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Wed Oct 06, 2004 12:04 pm

The Brasillia, the 412 mini-me.

We're all VW junkies just looking for our next fix. Every single day I either drive one, work on one, or read about one, and sometimes I do all three in a day.

I'd bet no cars were imported from Brasil due to safety constraints of the US market. Same reason we couldn't leagally import the Mexican Beetle.

Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:51 pm

I think the SP-2 is :shock: hot!

Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:19 pm

that sp2 is way cool
almost wish i lived in brazil

Sun Oct 31, 2004 5:05 am

The four door car in the photo at the start of this item is a "Volkswagen 1600 4-Portas" made in Brazil by Volkswagen do Brasil outside Sao Paulo. It is a 1970 model. The first version, the 1969 model, had rectangular headlights.

It is neither a Type 4 nor a Type3. It was based on the German VW prototype series EA97 which was never put into production in Germany although it nearly was. All dies, tools, etc for its manufacture were produced in Germany but at the last minute production was shelved and everything was shipped out to Brazil. Basically, the body is a four-door version of the Type 3 but its floorpan is a swing axle ball-joint Type 1 Karmann Ghia floor pan and it had either a single carburettor or a twin carburettor upright fan Beetle engine. Later fastback and Variant (wagon) versions had Type 3 flat pancake motors with twin carburettors.

The Brazilian Type code for this car is "Tipo 103". This is the 4-door notchback. The 2-door fastback version was Tipo 107. The 4-door fastback was Tipo 109. The 2-door Variant (wagon) was Tipo 105.

For more details on these Brazilian VWs see my book "Volkswagens of the World" Chapter 23. The current edition is the 2003 edition.

Simon Glen.

Mon Nov 01, 2004 5:49 am

Wow. :shock:

Thanks for sharing that information. I didn't think we would ever figure out what it was.

Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:14 am

wow again. Amazing good info. Expect to have some royalties coming in from your book as I plan to get one.

Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:45 pm

Yes, thanks for settling this. I knew it was a production vehicle.

Fri Dec 31, 2004 5:05 am

Hee Hee,
I looked into this thread and thought to myself,"I've seen that car in the Volkswagens of the World book I have" and was about to reference it when I got to your post.

It's a great book Simon!

Fri Jan 07, 2005 1:05 pm

There's a little more information on that car here:
http://www.ltv-vwc.org.uk/W_Spin/ws_jun_2000/Boys_from_Brazil02.htm

Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:09 am

Bature wrote: For more details on these Brazilian VWs see my book "Volkswagens of the World" Chapter 23. The current edition is the 2003 edition.

Simon Glen.
A fantastic book ... one of my absolute favorites. Or should I say favourites? :lol:

His appreciation for certain models is evident and refreshing; yet, doesn't get in the way of very even-handed descriptions. The level of detail with regards to each model and their history should be the standard-bearer for all books. (I underlined their in their history because the book isn't about the history of Volkswagen itself which has been beaten to death by other authors.)

And if I remember correctly, the SP-2 was supposed to be imported to the USA except the headlight arrangement was too low. Volkswagen didn't want to pull an MG and raise the entire body on the chassis just to "make do."

Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:11 pm

i'd take the SP2 also..

Tue Mar 08, 2005 4:52 pm

this is a 4 door 1600 fpr the Brazillian market . it has type 3 running gear
and came as a saloon or a variant. see type 411 fast back pic in photo catogory

Mon May 23, 2005 4:49 am

Dear Tin Worm,

Please have a look at my posting on this thread dated 28 October 2004. This car is a product of Volkswagen do Brasil. It is a 1970 model "Type 103". I agree that it does have a body which uses many Type 3 components but the floor pan is a wide Type 1 floor pan (as per Karmann Ghia) with a Beetle gearbox and swing axles. The rear does not have a sub-frame which a Type 3 has and the front suspension is by parallel torsion bars as per Type 1 Beetles, not the cross-over torsion bars and enclosed anti-roll bar of Type 3s. It has an upright fan Beetle 1584cc engine with single ports and was available with either one or two carburettors.

It is a sort of hybrid model devised especially for the Brazilian market, simple and making full use of existing tooling and components then manufactured in Brazil. It is based on the experimental Volkswagen series of prototypes made in Germany and labelled generically as "EA97". A two-door version is of EA97 in display in the VW museum in Wolfsburg. Like the Brazilian production Type 103, it has a Beetle-type floorpan and suspension and a Beetle upright fan engine. I checked this out myself by looking under the car at the museum.

I'm sorry I can't put pictures of these vehicles on this Samba website because I am a bit of a "Luddite" when it comes to computers. I just don't know how to.

Incidentally, from 1978 to 1981 Volkswagen do Brasil also made another car called the "VW Variant II" or Type 30. This was a two-door station wagon with a square-style body totally different to the usual VW Type3. It had a Type 3 floor pan, with rear torsion bars and CV-joint axles, a 1584cc flat pancake twin-carb Type3 motor but, amazingly, the front suspension was by McPherson struts as per the 1971 to 1975 1302/1303 European-made Beetles. I have plenty of pictures of these Variant II cars which I have scanned and hold on file in my computer but alas I lack the ability to post them here. The Variant II can be mistaken for the VW Type 102 Brasilia and Igala but this car was entirely Beetle based.

For details and many pictures of these Brazilian VW Type 102, Type 103 and Type 30 please see the second edition (red cover) of my book "VWs of the World".

Simon Glen (Bature)

Mon May 23, 2005 6:17 am

damn this thread was ressurrected from days of old!

Mon May 23, 2005 8:05 am

Did VW of Brasil or Mexico ever make Type 3's?

Mon May 23, 2005 3:32 pm

I don't believe VW Type 3s were manufactured or assembled in Mexico.

Apart from manufacture at the Wolfsburg factory, Type 3s were assembled and manufactured in Australia from 1963 to 1974 and in South Africa from 1963 to 1969. There were at times very significant differences between Australian and South African and German Type 3s. They were also assembled in Ireland from about 1966 to 1969 but as this was only a CKD operation (completely knocked down) the Irish content amounted to little more than paint and labour.

Simon Glen.

Mon May 23, 2005 8:31 pm

Just curious...that means the T3 Variant I rode in while in Guatemala in 1974 was 100% Deutsche :D It was a great little family car. I also rode in a couple Brazilian bugs, and a Brazilian bus or two while there.

BMC did the same think with the CKD kits (MGs, Austins, Morrys) in Oz and South Africa. Interesting that VWAG did it in Ireland. Never knew that. Thanks!

Mon May 23, 2005 11:09 pm

For those of you interested I have worked out how to place pictures but only in thew Gallery section under "Other VW vehicles".

I have placed two pictures of Type 103, a Type 30 Variant II, a Type 102 Brasilia, and the EA97 prototype at the VW Museum.

Simon Glen.

Thu May 26, 2005 8:52 pm

reminds me of my first car , a 1969 Renault 10. Rear engine, water cooled.

Fri May 27, 2005 11:15 am

Is that your nice-looking single-cab in the background :D ?