By Curt Fauskanger, guest writer (text and photo)
Here comes another newsletter from Brazil with local VW stories and hits. This is part 1, and this time I'm going to write an article about a rather special car manufacturer in South America that is colloquially called "PUMA".
What exactly is a PUMA?
Puma Automóveis Ltda, or simply Puma, is a Volkswagen-based specialist sports car built in Brazil. The strict Brazilian regulations that restricted the import of cars to encourage domestic car production led to the development of the Puma and other specialty cars. Production started in 1964 with DKW components, with a transition to VW components in 1967, when they were also acquired by VW do Brasil, then under the name "Vemag".
Puma began as a track car, built by an Italian designer and immigrant, Rino Malzoni. The dream was to design and produce a vehicle with a fiberglass body and mount this body on the platform of a passenger car with a modified engine and chassis to perform better, but also with an elevated finish that would be compatible with a sports car. The prototype had a three-cylinder DKW engine of 986 cubic meters and weighed 720 kg. This car had five victories at the “Autodrom de Interlagos” in 1964, and won the main race in the following years. With this smashing success, this manufacturer was thus born, first under the name "Sociedade de Automóveis Lumimari Ltda", created by a group of enthusiasts, then changing its name in 1964 to "Puma Veículos e Motores Ltda".
The first model was therefore a Puma GT in 1966/67, where much of the car was based on Karmann Ghia parts. But after Puma lost its parts supplier from Vemag, Rino returned to his farm workshop and worked hard for nine months to build a new vehicle to keep the company alive. Therefore, he used a chassis from Karmann-Ghia and mechanics from VW, and launched his new concept. This was a radically improved version of the previous model, and made the company grow so much that it went public, and the vehicle was exported to several countries!
Already in 1969, Puma made a limited edition of a sports chassis, called "Puma GT4R", which was specially produced only to be featured in the magazine "Quatro Rodas", and only three cars of this "rarity" were produced. The magazine was one of the country's most important in the automotive field, so this mention was perceived as very important for the way forward. In 1970 the "GTE" was launched (E for export) and in 1971 the "Spyder" was launched, which is a convertible. Both were an upgraded version of the GT with VW mechanics and engines. With this as a background, Puma also produced truck cabins for Chevrolet from 1971, then in 1976 launched its own truck...
Rino started with the design of yet another new car, a project that was called “Puma GTO”, and later “Puma GTB” (Grand Tourismo Brasil). This new vehicle used a Chevrolet chassis and mechanics, and was developed between 1970 and 1972. The car was presented at the 1972 motor show, but did not hit the market until 1974. Thus, an era ended in our automotive world with VW, in favor of powertrains from Chevrolet Opala, or Opel as we know the brand as.
So, back to the car this reportage should really be about... I have had many fun dialogues with my colleague, Arcindo Santos, about special cars, and preferably VW-based, as many models of Puma are. Alcindo's love story with Puma started in the late 70s, when he was a teenager in Brazil. He had a great passion for cars, and at that time, in order to promote the national car industry, it was forbidden to import cars.
There were only four main manufacturers in the country, Volkswagen, Ford, Chevrolet and Fiat, and these only had a few outdated models to offer the Brazilian market. It was thus a perfect environment for small manufacturers, who among other things used VW air-cooled platforms with fine fiberglass bodies, the most famous of which was Puma.
The car's popularity increased primarily because it started as a racing car in 1964, but also because production grew faster than other car manufacturers, and it was also exported to both Europe and the USA. The car concept was very similar to the first Porsches with a rear-mounted air-cooled 4-cylinder boxer engine and a design clearly inspired by the Ferrari Dino. Due to the short distance between the axles combined with the light fiberglass body, one therefore got a special and improved driving experience compared to the competitors.
Basically, there were four options for the market, but in reality only three:
- The Spartan, later, Rally version is very rare to find today. It was made for racing with light bodies.
– GT (Gran Tourism)
– GTE (Gran Tourism Export)
– GTS (Gran Tourism Spyder) with basic VW 1600 cc engine with twin 32 mm carburetors, but one could choose several engine kits up to 2100 cc and 40 mm carburetors.
In the 90s, the Brazilian market was opened up, and with that came the end for the small producers. In the following years, most Pumas were scrapped or converted to "Buggies", and only a few were kept by collectors.
Throughout his youth and further into his adult life, Alcindo has had many different everyday cars and other "not-necessary-to-mention" cars, so I choose to stick to vehicles/cars related to VW in such an article. The interest in the "right" (as close as you can get to a VW) cars, therefore, started with the one he still uses today as an everyday car to and from work, a PUMA GTE that was planned to be bought in 2010 (but was not completed until 2012, but I'll get back to that). He then acquired a VW Bubble (which in Brazil is called "Fusca") which was basically a fairly ordinary 1971 model, with an original 1500 engine. The Fusca was, at its own request, changed a lot both externally and internally to the condition it appears in the pictures, full red, and very stylish! This was eventually sold in favor of another Puma, but with the designation GTS where the S stands for "Spyder" as in convertible. This was a 1978 model with an original 1600 engine, and must probably be seen as a very OK summer car (which is mostly the whole year viewed with Bergen eyes), but therefore not so much a "Trackday" car perhaps?
Therefore, understandably, another car was acquired (we don't sell the cars as long as we have space in the garage at home either). This time he went for a Puma GT 1972 model, with a "special" 1600 engine designed for racing (~100 hp), and which he used for hill races and "Trackdays" at Interlagos SP Raceway, which is where Puma the story started.
This was dressed up with both the right rims, tires and decor for the task, as well as of course the right driving gloves, which certainly increased the performance by up to several tenths. This is perhaps the car, in retrospect, he most regrets having sold. It was both a solid, tough and fun car, but also a relatively rare edition to see in the environment.
So, back to 2010, where he decided to realize this teenage dream of hunting and owning a Puma GTE for the garage, this would actually turn out to be not as easy as first thought. It took him nearly two years to find one worthy of rebuilding to its former glory. This was a 1979 GTE that he happened to discover parked in a street, where it was for sale. It was far from in good condition, but still drivable and possible to restore.
His first experience with the new acquisition was not promising at all. The car was collected from the previous owner late one evening, and he had not driven many meters before he felt a strong vibration, and that the car suddenly fell down on one side. He immediately stopped, and to his great astonishment he saw that the left rear wheel had come loose and that all the bolts were missing (of all days…!!!). That the car rolled well the very first meters during the check and test... and seemed solid, must have only been due to a lot of corrosion (of which there is a part in Brazil) and other old fun... He then took one bolt from each of the second three wheels and fitted on the fourth, so that the problem was solved and he could limp home with the car in one piece.
The following weekend, the car was carefully inspected, checked and washed. The plan was to show the new acquisition to the Puma Club members. The trip started optimistically, but with a relatively motley and unknown ownership and service history, a sudden and dominant smell of petrol was detected on the way there, which resulted in a reasonably quick roadside stop. And, of course, not so surprisingly, he discovered a boring and massive petrol leak, which could easily have been the car's last journey! Fortunately, there was no fire this time, but this is also not an unknown problem in Norway because the petrol quality at home, but in this case it was rather old and rotten petrol hoses. Ethanol is also a well-known, debated and constantly recurring issue in Norway.
This was really a clear sign that the car needed immediate restoration, but in Brazil as in the rest of the world it is easy for "one should only take the most important" to become an almost 3-year renovation to get it finished restored in the condition it appears in today, and one has to say it's really nice!
The entire bodywork had to be carefully straightened and repaired (fiberglass), which in turn resulted in new paint. New bumpers, a new windscreen, new front and rear lights, correct knobs/switches and exterior mirrors also had to be replaced, as well as a total renovation of the car's interior. Correct seats were also installed, as well as a new dashboard, new instruments and various other "stash" were fitted. Finally, the engine was also changed and upgraded from 1600 ccm to 1900 ccm, and this car is still his most precious possession to this day.
What immediately strikes me as I write this article; is the eye for detail and exceptionally high quality of the cars he has owned, through a multitude of different VW models. It doesn't look like he has allowed anything to be "good enough", but rather polished to the tips of his fingers. We like THAT!
Time for something new? I have insisted on various occasions that he either needs to find me a car as nice as his, or he needs to sell me this lovely Puma of his. A few times the comments have ended with "I would rather chop my foot off than sell my baby", but after lightly pounding him every time we meet in the lift or in the canteen with "Have you sat a price yet?" Has he finally put a price on the car, so he's on the move.
Do I have space in the garage? Hurry up. Do I fancy another Brazilian treasure? O'yeah!!!
The post was previously published in VWACB NEW 2-2022
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