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The first Argentinean car:
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The history of cars will be never written. We know, in fact, the epic of the great men who made their contributions to the automotive history. Names such as Karl Benz, Gottieb Daimler, Rudolf Diesel and Henry Ford are worldwide renowned for their achievements. Nevertheless, at every corner in the world was always present a legion of ingenious and pushful men who conceived ideas that were really beyond their times and who didn’t climb down before seeing those ideas materialized; men who weren’t fortunate enough to be favoured by circumstances and who rarely received any recognition or encouragement other than their own, but who built-up technologic development over the years. |
| One of these men was MANUEL IGLESIAS, manufacturer of the first Argentinean car. Manuel Iglesias had been born in Carbia, province of Pontevedra, Spain, on January 22, 1870, and at 14 he migrated to Argentina taking with his luggage his expectations and setting on a new land that opened a world of possibilities to him. It easy to imagine the hardships that such a young boy had to undergone for getting ahead in a foreign country. But Iglesias did so; first he learned the carpenter’s craft and then was admitted to work with the firm of Ferrocarriles Argentinos (Argentinean Railway Company,) where his interest in mechanics is aroused while he looks astonished at steam-driven operation, which in those times was commonly used for locomotives, machines and tools. |
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His concerns stretch out and he reads the few technical books that come to his hands, constructing in 1896 a rudimentary turning lathe that will later be used to make some parts of his car. |
| TECHNICAL DATA OF THE CAR The engine consists of a 114mm-diameter and 130mm-stroke single-cylinder. This engine is of 1938 cm3 cylinder capacity and of approx. 3-to-1 compression-ratio. It is fitted with an antechamber containing the sparking plug and the (automatic) intake valve; the exhaust valve is mechanically activated with cam lift and rocker arm. Mr. Manuel Iglesias did something that would be very difficult to conceive at present, with just a few tools and plenty of patience and enthusiasm; all of the gears on the crankshaft, the cam, the differential, the gearbox with forward and rear strokes, etc. were hand-carved. The carburettor was homemade too; and the ignition system, which for the initial tests was spark-activated, subsequently required four 1.5-volt batteries. |
| Characteristics of the chassis and the body: |
| Rack-and-pinion steering. |
| 1.08m path |
| 1.93m-distance between axles |
| 0.63m-diam. front wheels |
| 0.73m-diam. rear wheels |
| Wooden spokes and iron rims |
| The chassis was made in 50.8mm-angle iron |
| The vehicle total length is of 2.80m |
| Leather clutch fitted with a single 300mm-disk |
| 12-litre gasoline-tank gravity-feed-system |
| Same capacity water-tank |
| Thermosyphon cooling |
| A single wooden seat for two people |
Information taken from Records of Homage paid by the CAMPANA MUNICIPALITY to Mr. Manuel IGLESIAS
