PTV was a trademark of Automoviles Utilitarios S. A. a microcar

Microcar

A microcar is the smallest automobile classification usually applied to standard small car . Such small cars were generally referred to as cyclecars until the 1940s. More recent models are also called bubblecars due to their egg-shaped appearance.-Definition:The definition of a microcar has varied...

 manufacturer based in in Manresa

Manresa

Manresa is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographic centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa María de la Seo....

, near Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

 The PTV brand was at one time the second biggest volume microcar sold in Spain, beaten only by the Biscúter

Biscúter

Biscúter was a microcar manufactured in Spain during the mid-20th century.-Background:...

. Compared to the Biscúter it was more luxurious, offering proper doors, two-tone paint, chrome trim and 12 inch wheels.

The first prototype was finished in 1956 and it was powered by a in-house developed rear mounted 250 cc engine giving 13 hp and a top speed of 95 km/h (59 mph). Later it was replaced by a 350 cc engine. However when Fiat licenced the Fiat 600

Fiat 600

The Fiat 600 is a city car produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1955 to 1969. Measuring only 3.22 m long, it was the first rear-engined Fiat and cost the equivalent of about € 6,700 or US$ 7300 in today's money . The total number produced from 1955 to 1969 at the Mirafiori...

 construction in Spain as SEAT 600

SEAT 600

The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...

 sales dropped and the company reformed as AUSA Center SA, a constructor and supplier of industrial machinery and light vehicles, with branches in Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 Spain, Perpignan

Perpignan

-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...

 France Rochdale

Rochdale

Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...

 England, Hamm

Hamm

Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...

 in Germany Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 Canada and Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 China.

History

The story begins with vehicles that the brothers Tachó developed in 1950 La Ballena(The Whale) and in 1953 The Coca that were both marketed under the Tachó brand name.

Guillem and Antoni Tachó were joined by Maurici Josep Vila Perramón and together they founded the company Automóviles Utilitarios, S.A. on May 4 1956. The trade-mark PTV comes From Tachó-Perramón vehículo plus a distinctive number.

The PTV 250 was the first model produced. in 1956. It was an attractive 2-seater convertible (2 + 1 according to the advertising brochure) with a rear-mounted 250 cc single-cylinder,11 hp (c. 8KW

Kw

kw or KW may refer to:* Kuwait, ISO 3166-1 country code** .kw, the country code top level domain for Kuwait* Kilowatt* Self-ionization of water Kw* Cornish language's ISO 639 code* Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...

motor, and capable of speeds up to up to 75 km /h (about 45mph). There were two versions: either with or without doors. A total of 1100 units were produced un to 1961, which ranks as the fourth (by volume) micro-car sold in Spain, after the Biscúter

Biscúter

Biscúter was a microcar manufactured in Spain during the mid-20th century.-Background:...

, the Goggomobil

Goggomobil

Goggomobil was a series of microcars produced in the Bavarian town Dingolfing after World War II by Glas.Glas produced three models on the Goggomobil platform: the Goggomobil T sedan, the Goggomobil TS coupé, and the Goggomobil TL van...

 and Isetta

Isetta

The Isetta is an Italian-designed microcar built in a number of different countries, including Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Produced in the post-World War II years, a time when cheap short-distance transportation was most needed, it became one of the most...

. Prices ranged between 44,500 and 55,000 Ptas

Peseta

Peseta may refer to:*The Spanish peseta, the former currency of Spain*The Catalan peseta, the former currency of Catalonia*The Equatorial Guinean peseta, the former currency of Equatorial Guinea...

. They were mostly marketed in Spain with some units exported to Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

Specification of the PTV 250

• Motor: single-cylinder two-stroke transverse pistons. Bore x stroke: 66 x 72 mm. Displacement: 247 cc. Compression ratio 6,2:1. Carburetor Tachó monocoque of 22 mm. bore Power: 11 hp at 4,500 rpm. Coil ignition, 12 v. battery with 130 amps per dynamo.
• Transmission: rear wheel drive, 3 speeds and reverse. Multi-disc clutch in oil bath.
• Frame: Front Suspension: Independent with hydraulic shock absorbers and rear Panhard torsion bar, with hydraulic dampers. Brakes: Hydraulic Drum brakes on all four wheels. Steering: Helical Screw centrally mounted. Wheels: steel hub 12" tires 400 x 12.
• Body: Smple sheet over steel tubular frame. 2 seats with the fuel tank of 18 liters. Wheelbase: 1,800 mm. Front track: 1,000 mm. Rear track: 1,000 mm. Dimensions (length x width x height): 2,950 x 1,320 x 1,250 mm. Weight: 330 kg.
• 'Maximum speed: 75 km / h Average consumption: 4.5 l/100 km (45mph / 52 miles per US gallon).

Specification of the PTV 400

• Motor: two-cylinder two-stroke transverse pistons. Bore x stroke: 66 x 58 mm. Displacement: 396.83 cc. 6.5:1 compression ratio. Tachó Carburetor 22 mm bore plus rotary supercharger. Power: 19 hp at 4,500 rpm. Coil ignition. battery 12 V with 130 A for dynamo.
• Transmission: Rear drive, 4 speed and reverse. Multi-disc clutch in oil bath.
• Frame: front independent suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers and rear Panhard torsion bars, with hydraulic dampers. Brakes: Hydraulic Drums on all four wheels steering: helical screw central mounted. Wheels: steel hubs 12 "tires 520 x 12.
• Body: monocoque sheet metal on steel tubular frame, 2 seater with the fuel tank of 18 liters. Wheelbase: 1940 mm. Front track: 1,090 mm. Rear track: 1,115 mm. Dimensions (length x width x height): 3,260 x 1,380 x 1,170 mm. Weight: 470 kg.
• Maximum speed: 110 km / h and average consumption: 5 l/100 km. (c. 70 mph at 47 Miles per US Gallon)