Touring Superleggera grabbed even more of the limelight at Villa d'Este as the unique and extravagant Pegaso Thrill concept car collected the Trofeo Auto & Design which is handed out by the jury to the most exciting design.

Touring Superleggera grabbed even more of the limelight at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on Sunday afternoon as the unique and extravagant Pegaso Thrill concept car collected the much sought after Trofeo Auto & Design which is handed out by the jury to the most exciting design.

With its two-tone red and black paintwork and flamboyant rear wings the Pegaso Z-102 "Thrill" Berlinetta Touring, which was entered by Belgian Roland D'Ieteren, made a huge impact on visitors at Villa d'Erba whether it basked on the rolling lawns in the warm sunshine or was parading down the red carpet in front of the appreciative crowds.

The story of the Thrill concept car goes right back to 1950 when Pegaso was the only high level Spanish car manufacturer operating in the early post war years. Created in 1950 at an old Hispano-Suiza site and built at a factory in Barcelona the Thrill was virtually unusable on the rough Spanish roads of the era. Designed to be a bright symbol of Spain during a difficult era it was meant to be not just a typical Granturismo project but also equipped with personality, power, class and speed. It was simply never intended as just a means of transportation. The Z-102 made its public debut at the Paris Salon in 1950, but hadn't at this point been clothed by Touring.

That association kicked off in 1952 thanks to the Head of Projects William Ricart who had a deep knowledge of Italy and a long association with Alfa Romeo. After a couple of bodies styles the Thrill coupé was spectacularly born in 1953 and presented a concentration of style, aerodynamic solutions and unheard of levels of safety. Fitted with a 2.8-litre V8 engine and four double Weber carburettors which pushed power output to a useful 175 bhp at 6,300 rpm, the Thrill featured a 5-speed transmission, drum brakes and weighed in at 1,275 kg. Maximum speed was an impressive 225 km/h, while it zipped from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds.

The Thrill was a very bold project for the day, a real dream car in the vein of Bertone's BAT series. Just one was built and it finished in a distinct red and black paint scheme. It's history is curious too, as it was first commissioned as a wedding gift for General Franco's daughter before becoming destined for Evita Peron, the wife of the President of Argentina and one of the most famous women in the world of the era. Legend has it that Evita wanted to have the Thrill painted pink but its original colour scheme survived to today. The concept car soon became famous itself and was shown to huge acclaim at the Turin, Barcelona, Paris and London Motor Shows in 1953. It also won the Concorso d'Elegance at Stresa the same year, a feat it repeated three and a half decades later at Pebble Beach in 1989.

For Touring the Thrill was an extraordinary exercise in style, especially at the rear where the screen was framed by two wings that connected the roofline to the waistline. This ingenious solution boasted advanced aerodynamic thinking for the time and is possibly the first integrated spoiler in automotive history. In any case it was a perfect blend of design and technology.

More sporting inspired ideas were to be found inside where Touring used its experience to fit seatbelts that were in effect simple belts with buckles and holes to regulate length. The interior was also very luxurious and its red and white materials reflected the exterior paint finish.

The Thrill vanished from sight between the 1960s and the 1980s before reappearing in a perfectly restored condition to become one of the most sought after and admired cars at Concours d'Elegance's the world over. The Thrill is regarded as one of Touring's most significant symbols, a real jewel from a carrozzeria that quite simply made one eye-catching car after another. Being voted as recipient of the Trofeo Auto & Design on Sunday is real testimony to its continuing draw over half a century after it first debuted.