PEDRO SERRA
He was born in Barcelona in 1926, Pedro Serra became interested in cars because his father was engaged in the construction and repair of carriages. With fifteen years - in 1941 - it starts as an apprentice in his father's workshop step of Sant Joan de Barcelona. In the late forties he performed one of his first works, which consisted of providing a sports body to a 1927 Amilcar, belonging to a friend.
The decades of the fifties and sixties are the period of maximum activity and creativity, reaching 350 vehicles coachbuilt disparate brands such as Armstrong-Siddeley, Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Lancia, Rolls Royce Pegaso and Seat.
Starting from a 1934 Lancia Augusta, Serra transformed it into a cabriolet in 1954, incorporating a Lancia Aprilia engine. Similar to a previous job on a Fiat Topolino but larger. Serra himself had this Lancia as a personal vehicle. Used in the 1961 spanish movie "It's Always Sunday" in which it is driven by its protagonist.
Lancia Augusta Cabriolet (1954)
In 1955 the owner of a broken Z-102 requested the manufacturing of a new body type red spider Serra, this model has been listed as Serra Spider Prototype (SSP). That same year Serra received a commission from the company Enasa to coachbuild Pegaso convertible from Z-102 chassis in order to present it at the Paris Motor Show, the vehicle is listed as Spider Serra series 1 (SS1). The following year he received a new assignment to coachbuilt another chassis Z-102 with the same line of SS1. The second series of Spider Serra (SS2) is distinguished by its dual vertical headlights in the same plane, housed in a cavity designed for them being both somewhat sunken headlights, so the cavity does visor. In this second series three units were built in 1956. The fact of working for Pegaso supposed the consecration of Serra in the international arena of automotive design, for getting something they had only made great masters such as Touring and Saoutchik.
Pegaso Z-102 Spider Serra Prototype (1955)
Pegaso Z-103 Spider Serra 1 (1955)
Pegaso Z-103 Spider Serra 1 (1956)
Pegaso Z-103 Spider Serra 2 (1956)
Pegaso Z-102 Cabriolet Serra (1959)
In late 1955 Morgan importer in Spain, F. Alcaraz, he got license from the Ministry of Commerce for a good consignment which entered four cars full chassis without bodywork. This wooden chassis was sold and its owner commissioned Serra coupe body type and had to reinforce the front suspension with Sear 1400 due to their greater weight to the classic Morgan body. The car passed through several owners until the current owner has restored and left as shown in the following drawings. Exposed in the Retromóvil Madrid 2017 show.
Morgan Plus 4 Serra (1956)
For Construcciones Mecáncias Clúa, in Barcelona, design in 1956 the body of a sports microcar. Nice design to technical development of real car added: tubular chassis, body sheet metal, four-stroke engine developed suspensions. Its marketing will begin in 1958 with an engine of 500 cc; barely it lasted a year in which 207 units were built.
Clua 500 (1958)
Clua 500 (1959)
In 1957 Pedro Serra carried out to Biscuter a bold body design reminiscent of the Pegaso Z-102. It was made of fiberglass with removable hardtop, popularly known as "Pegasín" and officially as 200-F will not have the expected acceptance.
Biscuter 200-F (1957)
Biscuter 200-F (1960)
He also maintained close cooperation with Seat, for whom he made beautiful convertibles based on the 1400A, 1400B, 1400C, 1500, 124 and 131. The company Sport Seat monohull platform provided with the suspensions, wheels and mechanics. From there, and with a few sketches and script, he elaborated body, made whole by hand and presented the piece until it was comfortable Serra. Then topped with specific bumpers and headlights, panoramic windshield, dashboard and special instrumentation, seats, upholstery and corresponding hood.
Seat 1400 B Sport Spider Serra (1956)
Seat 1400 B Hardtop Serra (1957)
Seat 1400 B Sport Spider Serra (1958)
Seat 1400 B Coupé Serra (1958)
On chassis Seat 1400 B Serra made a third series consisting of two cabriolets and a four-door sedan. One of the cabriolets was bought by the Barreiros company for the use of Celso, Eduardo's younger brother. The Barreiros C24 engine with supercharging was coupled to that car, currently assembles a Seat 1400 engine. Its design is very extravagant breaking the previous line of Serra. The two cabriolets are conserved.
Seat 1400 B Cabriolet Serra (1959)
In the Exhibition of Barcelona 1959 was presented the new Seat 1400 renovated marketed as 1400 C. Pedro Serra made reforms on it without much preparation as in the previous model: the roof disappeared, the rear doors are welded and the sedan was become a five-seater convertible. As demand grew, the bodybuilder decided to offer more including reinforcement beams in the side sills to increase the stiffness. It is estimated that less than 20 units were built. Drawing model, currently the only state in running order in Spain, was registered in Barcelona in 1960.
Seat 1400 C Cabriolet Serra (1960)
The owner of a Ford Taunus Buckel commissioned Serra a roadster body for it. The front has a similar design to the Seat 1400 A spider and the side is decorated with a white strip of decreasing width back like Corvette style, as you can see in the following drawing. Exposed in the Retromóvil Madrid 2018 show.
Ford Taunus Roadster Serra (1957)
The Earl of Mayalde, mayor of Madrid between 1952 and 1965, commissioned to Serra in 1957 to update its Rolls Royce Phantom III (1937) with a Silver Cloud body type, appeared in 1955. Serra also made the interior including a minibar in the back the passenger compartment. The initial colors with the car were painted black and metallic gold, as shown in the drawing, later replaced by dark blue and as such is now in perfect driving conditions.
Rolls Royce Silver Cloud Replica (1957)
Enrique Coma-Cros after overturning in Barcelona with his Renault 4 CV he left quite damaged roof, so he decided to instruct Serra this Spider of 1957. The work started from sketches of his own and was developed on the fly without planes getting an amazing little modification Renault. The body is made of sheet steel with the exception of the doors and the hood that are made of aluminum. As a last touch Serra designed and manufactured a canvas folding roof. This unique car passed through several hands before returning to its original owner that has left him in perfect working order after a three-year restoration. Exposed in the AutoRetro Barcelona 2017 show.
Renault 4 CV Spider Serra (1958)
Other Rolls Royce bodied by Serra was a Silver Wraith built in 1959. It was changed to a type coupe body painted in dark blue. It is currently at the Museum of Automotive History of Salamanca and painted white. Exposed in the Retromóvil Madrid 2017 show.
Rolls Royce Silver Wraith Coupé Serra (1959)
Antonio Grifoll, amateur pilot, commissioned to Serra a replica of Nardi, manufactured in Italy, a coupe on frame Fiat 600 with Michelotti design. Pedro Serra accepted the commission and traveled to Turin (Italy) to get the maximum number of components, they were imported to Spain as spare parts. Serra made the replica and the engine was modified in another workshop to increase its cilindarada to 750 D.C. Shortly after, in 1960, Nardi Española started manufacturing small series Nardi with aluminum body on frame Seat 600.
Nardi 750 DS (1962)
A textile trader asked to Carrocerías Pullman (owned by Pedro Serra) to modify a Seat 600 on a two-seater coupe inspired in Fiat Abarth 750 Coupe Zagato. The vehicle was completed in 1959. Exposed in the Retromóvil Madrid 2018 show.
Seat 600 Coupé Serra (1959)
In 1960 Serra was commissioned to transform seven units of Seat 600 to participate in the Tour of Spain. Then they went to seven presidents of the bank. This particular unit was for the president of Bilbao Bank.
Seat 600 Cabriolet Serra (1960)
Jimmy Wears, English based in Barcelona, trade representative of the friction bearings Vanderwell and former fighter pilot of the RAF, had an Aston Martin DB2 1951 with whom he had an accident that did not cause serious damage to the owner but to the car. In 1961 Pedro Serra coachbuilt type cabriolet and was known by the nickname "Spanish Caprice". Today takes fairings headlights as is shown in the drawing.
Aston Martin DB2 Cabriolet Serra (1961)
In collaboration with the Corver workshop, Pedro Serra produced in 1964 a small series consisting of six roadsters derived from the Seat 600. To visually reduce the back part a diagonal bulge allowed to house the air filter.
Seat 600 Roadster Corver (1964)
The Corver company performed cars in small number taking mechanical national basis, in 1965 it commissioned Serra a Seat 1500 coupé of two units were made. Serra modified the sideline of the original sedan incorporating a slight curvature of the fin to the height of the rear window. The tires have a chrome hubcap with a central wing.
Seat 1500 Coupé Corver (1965)
In 1965 and on the basis of Seat 600, Serra made for Corver the unit called "Seat 600-1000 Cabriolet Corver" also known as Seat 1000, which is thought only existed one. In the front highlights its fairings headlights. Exposed in the AutoRetro Barcelona 2018 show.
Seat 600 Cabriolet Corver (1965)
For Barcelona Motor Show 1966 was commissioned to Serra a roadster bodywork on the basis of Seat 600 with enhanced mechanic and was exposed in this show with successfully public. It had a central air intake on the rear cover and rear rectangular grid on which the headlights from the Seat 850 were located.
Seat 600 Roadster Corver (1966)
In 1966 the company "Ibero Italiana de Carrocerías" commissioned to Serra to transform a '66 Dodge Dart in cabriolet version to propose Barreriros manufactures it. The model was exhibited at the Barcelona Motor show that year and took part in the Concours d'Elegance. It was green, the seats were upholstered in brown leather and the roof was electrically triggering.
Dodge Dart Cabriolet Serra (1966)
Serra elaborated a body with Fast Back line to dress the frame and the mechanics of a '66 Dodge Dart Barreiros, starting from a model of high range the final price of the transformed car was more in agreement with the price of the original model. It was exhibited outside the Barcelona Motor Show of 1968 and sold the first day of the Motor Show to a person from Bilbao (Spain), although it was already sold, but he offered more money than the first buyer, to whom Pedro Serra persuaded to take a Dodge Charger.
Dodge Spectro Serra (1968)
The owner of a Citroën Dyane 6 came up with the idea of giving it a coupe body. In 1969 he went to Pedro Serra to materialize. He was estimating the production of it in a small series of a hundred units. The project was canceled when the businessman died, leaving the car as a unique example. The result is as shown in the figure below. Exposed in the 2017 AutoRetro Barcelona show.
Citroën Dyane 6 Serra (1969)
On the frame of the Authi MG 1300, manufactured in Pamplona
(Spain), Serra designed a spider body with retro line, the Crazy.
The car was presented at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1969, had
Hydrolastic suspension, large interior space thanks to the long
battle frame and was more expensive than the competition. A
second version of the model was presented at the Barcelona Motor
Show in 1970, which is distinguished from the first on the
windshield in dihedral and on the front fender. And in the year
1971 the third version is presented in the same Motor Show, dark
blue color with red side strip, dihedral windshield and side
exhaust pipe.
The car of the following image belongs to the second series, it
is the only one that is conserved, originally it was painted
light yellow. Exposed in the AutoRetro Barcelona 2017 show.
Authi MG Crazy serie 2 (1970)
After meeting the Italian engineer Michele Liprandi in 1970 (author of the LMX Sirex), Pedro Serra arrives with him to design a frame to which Serra would dress with a 2 + 2 coupe body: the Dodge 3700 Boulevard, also known as Dodge Serra Coupe, a sports car made of fiberglass (Serra's first work with this material), with the mechanics of the Dodge 3700 GT, 6 cylinders in line with 3,687 cc. In this project, Serra goes a step further, since it does not limit itself to making the bodywork but also makes the chassis. It was presented to the public at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1972. The prototype is distinguished from the later units on the roof with the vinyl sides, the front grille without separation with the headlights, the rear lights formed by five square pilots at each side that looked in the intermittency sequentially and in the two plugs filling gasoline.
Dodge 3700 Boulevard serie I (1972)
The series II incorporates the changes that the Ministry of Industry forced to realize in the coupe for its later homologation as of May 1973. The cars of the series I will be all modified before being delivered to the customers, for example, the sequential taillights are removed.
Dodge 3700 Boulevard serie II (1972)
In 1973 the Boulevard MM30 evolution was presented at the Barcelona Motor Show, of which only one unit was manufactured. Acronyms indicated motor improved by 30 HP. Esthetically this version has a black color side stripes of pure Americans Muscle Car style. Among the mechanical changes highlighted: recessed butt, escape, special housing and new carburetor adjustments to increase power to 192 HP. Equipped with air conditioning. The car was bought on the first day of the Show by Florencio Sánchez (builder and Pop Cross driver) who had been waiting for months to be finished it and had to wait a few more days to take it when the Show ended. Participates in the Spirit of Montjuic 2015 meeting. Exposed in the AutoRetro Barcelona 2017 show. Star of the Retromóvil Madrid 2023 show on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
Dodge 3700 Boulevard MM30 (1973)
Finally, a third series was manufactured, with the air inlets of the hood more open and the front spoiler with integrated fog lamps.Difficulties with the Ministry of Industry for approval of such just made the project finished early in 1974, with only 18 units made of the 40 or 50 provided.
Dodge 3700 Boulevard serie III (1973)
In 1991 Serra backs in the news again by presenting the Pegaso Z-103 Replica, a copy made on the basis of Spider Serra series 1. The production only reached to 11 cars. The Z-103 Replica has a Rover V8 3.9 liter aluminum engine, with the interior very similar to the original model with leather trim by Artespaña.
Pegaso Z-103 Spider Replica (1991)
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