Spain
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- Parent Category: Motor car History
- Category: Spain
Authi ( British Motor Corporation) and (Nueva Montaña Quijano).
Vehicle manufacturer Spain From 1966 to 1976
BMC needed a way to sell their cars in Spain, which at the time had strict rules to protect local automobile manufacturers from imported competitors and to protect local companies from foreign takeover. Thus, Authi built almost identical copies of a range of Austin and Morris cars. The company survived only until 1976 when British Leyland ran out of money and the almost new Authi plant was sold to the SEAT car company after the failure of a bid for it from General Motors.
The company's name stands for Automoviles de Turismo Hispano Ingleses: it is generally written and spoken as a word rather than as an acronym.
Beginnings
The Authi firm was officially registered on 12 November 1965 under the chairmanship of Eduardo Ruiz de Huidrobo y Alzurena, with its head office and premises at Arazuri, a few kilometers to the west of Pamplona. The share capital was held by a Santander metal working business called Nueva Montaña Quijano S.A. (NMQ) which had originally been founded in 1899. The real owners of the business were the Banco de Santander and the Quijano family. The bank also had a controlling interest in Fasa Renault which had been building Renaults at their Valladolid plant for the Spanish market since 1951. NMQ had been supplying engines for the Spanish-built Renaults. Work dried up when Renault moved their engine production in-house. Therefore, BMC's search for a Spanish partner able to build their cars for the Spanish market in Spain had coincided with NMQ's search for another automotive partner able to provide designs that could be produced locally.
The first Spanish-built Authi product, an MG 1100, emerged in January 1967. A Mini C 1275 followed in October, featuring leather seats and a walnut dashboard, along with various other pieces of additional equipment not featured by Minis produced in England.
It was announced in July 1967 by BLMC Chairman, Lord Stokes that his company had taken a controlling 51% share in NMQ. There was a further capital injection by Leyland in 1973 which raised the share capital to 2,400 million pesetas and left the residual minority share holders with very little influence over the business. In this year, presidency of the company passed to Manuel Diez Alegria. Highlighted at the time was the company's new spare parts centre, featuring a state-of-the-art computer inventory control system, employing punch-cards.
Success and the Mini
Volume production started with the opening of the Pamplona plant in 1969. In April of that year, two versions of the Mini 1000 came to the market, respectively Standard and Special (Standard y Especial): even the standard version was seen as relatively well equipped at the time. The Mini would achieve the highest sales volumes of any model in the short history of Authi, with more than 140,000 shipped by the time the plant closed down seven years later. The car was entirely assembled at Pamplona. The bodywork and under panels were delivered from England. The engine and the gear box were manufactured at NMQ's own plant at Los Corrales de Buelna. Other parts including axle, suspension, windows and smaller components were produced locally and in Barcelona in order to comply with the government's determinedly protectionist trade policies.
In January 1970, a Mini 850 was added to the range, featuring virtually the same engine that had been fitted in the original English-built Mini in 1959. A reduced specification Mini 1000 followed. This broadened the appeal of the range in the still acutely price-sensitive Spanish auto-market, but it also dragged the Authi brand down-market which would compromise the company's future ability to price its cars at a premium against competitor Fiat and Renault designed products.
By this time the company's reputation was beginning to suffer the effects of inadequate investment in the dealership network. After-sales service suffered because the cars, in some ways more sophisticated than the old models offered by SEAT and Renault, were often not sufficiently understood by workshop personnel at the Authi dealers.
In 1971 the company introduced the Mini 1275 GT, its specification closely matched to the corresponding English-built car. This replaced the company's first model, the Mini C 1275. The leather seats and walnut dashboard of the old model disappeared. The 1275 GT was, however, more aggressively priced than its predecessor.
Production
The following cars were built by Authi:
- Authi Mini 1968–1975
- Authi Mini Cooper 1973–1975
- Morris 1100/1300 1966–1972
- Austin Victoria - Austin Victoria De Luxe 1972–1975
- Austin de Luxe 1974–1975
Production figures
| Year | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total annual production | 27 | 14,645 | 21,020 | 15,789 | 18,570 | 31,401 | 34,199 | 43,318 | 30,763 | 15,121 |
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- Category: Spain
AFA
Vehicle manufacturer Spain From 1942 to 1944
The AFA Automóviles Fernández y Aymerich was a Spanish manufacturer of automobiles . Manufactured between 1942 and 1944.
History
The company began production of automobiles in 1942 under the leadership of Juan Aymerich Casanovas and Luíz Fernández Roca. Jaime Morera Carreró was the designer. In 1944, the company exhibited at the Exposición Automovilista Nacional.
The company exhibited at the Exposición Automovilista Nacional in Madrid on July 10, 1944. In 1935 Juan had created the failed "National Ruby" car, due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War he was not able to go to production. But his experience served as the basis for the AFA. The AFA prototype was registered in Barcelona in April 1943, with the registration number B-72.107 and its patent number was 159,882. Juan Aymerich Casanovas hope to make 100 cars annually, but only produce one or two cars. Franco died on in 1946 and Joan Aymerich then abandoned the car project in 1947. The actual production number is lower. A few prototypes, and the other from a small production until 1947.
The model was based on the Nacional Rubi and was a small car with an open convertible body . For the drive was provided by a four-cylinder engine , which was mounted at the front in the vehicle. 52 mm bore and 62 mm strokegave 527 cc capacity . The power was 13 hp . The design maximum speed was specified at 85 km / h.
5cv 4-cylinder cabriolets were built by Juan Aymerich Casanovas in Barcelona. AFA had a four-stroke 527 cc engine, that could produce 13 hp at 3500 rpm.
The AFA microcar had a manual transmission with four gears with a top speed of 85 km/h.
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Abadal History
Abadal was a car brand of the company FS Abadal y Cia in Barcelona , Spain , which was founded in 1908 by Francisco Serramelera y Abadal. From 1904 he was a representative of the brand Hispano-Suiza in Madrid . In 1908 he founded the branch in Barcelona. Vehicles were built there from 1912 to 1930, from 1919, however, under the direction of Imperia (Belgium) . In 1916 Abadal took over the representation of the American brand Buick .
In the period from 1919 to 1923, he modified their six-cylinder and sold them as "Abadal Buick".
Built in 1912 the 15.9 HP Sports with four-cylinder engine , 3620 cc and 60 hp , and in the same year, the type 45 HP with six-cylinder engine and a displacement of 4.5 liters.
Soon after the inception of the Abadal line, the Belgian company Impéria began building Abadals under license as Impéria-Abadals. In 1916 Abadal acquired the Buick agency, and Barcelona-built Abadals after that year had Buick power units and featured custom coachwork. These cars were called "Abadal-Buicks". M. A. Van Roggen (formerly of Springuel) took over the Belgian operation soon after, and built around 170 more Impéria-Abadals. Among the models produced were a 2992cc 16-valve four-cylinder OHC sports model and three prototype 5630 cc straight-eights. The company ceased automobile production in 1923.
Francisco Abadal (nicknamed Paco) was a Hispano-Suiza salesman and racing driver in Barcelona. He began this enterprise in 1912, and upon its cessation became an agent of General Motors in Spain. General Motors' plans in 1930 related to a prototype named the Abadal Continental never built.
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Hispano-Suiza History
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| Industry | Automotive/Engineering |
|---|---|
| Fate | discontinued |
| Founded | June 14, 1904 |
| Defunct | 1968 |
| Headquarters | Barcelona, Spain |
| Key people | Emilio de la Cuadra, Marc Birkigt |
| Products | Automobiles, Machinery |
Hispano-Suiza (literally: "Spanish-Swiss") was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines pre-World War II. In 1923 its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company. In 1968, the French arm was taken over by the aerospace company Snecma, now a part of the French SAFRAN Group. The Spanish parent sold all its automotive assets to Enasa in 1946.
Hispano-Suiza designed the first 4 cylinder 16 valve engine and the car considered to have been the first sports car, the Hispano Suiza 45 Cr.
History
Early years
In 1898 a Spanish artillery captain, Emilio de la Cuadra, started electric automobile production in Barcelona under the name of La Cuadra. In Paris, De la Cuadra met the Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt (1878–1953) and hired him to work for the company in Spain. La Cuadra built their first gasoline-powered engines from a Birkigt design. At some point in 1902, the ownership changed hands to J. Castro and became Fábrica Hispano-Suiza de Automóviles (Spanish-Swiss Automobile Factory) but this company went bankrupt in December 1903.
Yet another restructuring took place in 1904, creating La Hispano-Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles, under Castro's direction, also based in Barcelona. Four new engines were introduced in the next year and a half; a 3.8-litre and 7.4-litre four-cylinder and a pair of big six-cylinder engines were produced. This company managed to avoid bankruptcy and its largest operations remained in Barcelona until 1946, where cars, trucks, buses, aero engines and weapons were produced. Other factories in Spain were at Ripoll and Guadalajara.
France was soon proving to be a larger market for Hispano's luxury cars than Spain. In 1911, an assembly factory called Hispano France began operating in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret. Production was moved to larger factories at Bois-Colombes, under the name Hispano-Suiza in 1914.
1926 Hispano Suiza
World War I
With the start of World War I, Hispano-Suiza turned to the design and production of aircraft engines under the direction of Marc Birkigt. His chief engineer during this period was another Swiss, Louis Massuger. Birkigt's solution to building aero engines was ahead of its time. Traditionally, aircraft engines were manufactured by machining separate steel cylinders and then bolting these assemblies directly to the crankcase. Birkigt's novel solution called for the engine block to be formed from a single piece of cast aluminum, and into which thin steel liners were secured. Manufacturing an engine in this way simplified construction and resulted in a lighter, yet stronger more durable engine. Thus, Birkigt's new construction method created the first practical, and what are commonly known today as, "cast block" engines. His aluminum cast block V-8 design was also noteworthy for incorporating overhead camshafts, propeller reduction gearing and other desirable features that would not appear together on competitor's engines until the late 1920s. Another major design feature was the use of a hollow propeller shaft to allow projectile firing through the (reduction geared only) propeller spinner, avoiding the need for a synchronization gear, a feature used in future Hispano-Suiza military engines. Hispano-Suiza's aero engines, produced at its own factories and under license, became the most commonly used aero engines in the French and British air forces, powering over half the alliance's fighter aircraft.
1918–1936
After World War I, Hispano-Suiza returned to automobile manufacturing and in 1919 they introduced the Hispano-Suiza H6. The H6 featured an inline 6-cylinder overhead camshaft engine based on the features of its V8 aluminum World War I aircraft engines and a body design by the American coach designers Hibbard & Darrin.
Licences for Hispano-Suiza patents were much in demand from prestige car manufacturers world-wide. Rolls-Royce used a number of Hispano-Suiza patents. For instance, for many years Rolls Royce installed Hispano-Suiza designed power brakes in its vehicles.
Through the 1920s and into the 1930s, Hispano-Suiza built a series of luxury cars with overhead camshaft engines of increasing performance. On the other hand, in the 1930s, Hispano-Suiza's V-12 car engines reverted to pushrod valve actuation to reduce engine noise.
During this time, Hispano-Suiza released the 37.2 Hispano-Suiza car built at the Hispano works in Paris.
In 1923 the French arm of Hispano-Suiza was incorporated as the Société Française Hispano-Suiza, the Spanish parent company subscribing to 71% of the share capital. The French subsidiary was granted a large degree of financial and project independence but the technical co-operation between the Spanish and French arms of the company was always closely maintained. Luxury car production was increasingly concentrated in France while the Spanish operations moved into the production of commercial vehicles.
The mascot statuette atop the radiator after World War I was the stork, the symbol of the French province of Alsace, taken from the squadron emblem painted on the side of a Hispano-Suiza powered fighter aircraft that had been flown by the World War I French ace Georges Guynemer.
In 1925, Carlos Ballester obtained permission to represent Hispano-Suiza in Argentina. The agreement consisted of a phase in which the chassis were imported, followed by complete domestic production in Argentina. Thus Hispano Argentina Fábrica de Automóviles (HAFDASA) was born, for the production of Hispano-Suiza motors and automobiles, and also the production of spare parts for other car, truck, and bus manufacturers.
A fictional example of a Hispano-Suiza appears in the P.G. Wodehouse "Blandings Castle" stories; the family drove or rather were driven in a Hispano-Suiza (H6), rather than, say, a Rolls-Royce. Also in the Agatha Christie novel The Seven Dials Mystery the main character, Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent, drives herself about in her "Hispano". In Kerry Greenwood's detective series set in 1928 Melbourne, the main character Phryne Fisher has a large red open-top Hispano-Suiza. In Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall Margot Beste-Chetwynde has at least two, as her 'second best Hispano Suiza' collects Paul Pennyfeather before his wedding. A yellow open Hispano-Suiza plays a central role in Michael Arlen's The Green Hat. A common misconception is that the leopard-skin upholstered vehicle belonging to the demented actress Norma Desmond, which features prominently in the 1951 Billy Wilder classic "Sunset Boulevard," is also a Hispano-Suiza; in fact, the pivotal vehicle in the Wilder film is an Isotta Fraschini.
Spanish Civil War and WWII
In 1936, the French arm of Hispano-Suiza was told to stop production of cars and turn solely to aircraft engines once again. At the time they had just introduced a new series of water-cooled V-12 engines and the Hispano-Suiza 12Y was in huge demand for practically every French aircraft. However Hispano was never able to deliver enough of these engines, and many French fighters sat on the ground complete but for the engine. Meanwhile, the Republic of Spain conscripted Hispano-Suiza's Spanish operations into war production of trucks, armoured vehicles and weapons for the civil war of 1936-1939. After the war, the company was severely affected by the devastated state of the Spanish economy and the trade embargoes imposed by the victorious allies. In 1946, Hispano-Suiza sold off its automotive assets to ENASA, the maker of Pegaso trucks.
A development of the era were a series of 20 mm autocannon, first the Hispano-Suiza HS.9, followed by the Hispano-Suiza HS.404. The 404 was licensed for production in Britain and equipped almost all RAF fighter aircraft during the war. Production was also set up in the US, but these versions never matured even though the USAAC and US Navy both wanted to use it in place of their existing .50 BMG weapons. A lesser-known success was the Hispano-Suiza HS.820, a higher performance 20 mm design that was also used in the US as the M139. A variation of the 20 mm guns used on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft were produced by International Harvester. In 1970 Hispano-Suiza sold their armaments division to Oerlikon, the HS.820 becoming the KAD.
In 1940, Hispano-Suiza, together with the Spanish bank Banco Urquijo and a group of Spanish industrial companies, founded the 'Sociedad Ibérica de Automóviles de Turismo' (S.I.A.T.). This led to Spain's first mass-production car maker SEAT.
1950s–Today
After the Second World War the French arm of Hispano-Suiza continued primarily as an aerospace firm. Between 1945 and 1955, building the Rolls-Royce Nene under licence, designing landing gear in 1950 and Martin-Baker ejection seats in 1955. The company's attention turned increasingly to turbine manufacturing and, in 1968, it was taken over and became a division of SNECMA. In 1999 Hispano-Suiza moved its turbine operations to a new factory in Bezons, outside Paris, using the original factories for power transmissions and accessory systems for jet engines. In 2005 SNECMA merged with SAGEM to form SAFRAN.
The marque may be seeing a revival in the automotive sector with the showing of a model at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show .
