As the Brazilian market expanded during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, manufacturers have produced some gems for car enthusiasts to admire and enjoy.Some of them were exclusives due to restrictions on imports and some were adapted versions of their foreign counterparts. Nonetheless, all of these cars listed are considered classics in Brazil and have loads of respect from the Brazilian car scene. So here is a small part of these automotive legends who made car history in Brazil: 1. Chevrolet Opala/Opala Caravan This was Chevrolet’s take on a midsize, family sedan prduced by the Brazilian brace of General Motors. It is considered one of the best cars ever made on Brazilian soil and has a wide cult from a large fan base. It featured a 2.5 litre four pot derived from a Chevy Nova powertrain or a more powerful straight six. Chevrolet offered a sports version, dubbed the SS with a tuned version of the six pot engine. It was the fastest car made in Brazil when it was produced, beating Ford’s Maverick and its 302 V8. Later, Chevrolet also offered a station wagon, called the Caravan, which also received the SS treatment. It also had a very successful carrer in motorsport, winning 15 Brazilian stock car titles and many other endurance titles.

A Caravan prepared for drag racing. Poweeer!

2. VW Gol Gti This is considered a Brazilian hot hatch legend. It was VW’s first car sold in Brazil to feature electronic injection. It handled marvelously and had a monster performance for an 80’s car. It had a 0-100 Km/h time of 9.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 185Km/h. Pretty solid for a 2.0 litre four banger and a bodywork with a brick’s aerodynamics. Until today, many people tune this car to 500BHP without too many mods. Reliability was also one of its main characteristics, along with the stylish Orbital wheels and rally-like headlights.

the Gol GTi, a bite-sized GTi!

3. VW Beetle I am including the Beetle on this list because it was produced for so long. There are Beetles (here we call them Fusca) which were produced from 1950 (imported from Germany, Brazilian production began in 1958) until 1996! There was an hiatus between 1986 and 1993. This one is one of the 90’s version, dubbed the “Fusca Itamar”, because then-president Itamar Franco promoted a discount for air-cooled cars, which made the Beetle economically viable once more. They only lasted for longer in Mexico, where production ended in 2003.

1994 Beetle. How not to love it?

4. Brasinca 4200 GT/Uirapuru This is one of the coolest sports cars ever made in Brazil. Named after a beautiful amazonic bird, it featured a 4.2 litre straight six from Chevrolet and was capable of doing 200Km/h in 1966! It was made as a demonstration of the Brazilian industry’s prowess and was the first Brazilian car designed with aerodynamics being a concern. It was even tested in a wind tunnel! Besides the Fiberglass bodywork, there is a controversy about the similarity between the Uirapuru and the Jensen Interceptor. Take your own conclusions…

One of the ultimate Brazilian cars

5. VW SP2 Oh, one of the slowest, albeit most beautiful sports car you will ever find. Product of a restriction for imports during the military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985, the SP2 was designed by VW’s Brazilian branch to fulfill the need for a national sports car. Regarding the looks, they have excelled with its smooth and harmonic lines. Now whrn we talk about performance, it was based on the Beetle with the same flat four air-cooled engine with a stellar 75hp, making it painfully slow. Now whith this looks, why would you need speed after all?

Just. Look. At. It.

6. Puma GTE This is about the same case of the SP2. It is gorgeous, but utterly slow. It was also based on the Beetle and had an air cooled flat four, meaning it was just for style as well. Handling however, was really good and many people used the GTE for preparation and competition. That is, unless you are three-time formula 1 champ Nelson Piquet and has some friends who will install you a 600hp BMW F1 engine in it, making for an absolute beast.

This is a bad boy you don't want to mess with

7. Fiat 147 This small, friendly and Italian car was purpose-built for Brazilian customers. It was derived from the European Fiat 127, with new internals and refurbished exterior. The engine was developed by former Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi and it was highly tuneable, with some people sticking a turbo into it, putting around 200hp in a 796Kg car. It was widely used on rally racing and could keep up with bigger cars, such as the Dodge Dart and Ford maverick on twisty roads. Check this out:

Sporty and nimble. That's more like it.