ANASAGASTI / ARGENTINA

 

ANASAGASTI / BUENOS AIRES / ARGENTINA   ( 1912 - 1915 )

Horacio Anasagasti, born in 1879, founded an automobile factory in Buenos Aires / Argentina in 1911. It was the first automobile factory in Argentina, named ANASAGASTI & CIA,  where previously only imported vehicles had been produced. He created his first car in 1911 using the French Ballot engine and Argentine body. He started selling it for $ 6,500 in 1912.

Already in 1912 he sent 3 cars to Europe to participate in different races. The ANASAGASTI cars competed in the 1912 Tour de France and the PARIS to MADRID race.

With the outbreak of the First World War, it became impossible for H. Anasagasti to import any more parts from Europe, so the factory had to close. Depending on the source, 30 or 50 vehicles were built, of which two survived.

Therefore it is almost impossible to find an original radiator emblem, but thanks to ARTSONWHEELS I can show photos of the emblems of the surviving vehicles: 

The emblem shows a gearwheel rim on the outside; I was told that the white star in the center stands for guidance and direction and the blue and red colors for passion and freedom. But there is no evidence for this.

Size	c. 6.5 cm
Year	c. 1912 - 1915
Estimate

The emblem of the second vehicle, which has survived, shows a different color in the gear wheel, gray instead of blue. I suspect that the blue color was modified with gray.

 

 

ANASAGAST has also left its mark in Europe, although not very many.

In 1913, the French automobile magazine OMNIA showed views of the automobile radiators on the market and, surprisingly, ANASAGASTI was among them:

 

 

I am particularly proud of this photo, which shows one of the ANASAGAST vehicles that took part in the 1912 Tour de France. I bought this original photo at an auction without knowing the writing on the back!

 

 

 And here is the evidence::

 Their slogan was : LOS MALOS CAMINOS NO EXISTEN:  BAD ROADS DO NOT EXISTS

 

Only two vehicles have survived. But there was a drawing of the ANASAGASTI emblem, which was made by the swedish boy Gustaf Moeller back in the 1920s. Gustaf lived near the ferry port in Helsingborg / Sweden and drew the emblems of the waiting cars there. What a great hobby that still helps and delights us a hundred years later:

 

 For more emblems see older posts or top right ( list of car makers ).

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