Puma (car)
Encyclopedia
Puma was a Brazil
ian specialist car
manufacturer which built cars from 1967 until roughly 1997. High import tariffs effectively closed Brazil during much of this period to foreign-built cars. This limited the vehicles available to the average Brazilian to those built locally by foreign manufacturers such as Volkswagen
and General Motors
(which established Brazilian manufacturing plants), and the products of local companies.
The origin of what became the Puma was the DKW-Malzoni, built by Rino Malzoni of Matão in São Paulo (state)
from around 1964. Malzoni was a keen auto racer and began building his own competition cars based around a DKW
straight-3
two-stroke engine with a light, fiberglass
-skin
ned bodyshell. The cars began to sell in quantities larger than he himself could build, and Malzoni founded a company with a group of other auto enthusiasts. Production started at approximately 35 cars a year, but increased to more than a hundred within a couple of years.
In 1967, Volkswagen bought DKW, and the Brazilian production of DKWs ceased. With no DKW engine available, a new car was designed based around the rear-engined, air-cooled Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
sold in Brazil. The car was named the Puma (the company was likewise renamed) and it sold relatively well for a specialist sports car
.
A convertible version, the Spyder, was added sometime around 1970, and cars began to be exported at that time to other South American countries, North America and Europe. Many of the exported vehicles were kit car
s - substantially complete bodyshells, but lacking engine, transmission, axles, wheels and other mechanical parts. All cars sold in Brazil were complete.
The Puma GTB
, which used a front-mounted Chevrolet straight-6
, was not exported.
VW stopped production of the Karmann Ghia in Brazil during the mid-1970s, and the Puma was redesigned to use the Volkswagen Brasilia
as a base instead. Assembly of Pumas in South Africa began during this period. Bodywork was restyled in 1977.
The 1980s saw harsh economic times in Brazil, and this hit Puma hard. In 1985, the rights to the Puma were sold; a year later, they were sold again. Production continued in small numbers but the opening of the Brazilian market to foreign cars in the early 1990s was the final blow. The last commercialized Puma was an AM4 in 1997.
In 2006, limited production of the Puma was restarted in South Africa.
The all electric propulsion version of the Puma Sports Car is being researched and developed in South Africa by a company known as evdrive.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian specialist car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
manufacturer which built cars from 1967 until roughly 1997. High import tariffs effectively closed Brazil during much of this period to foreign-built cars. This limited the vehicles available to the average Brazilian to those built locally by foreign manufacturers such as Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
and General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
(which established Brazilian manufacturing plants), and the products of local companies.
The origin of what became the Puma was the DKW-Malzoni, built by Rino Malzoni of Matão in São Paulo (state)
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
from around 1964. Malzoni was a keen auto racer and began building his own competition cars based around a DKW
DKW
DKW is a historic German car and motorcycle marque. The name derives from Dampf-Kraft-Wagen .In 1916, the Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen founded a factory in Zschopau, Saxony, Germany, to produce steam fittings. In the same year, he attempted to produce a steam-driven car, called the DKW...
straight-3
Straight-3
A straight-three engine, also known as inline-three engine, or a triple, is a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine with three cylinders arranged in a straight line or plane, side by side....
two-stroke engine with a light, fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
-skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
ned bodyshell. The cars began to sell in quantities larger than he himself could build, and Malzoni founded a company with a group of other auto enthusiasts. Production started at approximately 35 cars a year, but increased to more than a hundred within a couple of years.
In 1967, Volkswagen bought DKW, and the Brazilian production of DKWs ceased. With no DKW engine available, a new car was designed based around the rear-engined, air-cooled Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a 2+2 coupe and convertible marketed from 1955 to 1974 by Volkswagen – combining the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 , styling by Luigi Segre of the Italian carrozzeria Ghia, and hand-built bodywork by German coach-builder Karmann.The Karmann Ghia was...
sold in Brazil. The car was named the Puma (the company was likewise renamed) and it sold relatively well for a specialist sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
.
A convertible version, the Spyder, was added sometime around 1970, and cars began to be exported at that time to other South American countries, North America and Europe. Many of the exported vehicles were kit car
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
s - substantially complete bodyshells, but lacking engine, transmission, axles, wheels and other mechanical parts. All cars sold in Brazil were complete.
The Puma GTB
Puma GTB
The Puma GTB was a front engine, rear wheel drive touring car based on Brazilian GM components. A prototype named the Puma GTO appeared in 1971. The name was changed to Puma GTB for the first production version which appeared in 1973. Registers confirm that the Puma GTB was Brazil's most...
, which used a front-mounted Chevrolet straight-6
Straight-6
The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
, was not exported.
VW stopped production of the Karmann Ghia in Brazil during the mid-1970s, and the Puma was redesigned to use the Volkswagen Brasilia
Volkswagen Brasilia
The Volkswagen Brasilia was a compact car made in Brazil between 1973 and 1982.The Brasilia looked like a smaller version of the Volkswagen 412 Variant, but was in fact based on the Volkswagen Beetle...
as a base instead. Assembly of Pumas in South Africa began during this period. Bodywork was restyled in 1977.
The 1980s saw harsh economic times in Brazil, and this hit Puma hard. In 1985, the rights to the Puma were sold; a year later, they were sold again. Production continued in small numbers but the opening of the Brazilian market to foreign cars in the early 1990s was the final blow. The last commercialized Puma was an AM4 in 1997.
In 2006, limited production of the Puma was restarted in South Africa.
The all electric propulsion version of the Puma Sports Car is being researched and developed in South Africa by a company known as evdrive.
External links
- Puma history (in Portuguese)
- Puma Typen und Geschichte, 1st edition 2011 (book in German)
- Puma Modelos e História, 1st edition 2011 (book in Portuguese language)