Barcelona press · 1901–1912
Period advertisements of the Auto Garage Términus in the Barcelona press (1901–1912)
This page brings together a selection of period advertisements of the Auto Garage Términus, the car dealership founded in Barcelona in 1901 by the brothers Domingo and Enrique Balet Duran, sole agents for Spain of Benz motor cars.
We have chosen one advertisement of each style and arranged them by year and by the garage's address, from 1901 to 1912. At the end of the page you will find more information about its history.
1903 advertisements at Passeig de Gràcia, 2
El Noticiero Universal 25/10/1903
La Almudaina 23/11/1903
1904 advertisements at Carrer de Bailèn, 52
Front-page advertisement in the magazine El Automovilismo Ilustrado 15/01/1904
1904 advertisements at Carrer de València, 290
Front-page advertisement in the magazine El Automovilismo Ilustrado 31/01/1904
Front-page advertisement in the magazine El Automovilismo Ilustrado 31/03/1904
El Automovilismo Ilustrado 31/03/1904
Los Deportes, 13 March 1904
Los Deportes, 3 April 1904
Los Deportes, 5 June 1904
Los Deportes, 17 April 1904
Front-page advertisement in the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya, 26 June 1904
Los Deportes, 14 August 1904
Anuario del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administración (trade directory), 1904
1905 advertisements at Carrer de València, 290
Los Deportes, 28 January 1905
La Veu de Catalunya, 24 January 1905
Front-page advertisement in La Veu de Catalunya on 1 and 2 February 1905
Los Deportes, 8 April 1905
1905 advertisements at Carrer de les Corts, 629
Los Deportes, 8 April 1905
Los Deportes, 6 May 1905
Los Deportes, 17.06.1905
Los Deportes, 17.06.1905
Los Deportes, 26.08.1905
Los Deportes, 26.08.1905
Los Deportes, 9 September 1905
Los Deportes, 9 September 1905
Advertisement in the “Manual del Chauffeur” giving the founding date (1901)
Inside page of the book Manual del Chauffeur showing the founding date of the Auto Garage Términus, 1901
1909 advertisements at Passeig de Gràcia, 2
Los Deportes, 20 May 1909 (this advertisement is not strictly for the Auto Garage Términus; we believe it was probably just a tyre sales office, which names the younger brother, Mr Enrique Balet)
1912 advertisements at Carrer d'Aragó, 282
El Mundo Deportivo 08/02/1912
La Vanguardia 19/05/1912
Maps of Barcelona that the Auto Garage Términus gave to its clients
Advertising on the cover of a period road map (the year of publication is unknown)
The advertisements come from the newspapers and magazines of the time: El Noticiero Universal, La Almudaina, El Automovilismo Ilustrado, Los Deportes, La Veu de Catalunya, El Mundo Deportivo and La Vanguardia. Alongside them are a 1904 trade directory, the Manual del Chauffeur, which reads “Fundado en el año 1901” (founded in 1901), and a road map with the garage's advertising on the cover. They mainly feature the Benz-Parsifal, but also the Berliet, “el chassis ideal” (the ideal chassis), the Hispano-Suiza and Peters Union tyres.
Read in order, the advertisements tell the story of the business. They show the move from the offices at Passeig de Gràcia, 2 to the first premises in Carrer de Bailèn, opened in December 1903. In January 1904 the garage moved to Carrer de València, 290, in 1905 to Carrer de les Corts, 629, and in 1912 it appears at Carrer d'Aragó, 282. They also reflect its most prestigious years: in 1904, after selling an Anglada 24 H.P. to King Alfonso XIII, the Balets received the title of Purveyors to the Royal Household, which they display in several advertisements.
Purveyors to the Royal Household with the Benz-Parsifal (Los Deportes, 14 August 1904)
Bearing the royal coat of arms, the Autogarage Términus presents itself as “Proveedores de la Real Casa” (Purveyors to the Royal Household) and sole agent in Spain for Benz-Parsifal motor cars. It is the press evidence of the appointment that Los Deportes announced on 29 May 1904, shortly after the Balets sold an Anglada 24 H.P. to King Alfonso XIII.
Hispano-Suiza at the Auto Garage Términus (Los Deportes, 28 January 1905)
“Automóviles Hispano-Suiza, son los mejores y más apropiados para nuestras carreteras” (Hispano-Suiza motor cars are the best and the best suited to our roads). That same day, in Los Deportes, Domingo Balet y Hermano announced their agreement with the Sociedad Hispano Suiza to sell the make in Spain during 1905, a few weeks after its first model went on sale.
That is why this archive is valuable: it is first-hand evidence of how motor cars were sold in early 20th-century Barcelona, when only a privileged few could own one. For the full story, visit the History and Sportsmen clients pages.