The Pegaso Comet was the range that ENASA introduced in the 1960s for medium-tonnage transport. Its more conventional design and its adaptability to different configurations made it common across Spain and in a number of export markets.
Pegaso Comet at a glance
| Maker | ENASA, Barcelona and Madrid |
|---|---|
| Marque | Pegaso |
| Range | Comet |
| Introduced | in the 1960s |
| Segment | medium-tonnage transport |
| Design | conventional, adaptable to many configurations |
| Market | Spain and several export markets |
| Owner | ENASA until 1990, then Iveco |
The Comet is covered in a short section of the Spanish Wikipedia article on Pegaso; this page goes no further than that section.
History of the Pegaso Comet
Pegaso’s lorry range developed out of the Hispano-Suiza vehicles ENASA took over in 1946: first the Pegaso I, nicknamed Mofletes for its rounded cab, then the Pegaso II with mechanical improvements. Through the first half of the 1950s the company replaced petrol engines with diesels and widened its heavy transport programme.
The Comet arrived in the 1960s as the answer for medium tonnage. Where the Barajas of 1955 had been technically ambitious, the Comet was deliberately conventional, which made it cheap to build and easy to adapt to different body types and uses. That flexibility produced wide sales in Spain and a place in several export markets.
The 1960s also brought expansion abroad and, in 1968, the purchase of SAVA of Valladolid, which gave Pegaso a range of light vehicles, vans and small lorries. The Comet sat in the middle of that catalogue, between the light SAVA-derived products and the heavy numbered lorries.
Design and features
- Medium tonnage: sized for the bulk of Spanish goods transport in the 1960s.
- Conventional engineering: a simpler design than the Barajas, easy to maintain and to sell.
- Adaptable: many body and configuration options from the same basic vehicle.
- Export presence: sold outside Spain as well as at home.
Pegaso Comet versions
- Comet lorry: the standard goods chassis.
- Bodied versions: variants built for different transport tasks.
The heavier numbered lorries are in Pegaso 1060, the light SAVA-derived vehicles in Pegaso J4, and the marque under Pegaso.
Video: Pegaso Comet
Video by Dani Astures on YouTube.
Sources
- Pegaso, Spanish Wikipedia: Comet range, medium tonnage, export markets
- Pegaso, English Wikipedia: SAVA takeover and the range of the 1960s
