a big personality. Growing up in Barcelona in the wake of Hispano-Suiza's burgeoning success, the future car designer could hardly have hoped for a more congenial setting. After designing his own Ricart-Pérez and Ricart-España branded cars in the 1920s, Ricart moved to Alfa Romeo in 1936 where he was responsible for the splendid Tipo 512 Grand Prix car. There, he worked alongside another future marque founder, Enzo Ferrari, who he famously was at odds with. Ricart's motivation to establish Pegaso in 1946 – a maker of highly exclusive and advanced sports cars – is attributed to his animosity towards Alfa and Ferrari, and his desire to better the Italian who began building his own sports cars in 1948.

The official reason given for forming a state-owned sports car company was to “attract and train a highly qualified workforce for ENASA (Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones, S.A.)” – a Spanish manufacturer of trucks and buses of which Ricart was appointed Managing Director and Head of Engineering Projects following the war. However, Ricart's true incentive could be easily inferred from Pegaso's logo, the Flying Horse, that he was gunning for the one and only Prancing Horse. To ensure his success, he spared no expense designing and building the pre-production Pegaso Z-102 entirely in-house at the old Hispano-Suiza factory in La Sagrera, near Barcelona. That included the development of an all-aluminum, 2.5-liter V8 featuring dry-sump lubrication, twin overhead camshafts, and hemispherical combustion chambers. A five-speed transmission was located behind the differential in an advanced reverse transaxle configuration, while other technical highlights included double-wishbone independent front suspension, de Dion rear axle, and inboard rear drum brakes. Pegaso bodied the initial Z-102 prototypes with steel coachwork of their own design, including the car which debuted at the 1951 Paris Motor Show, before turning to Saoutchik of Paris, Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, and Serra of Barcelona to dress the majority of the production examples.

Known for his flamboyant and elegant creations, coachbuilder Jacques Saoutchik offered the Z-102 in closed and open configurations, ultimately bodying just 18 of the 83 Z-102 chassis produced. Of these, a mere seven examples were Series II Berlinettas, six of which were left-hand drive. Among them was the Pegaso offered here, chassis number 0148, which is said to be the first Saoutchik Series II Berlinetta produced and one of two examples chosen to be on display on the Pegaso stand in October 1954 at that year's Paris Motor Show. The car's sumptuous curves were complemented by wide, aggressive wheel arches and Saoutchik's delicate use of chrome trim to highlight the strong lines of his coachwork. Plainly, the Saoutchik-bodied Pegaso was for a discerning customer who wanted something more spectacular than the understated Touring coachwork.

Chassis number 0148 was initially registered as “M-138.223” under the ownership of Madrid resident Don Julian Sanchez Araguena in February 1956, passing to two subsequent Spanish owners before arriving in the possession of Garland W. Burke, a United States Air Force pilot stationed in Madrid. After residing largely in storage during Mr. Burke's ownership in the United States, it found a new custodian in Arthur L. Foley III in 1989. Under Foley's ownership, the Pegaso underwent an extensive restoration executed by the well-known Phil Reilly & Company which included a complete engine rebuild by European specialists. The restored Pegaso subsequently appeared at the 1994 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and also participated in the Colorado Grand under Mr. Foley's stewardship.

While under the ownership of renowned collector Jim Patterson, the Pegaso underwent a second, comprehensive restoration to concours standards by RM Auto Restoration. This meticulous process included rebuilding the five-speed transaxle, expertly refinishing the exterior in a period two-tone Pearl White accentuated with a Grey Metallic roof, retrimming the interior with new grey leather hides, and carefully refurbishing the original Podiomatic radio and Bosch heater. Each detail was painstakingly addressed, from the sleek charcoal grey-painted dash to the delicate cross-hatching pattern on the Nardi steering wheel. Furthermore, mechanical components such as the suspension and brakes underwent careful disassembly, adjustment, and refurbishment to ensure optimal performance. Its numbers-matching 2.8-liter, quad-cam V8 engine features the rare and potent dual four-barrel Weber carburetor paired with an 8.1:1 compression ratio, delivering an impressive 195 horsepower. This outstanding restoration culminated in a series of prestigious appearances at events such as the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and associated Tour d'Elegance, as well as the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, where it received an Amelia Award in the Pegaso feature class amidst a breathtaking display of its peers.

In its present ownership since 2016, the Saoutchik Berlinetta has continued to draw admiration, being displayed at the Arizona Concours and winning best in class accolades and runner up to Best of Show at the Keels & Wheels Concours in Houston. Rather notably, the Pebble Beach Concours featured a Pegaso class in 2023, and the stunning Saoutchik was well-rewarded with an award ribbon for “Most Elegant Road Car.”

Impeccably presented and sparingly exhibited, this Pegaso now stands poised for new opportunities on the concours circuit. Among the five surviving Saoutchik Series II Berlinettas, chassis 0148 stands as a paragon of authenticity, as one of only three retaining its original major components. Renowned as the 1954 Paris and Barcelona Motor Show car, chassis 0148 holds an esteemed place in automotive history as one of the most meticulously preserved and significant models in Pegaso's history.