Kegresse in Spain

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Kégresse in Spain

Queen Victoria Eugenia

This photo was taken sometime in the 1920s.

It is Queen Victoria Eugenia, wife of King Alfonso XIII with some friends, taking a walk through the marshes of Doñana.

The Keégresse is a P7 T from 1925-27

Doñana, a nature reserve south of Sevilla, know for its flora and fauna, frequented by many flocks of migratory birds was a private estate owned by the Dukes of Tarifa. In 1963 it was acquired by the State. And in 1969 the Doñana National Park was created.

Foto: EFE

Going up the mountain by car

Emilio Álava Sautu bet his friend and business rival Toribio Erenchun, a Ford dealer, one autumn morning in 1924 in the popular Iruña café that he could climb Gorbea with his Citroën 5 CV. Not only did he climb the cross, he also climbed the fields of Urbía and Campillo via the steps of San Miguel and San Bartolomé. "And the most extraordinary thing is that 42 years later he repeated the feat," recalls Javier Álava, Emilio's son, a lover of this formidable contraption, which must be started with a crank and still works.

The ABC newspaper reported the feat in an advertisement for the manufacturer.

That feat, magnificently portrayed by Balbino Sobrado, was carried out by a man with an impressive CV. Álava was a water diviner, Spanish pistol shooting champion, owner with his friend Ignacio Lascaray of the first Citroën dealership in Álava, and a fearless and bold driver.

The second climb

During the second climb to Gorbea, in 1966, Emilio, who was already 77 years old, was accompanied by Lucio Lascaray and Ramón Jiménez ‘Zape’, dressed as a villager from Alava. Also present were Javier Sedano, who wrote the newspaper article for EL CORREO, Javier Álava (Emilio’s son), and the photographers Fede Arocena and Goyo Querejazu. Numerous mountaineers were waiting for him at the cross because it was the type of popular feat that attracted a large crowd, as shown in the photographs.

Days later he did another feat. On September 25th he went up the steps of San Miguel and San Bartolomé to Campillo on board the fabulous Citroën with the license plate VI-399, preceded by the Manuel Iradier txistularis.

At one point, in a swaggering gesture, he filled the car's radiator with Rioja wine, to the amazement of everyone.

Source: herrero26.rssing.com

Somebody have notice or pictures of the Kégresse?

Artillery Vehicles

In 1923, Spain requested 5 artillery tractors built by Peugeot in France. This vehicle, named Peugeot T3 in some sources, was used to tow Schneider 7.5 cm cannons and had theability to carry the gun’s eight crew members in addition tothe 2 crew for the vehicle. The vehicles were assigned to the Escuela de Automovilismo de Artillería [Eng. ArtilleryAutomobile School] in Segovia, so they were presumably primarily used for training.

Apparently, in May 1923, in Melilla, one or two Citroën-Kégresse K1 half-tracks were tested by towing cannons, transporting equipment and evacuating the wounded. Theirfinal fate is currently unknown.

A single Citroën-Kégresse P 15N, a model specifically builtfor use on snowy ground, was also purchased and even sawservice in the Spanish Civil War.

The Spanish Navy also counted on a number of Citroën-Kégresses of an unspecified model, which were used to tow aircraft.

Kégresse type K1 from the Spanish Army