Brazilian brilliance?
There are a handful of well-known cars that have been built in Brazil, but there are many more interesting and tempting machines with their roots in this South American country.
Here we take a look at some of the best cars to come from Brazil, covering everything from beach buggies to luxury land yachts. There are also sports cars, 4x4s and even a perennial favourite with a twist.
If you thought Brazil’s car making only went as far as a handful of sporty models, think again then take a look at our list, which is presented in chronological order.
1. 1919 Ford Model T
As part of Henry Ford’s ambitious plans for the Model T, he began importing it to Brazil in 1919 as a kit of parts.
Building these kits into complete cars was initially done in a rented facility, but Ford created its own factory in São Paulo based on a similar layout to the Highland Park plant in Michigan.
Both Model T passenger cars and trucks were made in Brazil, but there was another reason for Henry Ford’s interest in the country – rubber.
Ford set up a rubber plantation in Brazil to secure its own supply, and Henry Ford believed this would also provide better work for those who lived there.
Although the rubber plantation grew to a large size, it ultimately failed in the 1940s, because US working practices did not translate well to Brazil.
Ford stopped building cars in Brazil in 2021.
2. 1953 Volkswagen Fusca
The Fusca was what Volkswagen called its Beetle when it began to import it to Brazil in 1953. These early cars arrived as completely knocked down kits simply to be assembled in Brazil.
However, the Fusca changed over time to become almost completely produced from locally sourced and built components. By 1959, barely any German-sourced parts remained.
Such was the popularity of the Fusca in Brazil for its simplicity and rugged build, it remained the country’s best-selling car from 1954 to 1979.
More than 3.3 million Fuscas were made in Brazil, as well as a number of locally produced versions of the Karmann-Ghia coupé.
3. 1953 Willys-Overland Jeep
The Willys Jeep was a natural choice for production in Brazil to meet the demands of rural roads and tracks.
As well as the Universal model that would be recognisable to Jeep buyers back in the US, Willys also made six- and eight-seat models of the 4x4 for the local Brazilian market.
In 1959, Willys had a 52% share of new car sales in Brazil, and it routinely accounted for a third of local sales throughout the 1960s. This was helped by the popular Pick-Up model and the Rural station wagon.
In 1967, Ford took control of Kaiser that owned Willys and, as a result, gained ownership of Willys-Overland in Brazil.
4. 1956 DKW-Vemag F91
As with a number of car-making ventures in Brazil, the DKW-Vemag F91 was the result of co-operation between a local firm and foreign car company.
Knowing its models were popular in South America, DKW realised a local manufacturer could open up greater sales.
Working with Vemag (Veiculos e Maqunias Agricolas), the two built the F91 between 1956 and 1967 in almost identical form to its German-made relative.
Vemag produced saloon, station wagon and coupé versions, while later cars featured quad-headlight styling.
In total, DKW-Vemag built 109,343 F91s.
5. 1956 Romi-Isetta
Just as the Isetta was built under licence in Argentina, Germany and the UK, it also enjoyed a brief period of Brazilian production by Industrias Romi.
The Romi-Isetta went on sale in September 1956. It was supposed to receive government funding to encourage a local automotive industry, but it succeeded without this financial help.
In five years of production up to 1961, the Romi-Isetta found approximately 3000 buyers in Brazil.
In 1959, Romi upgraded the engine from the original two-stroke 250cc Iso unit to a BMW-sourced 300cc four-stroke.
6. 1962 Willys Interlagos
If the Willys Interlagos looks familiar, that’s because this was a Brazilian-made version of the Alpine A108.
Thanks to a long-standing connection between Kaiser, the owner of Willys-Overland from 1953, it was a relatively simple deal to produce the French sports car under licence.
The Willys Interlagos arrived in 1962 as a berlinette, coupé and convertible, and all used small-capacity, four-cylinder engines of between 845 and 998cc.
Light weight made the Interlagos quick and also successful in local motorsport.
Used by many Brazilian racing drivers of the time, it was also the car first campaigned by Emerson Fittipaldi who went on to become a Formula One and CART champion.
7. 1964 Chevrolet Veraneio
While US buyers could have Chevrolet’s rugged pick-up as a two-door Suburban station-wagon model, the company’s Brazilian outpost went further with a full five-door called the Veraneio.
Using the C-14 pick-up as its starting point, the Veraneio had its own styling rather than slavishly following the US domestic model.
Inside, the dash was the same and under the bonnet there were the same engines as Chevrolet offered across the C-14 range.
Such was the popularity of the first Veraneio that it remained in production until 1988, when it was replaced by the second-generation version that lasted until 1995.
8. 1966 FNM Onça
FNM, or Fabrica Nacional de Motores, started by building aero engines before it struck a deal with Isotta Fraschini in 1949.
When that partnership ended in 1951, FNM again looked to Italy and did a deal with Alfa Romeo.
Most of the FNM production to begin with was Alfa Romeo trucks made under licence, but in 1966 the Onça coupé was launched.
It had an Alfa-like front end, but the rear was clearly inspired by the Ford Mustang. Power came from an Alfa-designed 2-litre twin-cam engine.
Unlike earlier cars from FNM that were locally made Alfas, the Onça was all its own work. The Onça name cheekily translated into ‘Jaguar’ in English.
9. 1966 Simca Esplanada
The Simca Esplanada could trace its roots back to the Ford Vedette, but by the time of its launch in 1966 it was very much a Brazilian car through and through.
The styling was unique to Brazil and later featured quad headlights from 1968.
There was also a more basic version called the Regente from 1966, plus a sporting model called GTX that arrived with the facelift in 1968.
Power came from the Emi-Sul V8 engine, which was an updated Ford flathead motor. It started as a 2.5-litre engine in the Esplanada before being switched to a 2.4-litre unit.
The Esplanada was the last production car to use the Ford flathead V8 and the model’s days were numbered when Simca was bought by Chrysler in 1967.
The new US owner ceased Esplanada production in 1969 and replaced it with its own Dodge Dart.
10. 1968 Ford Corcel
The Ford Corcel was not unique to the Brazilian market, but most examples of this compact Ford were built at the company’s São Bernardo do Campo factory.
The Corcel shared some styling with the European Ford Escort, but underneath the Brazilian car had much more in common with the Renault 12.
This was due to the car initially being developed by Willys-Overland, before Ford bought the company and put it into production.
This meant the Corcel was more advanced than the Escort thanks to its front-wheel-drive platform rather than Ford’s own rear-drive layout.
Like the Escort, the Corcel could be had as a two- or four-door saloon, or as a two-door estate.
11. 1969 Chevrolet Opala
The Opala name of this large Chevrolet saloon for Brazilian buyers paid homage to the Opel Rekord it used as its base.
However, the Opala was very much a car for Brazil with unique styling, and its own coupé and estate models.
Unveiled at the São Paulo motor show at the end of 1968, the Opala went on sale shortly afterwards, and quickly became a strong seller in the executive market and as a police car.
Both types of buyer appreciated the Opala’s strong 2.5- and 3.8-litre straight-six engines. A 4.1-litre six-cylinder motor was offered from 1971 in place of the 3.8 unit.
12. 1971 FNM Furia GT 2150
FNM was fully under the control of Alfa Romeo by 1968, yet the Brazilian company still managed to produce its own models.
One of the most intriguing is the Furia GT 2150, which was based on the much less dramatic 2150 saloon.
The sleek Furia GT coupé was styled by local designer Tony Bianco, with a sweeping shape that owed some of its looks to the Lamborghini Jarama.
Power came from a 2150cc engine as the car’s name suggested, plus it had a five-speed manual gearbox.
However, the Furia GT 2150 was only made in tiny numbers and Alfa Romeo wasn’t keen on a rival to its GTV.
13. 1971 Ford Landau
With a crafty bit of repurposing, Ford took its older Galaxie and recycled it into the Brazilian-market Landau.
As an effective PR stunt, Ford presented the first Landau to the President of Brazil, João Figueiredo, and garnered plenty of media coverage as a result.
This full-size luxury saloon made its debut at the 1970 São Paulo motor show ahead of sales beginning in 1971.
It proved a popular model, and was also offered in LTD and Galaxie 500 forms, but the Landau only ever came with the 302cu in (5-litre) Windsor V8 engine.
This engine was modified to be able to run on ethanol made from sugar cane during the oil crisis of the early 1970s.
14. 1973 Gurgel Xavante X-10
With the runaway popularity of the Volkswagen Fusca (neé Beetle) in Brazil, it’s little wonder that it was used as the base for other models.
Gurgel came up with its take on the beach-buggy idea with the Xavante X-10.
Not the prettiest example of the beach-buggy craze, the Gurgel did stand out for the strength of its construction, with a glassfibre body built over a steel frame with VW mechanical parts attached.
Later models had more squared-off styling and Gurgel produced an estimated 7000 X-10s during the 1970s.
15. 1973 Puma GTB
The Puma GT is perhaps Brazil’s best-known home-grown car, but Puma also made the GTB using the same mechanical component as the Opala saloon.
Fitted within the sleek coupé’s engine bay was a 4.1-litre straight-six, which was enough for a 120mph top speed.
There was also a turbocharged version that was built to run on ethanol made from sugar cane.
A glassfibre body was used and the GTB was very well equipped with sport seats, air conditioning and leather upholstery.
It would have seemed like an obvious car to export, but the high cost of the Puma GTB prohibited this and only 1589 were built.
16. 1973 Volkswagen Brasilia
Named after the country’s capital city, the Volkswagen Brasilia was built specifically to meet the needs of Brazilian drivers.
The brief was to make something stylish, affordable, spacious and reliable.
Starting with the Beetle, or Fusca as it was called in Brazil, the designers came up with something similar to the Type 3 yet still distinctively different.
One of the key differences was the Brasilia was offered as a five-door hatch where its European counterpart was strictly a three-door.
This made the Brasilia the first domestically produced five-door hatch in Brazil.
Power came from a 1.6-litre air-cooled flat-four that gave sluggish performance, but the dependable Brasilia lasted until 1982.
17. 1974 MP Lafer
Catching the wave of pastiche cars that was sweeping the US, Brazil’s MP Lafer was not as outlandish, because it tried to capture the looks and spirit of an MG T-series model.
While the MP Lafer might have fooled some people from a distance, up close it was harder to carry off the illusion, because it was based on the Volkswagen Beetle floorpan.
However, the humble base of the MP Lafer did little to dent sales at home and it also proved to be one of the few Brazilian home-grown cars to find a decent export market.
A total of 4300 were made up to 1990 and some 1000 of those were exported.
18. 1975 Fiat 147
Why Fiat chose to call this model the 147 rather than stick with the 127 title of the car it was so clearly based on remains a mystery.
However, the 147 went on to enjoy a long production life in Brazil all the way up 1987, and then another nine years being made in Argentina.
Several updates came and went for the Fiat 147, and there were improved engines that all followed the same transversely mounted, four-cylinder arrangement.
There was also a 1.3-litre diesel and a version capable of running on ethanol made from sugar cane.
As well as the mainstay three-door hatch model of 147, Fiat in Brazil also offered the car as a two-door saloon, a van, an estate and a pick-up.
19. 1980 Volkswagen Gol
Volkswagen’s Gol (not Golf) is still in production in Brazil today (at the time of writing) in its third generation, and the story goes back to 1980.
It was built to take over from the Brasilia, even though the two ran alongside each other for a couple of years.
With styling similar to the European VW Polo and Passat models, the Gol was still most definitely a Brazilian design.
For starters, the engine came from the Beetle but was front-mounted, and this was later replaced by a more conventional, 1.5-litre ‘four’ with water cooling.
Several sporting versions of the first-generation Gol were made, using 1.8- and 2-litre engines.
This first Gol lasted until 1994, and was exported from 1987 to the US and sold as the Fox.
20. 1982 Ford Pampa
Ford of Brazil used its new Corcel II as the base for the Pampa pick-up truck.
It instantly scored a hit with buyers in its home country and was the best-selling car in its sector for many years in Brazil.
The Pampa was so popular that Ford didn’t see any need to replace it until 1997 after 15 years of service.
Much of the Pampa’s appeal lay in its rugged construction that meant it could carry heavy loads and deal with rough roads. There was also a four-wheel-drive version from 1986.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine didn’t offer rapid performance, but it could wind the Pampa up to 100mph flat out.
When the Pampa reached the end of its production life, Ford had sold more than 350,000 and the compact pick-up remains very popular.
21. 1983 Dacon 828
When Dacon was no longer allowed to sell Porsches in Brazil due to an import ban, it came up with its own design.
However, this was not a sports car, but a 2.5-metre long compact city car called the 828.
The 828 name was a nod to its Porsche links, with the first two numbers denoting when the car was signed off and the third came from it being the company’s eighth project.
Plenty of Porsche bits were used from Dacon’s shelves, such as the 928 rear lights, while the engine was an air-cooled Volkswagen unit mounted at the rear.
The original Dacon 828 remained in production until 1994, though only 47 were ever made. It then morphed into the Obvio! 828H hybrid-electric car that was unveiled in 2010.
22. 1989 Ford Verona
The Ford Verona looks just like a fourth-generation Escort – and it is in most regards. However, this Brazilian-made version was also sold as the Volkswagen Apollo.
Rather than just swap the badges, the Apollo came with its own VW-designed dashboard in a bid to set it apart from its Blue Oval sibling.
To confuse matters further for buyers, the Verona was offered with Ford’s 1.6-litre CVH engine and a 1.8-litre motor from Volkswagen.
The Apollo, however, was only ever fitted with the more powerful VW 1.8, because it was intended to be a more upmarket model.
When the second-generation versions of these two cars went off sale in 1996, the Ford Verona had outsold the VW Apollo by more than two to one, with sales of 118,325 for the Ford versus the VW’s 50,907.
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