Spain may not be instantly recognizable as a car making nation, but quite a few auto companies have been set up in the country. Alongside active makers such as Seat and Tramontana, sadly defunct brands like the legendary Hispano-Suiza also originate from the Iberian Peninsula. One brand that's probably evaded your attention, though, is Pegaso - so it's likely that the stunning Ferrari-beating grand tourer you see in these pictures is a vehicle you've never even seen before.
It's a wonder that this car even exists in the first place. Considering Pegaso was a subsidiary to a state-owned truck company, one must only imagine how the meeting that culminated in the Franco regime approving the creation of a Ferrari-rivalling sports car went. But that's exactly how the Pegaso Z-102 came to fruition, and this particular example is perhaps the most extraordinary of the 84 or so models that were ever produced. On top of being one of only 18 versions clothed in Saoutchik bodywork, the Z-102 you see in these images was one of only three Series 2 Berlinettas to retain its original major mechanical components, and was the very car that stunned the motoring world at the 1954 Paris Motor Show.
The fact it ranks up there as a far more technologically advanced vehicle than Ferraris of a comparable vintage (for instance, Ferrari wouldn't follow in Pegaso's footsteps by fitting a rear transaxle to its cars until the 275 was introduced in 1964) makes this Saoutchik Z-102 an even more intriguing automotive curio. As a result, you shouldn't be surprised to know that the car is expected to go for a substantial sum of money at the upcoming Monterey Car Week auction - RM Sotheby's is anticipating the Z-102 to be sold for somewhere in the $800,000 to $1 million. Fingers crossed this is what puts the short-lived Pegaso car company on the radars of a few more gearheads the world over.