Barreiros
Spain
Barreiros played an important role in the country’s automotive and industrial history.
Eduardo Barreiros Fernández, a Galician engineer and entrepreneur founded the company in 1954. The company’s manufacturing plant was located in Villaverde, Madrid, and became one of the largest in Spain.
His initial purpose was covering gasoline trucks to Diesel engines — at the time, Spain was still recovering economically, and this innovation offered a cheaper alternative for transport operators.
Barreiros became famous for converting gasoline engines to diesel, an idea that greatly improved efficiency and reliability. These conversions were especially popular in the 1950s among small transport companies.
After its early success, Barreiros expanded into manufacturing complete vehicles, starting with heavy trucks (such as the Barreiros Saeta, Super Azor, and Campeador).
In the early 1960s, Barreiros began producing automobiles, under both its own name and under license from foreign brands with Simca models (through cooperation with Chrysler) and later, Dodge vehicles (Dodge Dart, Dodge 3700 GT, etc.).
In 1963, Chrysler Corporation acquired a minority stake in Barreiros.
In 1978, Chrysler sold its European operations (including the former Barreiros facilities) to Peugeot (PSA Group).
The Barreiros brand disappeared, but its engineering and manufacturing legacy continued to influence Spain’s auto industry for decades.
