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1953 Pegaso Z-102 'Thrill' (Touring)

Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Pegaso Z-102 Thrill (Touring), 1953
Images: Touring Superleggera; www.supercars.net; shorey.net
Rating:  9    -0    +9
Pegaso Z 102 Berlinetta Superleggera "Thrill" (Carrozzeria Touring), 1953 -one-off for Evita Peron
The latter showed in 1953 a Berlinetta that they christened 'Thrill', and to this day it remains one of the greatest production car designs ever: form-fitting seats and lap straps were a feature of the interior, but the most notable device was a pair of airfoil-section 'flying buttresses', extending from the hips to the shoulders of the roof, just behind the side windows. These were claimed to control the boundary-layer air flow around the sides of the canopy and over the extensively glazed tapering tail, and they were blended into the body panels with impeccable smoothness, the finish on this body being exceptional.


Among all of Carrozzeria Touring’s post-war work, this sole Pegaso is one of their most thrilling. Being a one-of, it isn’t as prolific as the Aston DB4 nor Alfa Romeo 1900 which Touring also designed, but that allowed it to be much more daring than standard practice.

In 1951, Pegaso was building Spain’s only sports car on a steel tube frame, aluminum V8 engine and rear transaxle. Known as the Z-102, these were meant for the high-end market and attracted work from the Europe’s premier coachbuilders. They were also initially used for racing to a limited and unsuccessful degree.

Three years into production, Wilfredo P. Ricart approached Touring to make a new show car on the Z-102 chassis. He was a Spanish car designer and played a part in the final shape of the car. Knowing the kind of promotion this would bring, Carlo Felice at Touring gladly accepted the job. Pegaso’s mother company, Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones S.A., (ENASA) paid for the work. Like many extravagant Pegasos, the Thrill was planned for the Concours d’Elegance scene.

A cross-haired grill was the only visual cue that marked the Thrill as a Peagso. Touring styled a completely new body shape and interior that was fitting for the car’s name. The design used unfamiliar yet balanced lines and accentuated them with a high-contrast, red-on-black paint scheme.

From the outside, the most immediately noticeable trait is the car’s two flying buttresses that form the leading edge of the rear wings. These are a definite nod to America'a jet-age design, but the rounded edges make the Thrill appear less threatening.

The rest of the body is equally as interesting. Unlike many cars of the period which are slab sided, the Thrill has a crease line at the top of the wheel wells that divide off a thin sill from a wide belt line. The result is a top heavy appearance that makes the body look slightly overweight yet slim around its wheels. At the rear, the body is swept inward. A rear deck houses the wrap around windscreen that is cutoff by a protruding trunk lid. This opens like a semi-hatchback into both the trunk and passenger area. Ample space is made for the two rear wings, as well as the Pegaso and Touring symbols which are featured prominently. Bumpers with integrated exhaust ports tuck away into the body’s main crease.

Inside, the car is similarly outfitted with an ornamental dashboard, two-tone upholstery, a huge wood-rimmed steering wheel and jewel-like gauges.

Despite all its extreme characteristics, the Thrill still maintains cohesiveness and grace. It also shows how far stylists had come in 1953 by moving away from designs that were obviously only styled in two dimensions. Even though it was a small sports car, this hallmark car helped other stylists take a radical 3D approach to design such as Bertone and his BAT project.

Upon completion in 1953, the public first got a glimpse of the Thrill on the show circuit. That year it visited Turin, Barcelona, Paris and London promoting both Pegaso and Touring. It also won the ‘Grand Premio d’Onore’ at the 1953 Concours d’Elegance at Stresa. Later, the Thrill's production version was released with a lack of buttresses and crease line. Many coupes and convertibles were made this way.

It was rumored that General Francisco Franco gifted the car Evita Peron the Prime Minister of Argentina's wife.

After decades of ownership in its orginal colors, the Thrill turned up at a Chrities auction missing many parts. It was bought by Raffi Minasian who said that the car’s heavy steering, suspension, terrible shocks and braking kept him from driving it fast. By the early nineties, Minasian and his father decided to finally restore the car for the Pegaso meeting at Pebble Beach in 1994. It was used as a cover car and placed beside 11 other striking examples at the show. Afterwards, the car was sold to a private collection in Belgium. It has since come out twice, once at the 2000 Dutch Concours and a second time at the 2008 Villa d’Este Concours to celebrate the revival of Touring Superleggra.
Source: www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au; Richard Owen - www.supercars.net
Coachbuilder: Touring
1927 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Cabriolet 'Royal Touring' (Touring), 1927 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A 'Touring Belvedere' (Touring), 1927 Lancia Lambda Faux Cabriolet (Touring), 1928 Fiat 520 Cabiolet (Touring), 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Berlinetta (Touring), 1930 Fiat 525 N Cabriolet 'Royal' (Touring), 1930 Officine Mechanica 665 S Mille Miglia Cabriolet (Touring), 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS 'Flying Star' (Touring), 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC (Touring), 1931 Fiat 522C Roadster 'Flying Star' (Touring), 1931 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Spyder 'Flying Star' (Touring), 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet (Touring), 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Coupe Aerodinamico (Touring), 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Coupe Spyder (Touring), 1932 Citroen Tipo 6C Coupe Cabriolet Regina d’Italia (Touring), 1932 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8B Progetto 'Tip Top' (Touring), 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 GT Berlinetta 'Freccia di Belzebu' (Touring), 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 GT 'Tip Top' (Touring), 1933 Fiat 508 Cabriolet 'Ametista' (Touring), 1933 Fiat 508 Cabriolet 'Smeraldo' (Touring), 1933 Lancia Augusta Cabriolet (Touring), 1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Coupe (Touring), 1934 Lancia Artena Cabriolet (Touring), 1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 MM 'Superleggera' (Touring), 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Berlinetta (Touring), 1937 Lancia Aprilia Berlinetta Aerodinamica (Touring), 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B MM Spider (Touring), 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Le Mans Speciale (Touring), 1938 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet (Touring), 1938 Fiat 508 C 1100 Mille Miglia Spider (Touring), 1938 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet (Touring), 1938 Lancia Aprilia Spider (Touring), 1938 Lancia Astura 'Flying Star' (Touring), 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica (Touring), 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Spider-Corsa (Touring), 1947 Bristol 401 Berlinetta 'Superleggera' (Touring), 1947 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8C Monterosa Coupe (Touring), 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter (Touring), 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d’Este (Touring), 1949 Ferrari 166 MM 'Barchetta' (Touring), 1949 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8C Monterosa Special Sedan (Touring), 1950 Fiat 1400 Berlinetta (Touring), 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d’Este Cabriolet (Touring), 1951 Ferrari Inter Berlinetta (Touring), 1952 Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante (Touring), 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Spider 'Tibidabo' (Touring), 1953 Pegaso Z-102 Berlinetta (Touring), 1953 Pegaso Z-102 'Thrill' (Touring), 1954 Hudson Italia (Touring), 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Cabriolet (Touring), 1955 Pegaso Z-103 Berlinetta Hardtop (Touring), 1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Cabriolet (Touring), 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 Spyder (Touring), 1956 Pegaso Z-103 Berlinetta Panoramica (Touring), 1957 Maserati 3500 GT Coupe (Touring), 1959 Maserati 5000 GT (Touring), 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint 'Praho' (Touring), 1961 Aston Martin Lagonda Rapide (Touring), 1961 OSCA 1600 GT Coupe (Touring), 1962 Maserati 3500 GT (Touring), 1963 Sunbeam Venezia (Touring), 1964 Lamborghini 350 GT (Touring), 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTC (Touring), 1965 Lamborghini 350 GTS (Touring), 1965 Lamborghini Tigre (Touring), 1966 Aston Martin DBSC (Touring), 1966 Fiat 124 Cabriolet (Touring), 1966 Lamborghini 400GT 'Flying Star II' (Touring), 2008 Maserati A8 GCS Berlinetta (Touring), 2008 Maserati Bellagio (Touring), 2010 Bentley Continental 'Flying Star' (Touring), 2011 Gumpert Tornante (Touring), 2012 Touring Superleggera Disco Volante, 2014 Mini Superleggera Vision (Touring), 2015 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Lusso (Touring), 2016 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Spyder (Touring), 2017 Artega Scalo Superelletra (Touring), 2018 Touring Superleggera Sciadipersia, 2019 Touring Supperleggera Sciadipersia Cabriolet, 2020 Touring Superleggera Aero 3, 2021 Touring Superleggera Arese RH95, 2023 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (Touring)
Comments
Stefan Lütten
Monday, January 4, 2016
Dear Ladies and Gentlemens,

this car was one of the greatest design-icons at this time. The design was
very extrem for this time. Touring Superleggera have making a very good
job for design, formness, and structure in car design. I believe it was a
revolution in design thinking, and giving a form, that was very very unusual
for other carmakers. For the marque Pegaso itself it was very important to find a design, that was extraordinary, and for the engeeniers, to find
other ways in construction and design features, what show design, how can I make this detail, at the car and so on.
Discuss this car
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