Anglada

Anglada was an early Spanish automobile manufacturer associated with Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz, Andalusia. The business operated from 1902 to 1905 under the name Anglada. Fábrica de bicicletas y automóviles, reflecting an origin that combined bicycle manufacture with the emerging automobile trade. It was founded by Francisco Anglada y Gallardo, who pursued a premium, low-volume model rather than mass production. The company made cars to individual order. Its range included one-cylinder and four-cylinder automobiles with stated outputs extending from approximately 6 to 36 cheval-vapeur, or metric horsepower. This positioning placed Anglada among the expensive, bespoke vehicle makers of the pioneering automobile era, when manufacturers commonly built small numbers of cars around customer requirements instead of selling standardized models through broad dealer networks. The surviving historical descriptions do not establish a complete model naming system, production total, or detailed technical specification for each version. Anglada’s best-known historical association is with King Alfonso XIII of Spain. In 1904, the king purchased a 24 hp four-cylinder Anglada, making it the first Spanish-built car known to have been bought by the Spanish monarch. The royal purchase gave the young marque unusual visibility and indicates that its products could attract aristocratic customers. Other Spanish aristocrats also bought Anglada cars, but the company’s high-cost, custom-order business remained commercially limited. Financial difficulties soon forced Francisco Anglada to abandon automobile production. The manufacturing operation ended in 1905, only a few years after it began. Anglada did not develop into a continuing Spanish vehicle group, and no parent company, successor brand, current owner, or active product line is identified in the cited reference material. After ending production, Anglada opened an automobile repair shop in Madrid, shifting from vehicle manufacture to automotive servicing. Francisco Anglada died in 1917. Today, Anglada is principally significant as an example of Spain’s early automotive experimentation and as a precursor to the country’s later automobile industry. Its historical importance rests less on scale or longevity than on the combination of early domestic production, bespoke engineering, aristocratic patronage, and royal ownership. The brand should not be confused with unrelated modern companies or with other uses of the Anglada name.

Anglada emerged during the first phase of Spanish automobile manufacturing, when cars were often built in small workshops and sold to individual patrons. Francisco Anglada y Gallardo founded the business in Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, in 1902. Its full business name, Anglada. Fábrica de bicicletas y automóviles, indicates that it operated within the broader transition from bicycle production and mechanical craft to motor-vehicle manufacture. Rather than pursuing a standardized mass-market automobile, Anglada concentrated on expensive vehicles made to individual order. The company produced both one-cylinder and four-cylinder cars, with reported outputs ranging from 6 to 36 cv. The available historical account does not provide a full production register or identify all body styles, but the range suggests that Anglada attempted to serve customers with differing requirements while retaining a premium and bespoke character. The marque received an important endorsement in 1904 when Alfonso XIII bought a 24 hp four-cylinder Anglada. This is regarded as the first Spanish car purchased by the king and is the company’s most prominent place in Spanish automotive history. The royal purchase, together with sales to members of the Spanish aristocracy, demonstrates the social visibility of the brand. It did not, however, resolve the underlying economic limitations of a small-scale, high-cost manufacturing operation. Financial problems led Francisco Anglada to give up automobile production soon afterward. The manufacturing period ended in 1905, making Anglada a short-lived marque. Following the closure of production, Anglada established an automobile repair shop in Madrid, continuing in the automotive field through maintenance rather than manufacturing. Francisco Anglada died in 1917. No continuing corporate successor, revived marque, or present-day commercial operation is identified in the cited sources. Anglada’s legacy is therefore historical rather than commercial. It represents one of the early attempts to build automobiles in Spain and illustrates the challenges faced by pioneering manufacturers that relied on bespoke production and a narrow wealthy customer base. Its association with Alfonso XIII has helped preserve the company’s visibility in accounts of Spanish motoring, despite the brief duration of its manufacturing activity.

• 1917

  Death of Francisco Anglada

  [1]Angladaen.wikipedia.org

  Founder Francisco Anglada y Gallardo died in 1917.

• 1905

  Automobile production ends

  [1]Angladaen.wikipedia.org

  Financial difficulties brought Anglada’s automobile manufacturing activity to an end after roughly three years of production.

• 1905

  Founder moves into automobile repair

  [1]Angladaen.wikipedia.org

  After ending production, Francisco Anglada opened an automobile repair shop in Madrid.

• 1904

  Alfonso XIII purchases an Anglada

  [1]Angladaen.wikipedia.org

  King Alfonso XIII bought a 24 hp four-cylinder Anglada, described as the first Spanish-built car purchased by the Spanish monarch.

• 1902

  Automobile manufacturing begins

  [1]Angladaen.wikipedia.org

  Francisco Anglada y Gallardo founded Anglada. Fábrica de bicicletas y automóviles in Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, beginning the marque’s documented automobile production.

A premium, low-volume Spanish automobile maker producing expensive cars individually to order for aristocratic and affluent customers.

• Automobile · 1902

  One-cylinder automobiles

  Anglada produced small one-cylinder cars during its brief manufacturing period. These vehicles formed part of the company’s early range, which was built to individual customer order rather than standardized for high-volume production. The cited historical material identifies the one-cylinder configuration and places the company’s overall output range at approximately 6 to 36 cv, but does not provide complete model names, body specifications, or production totals.

• Automobile · 1902

  Four-cylinder automobiles

  Anglada’s four-cylinder cars were the marque’s more powerful offering and included a 24 hp car purchased by Alfonso XIII in 1904. The company’s four-cylinder automobiles were expensive, bespoke vehicles intended for affluent customers and aristocratic buyers. Historical references report Anglada cars with outputs reaching approximately 36 cv, although detailed model-by-model specifications are not available in the cited sources.

• 1905

  Exit from automobile manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Anglada operated as a small, premium manufacturer whose cars were built individually to order. The available historical account states that the company encountered financial problems despite sales to aristocratic customers.

  Action taken

  Francisco Anglada gave up automobile production and subsequently opened an automobile repair shop in Madrid.

  Aftermath

  The Anglada automobile marque ceased manufacturing after a short production run from 1902 to 1905, while its founder continued working in the automotive sector through repair services.

  Source

1. 1Angladaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Historical reference on Anglada automobilesweb.archive.org