The Spanish hypercar
Today there is only one Spanish car manufacturer, Seat, which has belonged to the Volkswagen Group since the mid-1980s. But the history of Spanish motoring is full of brands that were more or less successful. This is the case of Spania GTA and its GTA Spano, one of those great cars that did not succeed.
You have to go back to the mid-90s, specifically, to 1994, to see the birth of Spania GTA, founded by mechanic and businessman Domingo Ochoa. This was nothing more than the attempt to create a Spanish super luxury brand, in the style of Koenigsegg or Pagani. But the shot backfired…
The development of the Spanish hypercar began many years after the creation of the brand, in 2007, and in 2008 the first prototype was presented to a small group of customers.
The official debut of the car took place at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, and two years later serial production began. The intention of the brand was to manufacture a reduced number of units, limited to 99, but, finally, it only produced 12. The company began to have financial problems and was forced to auction some copies.
Great cars that did not succeed: GTA Spano
The GTA Spano was a high-flying hypercar that promised great performance, accompanied by a very aggressive and aerodynamic design that could even be described as ahead of its time.
It was made from a carbon fiber, Kevlar, graphene and titanium chassis, creating a rigid monocoque structure with a glass roof that could be electronically adjusted to regulate the amount of light entering the cabin.
The interior was trimmed in carbon fiber and leather, featured a customizable LCD instrument panel, and a seven-inch screen for displaying content from the infotainment system and navigation.
The engine of a Viper
To move the GTA Spano, the brand turned to a naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V10 engine made by Ilmor Engineering, a block that came from the Dodge Viper. The prototype presented in 2008 had a power of 820 hp, but the model that came into production later reached 925 hp and 1,288 Nm of torque.
That extra power was achieved by making some modifications to the combustion chamber, adding titanium valves, a dry sump and a forged crankshaft and, of course, including two turbos.
GTA Spano: its final version will be in Geneva
The result was a power similar to that of other hypercars that appeared over the past decade, from brands such as Ferrari, Porsche or McLaren.
Although the official performance figures are unknown, the brand claimed that it could reach 100 km/h from a standstill in less than three seconds and exceed 370 km/h.
The power was transmitted to the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox manufactured by CIMA. The braking system was made up of ventilated carbon-ceramic discs signed by AP Racing, 380 millimeters in diameter with six-piston calipers.
A few years later, in 2015 and again in Geneva, the Spanish company presented the second generation of the GTA Spano, applying a thorough review with important new features in practically all sections, while maintaining the essence.
Auctions to solve financial problems
Unfortunately, the path that the Spanish brand had to travel was always full of obstacles that, finally, it could not overcome. Shortly after the hypercar project was born, the first financial problems arrived.
This prevented the company’s desire to manufacture 99 units and they were only able to build 12, of which ten belong to the first generation and only two to the second.
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To overcome economic difficulties, the company had to auction some models, something that even Social Security did in 2020. A unit of the Spanish hypercar was also auctioned last year, through RM Sotheby’s.
Where Spania GTA was most successful was in achieving a series of commercial agreements to appear in some driving video games on different platforms, such as Microsoft and Sony, and a GTA Spano also appeared in the movie ‘Need for Speed’, whose unit was later auctioned and sold for 1.32 million euros.
An overly ambitious project
Unfortunately, the trajectory of this brand born in Ribarroja del Turia, in Valencia, is similar to that of others that tried to bring the Spanish automobile industry to the level of other countries, such as Germany, Italy or the United States.
Spain has a long tradition of manufacturers beyond Seat, from the luxurious and prestigious Hispano Suiza to the sporty Spania GTA, passing through the projects of Barreiros, La Cuadra or Pegaso, among others. But most of them disappeared or had to find new partners to survive.
There are also some projects that work relatively well, such as the Hurtan brand, which produces classic-looking vehicles inspired by British sports cars from the 40s and 50s.
It is often said that you have to think big and be ambitious. Perhaps Spania GTA aimed too high in its idea of producing a hypercar that could compete with Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren and company. But, were it not for initiatives like this, Spanish motorsports would be limited to a single brand run from Germany.
