The Puma

Puma (car)

Puma was a Brazilian 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...

 GTB was a front engine, rear wheel drive touring car based on Brazilian GM

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...

 (Opala) components. A prototype named the Puma GTO appeared in 1971. The name was changed to Puma GTB (Gran Turismo Brazil) for the first production version which appeared in 1973. Registers confirm that the Puma GTB was Brazil's most expensive car from 1973 to 1984. The GTB was powered by a 4100 cc in-line six cylinder engine that was basically a U.S. Chevrolet

Chevrolet

Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 six produced in Brazil

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...

. The body was made of 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...

, which allowed for styling changes with minimal expense. It was common for GTB engines to be modified for high output. GTB interiors were luxurious, with features such as leather seats, power windows and air conditioning. Several aftermarket companies, including Pumakit and Superclar, produced custom body parts for the Puma GTB (the Daytona version).

Production of the GTB was lower than that of the VW based Pumas. Total production was 1,589 of which 701 were S1 (First Series) and 888 were S2 (Second Series). The Puma GTB was not exported to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 or Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, although at least one S2 is known to be in the U.S.
There were also two other versions of the Puma GTB before the factory's debts led to their demise: the GTB S3 (late 1983), using Brazilian Sugarcane Alcohol as fuel with a 4L Chevrolet engine, and the S4 (1984), with a turbo-charged engine. But being of a rather outdated design and now competing in a market with relaxed import restrictions, neither version could sell as much as the S1 and S2 had. Puma Vehicles fell into bankruptcy in 1985. In 1987 Alfa Metais assumed production of Puma's cars, producing a facelifted GTB in very small numbers as the AMV until production ended for good in 1993.

Specifications

Engine - in-line six cylinder; 4093 cc. Compression Rate: 7.8:1. Double-body carburetor. Horsepower: 168 hp @ 4.800 rpm. Maximum Torque: 32,5 m.kgf @ 2.600 rpm

Gearbox - manual, 4 gears; rear wheel drive.

Suspension - front, independent; rear, hard axis with semi-elliptical springs.

Wheels - 14 inches; front tires, 205/70 R 14; rear tires, 215/70 R 14.

Dimensions - length, 4.3 metres (169.3 in); width, 1.74 metres (68.5 in); height, 1.26 metres (49.6 in); weight, 1215 kg (2,679 lb).

Performance - Maximum speed: 120 mph (193 km/h).

Estimated used car price - US$ 17000.00