Pedralbes
The Pedralbes circuit came into being on the occasion of the VIII Grand
Premium organised by the Penya Rhin in 1947. With an initial length of 4.465
km (2.774 miles), it included the triangle formed by Diagonal Avenue (although this was
called Avenida del Generalisimo Franco at the time), Esplugues Street and
Pedralbes Avenue (for the names at the time, see the map); the boxes and the main tribunes were situated in Diagonal
Avenue that consisted of a straight of 1.3 km. The possibility of the race
being included in the World Championship was the reason for the circuit
being extended to 6.316 km (3.925 miles), with a straight of 2 km. in 1950. The new
stretch incorporated Passeig Manuel Girona and a section of Numāncia
Street.
In that year, the BRM and Ferrari reached top speeds of 280 km./h.,
turning Pedralbes into the fastest urban circuit in the world. The track was
extended to 6.333 km for the 1954 GP (3.936 miles). In 1955, the serious
sportscar accident at Le Mans resulted in a large number of
races being cancelled, among them the Spanish Grand Prix. This was the death
blow to the Pedralbes circuit.