1st edition
This book is dedicated to René
1st edition
ISBN: 9783848233052
© Thomas Braun, 2012
Every effort and care has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication; the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions it may contain.
Printed and published by: Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
Inlay picture courtesy of Renate Eder 2010
The idea to this book came with the bought of my VW Puma GTS 1980. I wanted to know more about these sports cars from Brazil and started a desktop research. In Europe the car marque Puma is widely unknown. Only a few classic car collectors, mostly Beetle enthusiasts, have ever heard about these licensed Beetlebased and GM-based productions.
Together with Puma enthusiasts from Germany and Pumeiros in Brazil it was possible to gather information about Puma do Brazil, examine it and document it as well as possible.
After intensive research we can paint the first comprehensive picture of the history of the car marque Puma. This picture still has uncertainties, but the first step has been done with this piece of work.
Special thanks at this point go to the hard working bloggers on pumacalssic.com.br website who have contributed in their own way so that now a comprehensive account on the history of Puma do Brazil is possible.
St. Poelten, 2012
Thomas Braun
Miscellaneous
Origins
History of the Company in Brazil
Puma in South Africa
Puma in Europa
Puma in USA
Puma in Canada
Puma in Central America
Puma in Japan
Puma Types and Models
Vemag in Brazil
Volkswagen in Brazil
Product Placement in Movies
Puma Toys
Output Figures
The Way to your own Puma
How-to Section
Wiring Diagram of the Puma GTE/GTS
In the 1960´s the car industry in Brazil was just developing compared to the situation in the USA and Europe. High import tariffs attempted to protect the developing domestic industry from foreign competition. In addition, foreign investors were obliged to purchase raw materials and partially ready products predominantly from within Brazil. As early as 1961 Volkswagen do Brazil was able to obtain more than 90% of the required parts from within Brazil.
The VW Beetle was of course among the bestsellers of Volkswagen. The VW Beetle primarily became popular in Brazil due to the way it could handle the difficult driving conditions, especially in the rural landscapes. Back then, reasonably good road conditions could only be found in the big cities. In the countryside off-road capability was in demand, which the Beetle could provide due to his constructional features. A few car manufacturers took advantage of this fact and fabricated own vehicles based on VW.
The first Puma was actually based on DKW platform manufactured by Vemag do Brazil. The cars were very successful in local racing competitions. Volkswagen subsequently bought out this manufacturer. Further development of DKW cars was stopped and as a second step the supply of spare parts ran out. The first Puma cars based on Volkswagen technology were successful in the racing sport, just like their predecessor. Encouraged by the success of the Pumas on the race track, street cars were built for wealthy customers. In order to meet requirements of the target market in America and Europe the Puma GT was further developed to the export model of the VW sedan. In 1971, the first Puma cars were exported. In 1970 Puma Company started to develop another line of sports cars based on components of General Motors. For more than 10 years the GM-based Puma was the most expensive car on the Brazilian market. In the course of its eventful history there were more than 20 different types of Puma cars. In their general construction all Puma sports cars were based on a central tube frame with a GRP body. This made the cars relatively light, which provided extraordinary driving enjoyment in spite of the – from today´s view - low engine performance.
The most successful production year was 1979, when 3,595 Puma sports cars were produced. Beyond that, from 1973 on, more than 400 licensed cars were produced in South Africa. Since 2006 Jack Wijker has been busy again adapting old cars and building new vehicles. In 2009 a business partner was found, so in the near future new developments in South Africa can be expected. Altogether, around 25,000 Pumas (sports cars, micro busses and trucks) have been built in Brazil and South Africa.
In the 1950’s and 60’s Brazil tried hard to catch up with the western industrial nations. The apparent indication for this attempt was, alongside the drawing board construction of the ultra-modern capital Brasilia, the creation of a national automotive industry. In order to reach this goal, cooperation with large car manufacturers were established, including Volkswagen. Simultaneously, high import tariffs for readymade cars from foreign fabrication promoted domestic manufacturing sites. According to this, companies like Volkswagen and General Motors on the one hand expanded their production capacity in Brazil, but at the same time they had only the most popular models in their product range. Because of this, elegant, mostly two-seated sports cars, which were very fashionable at that time, hardly came onto the Brazilian market.
In 1962 the hobby car racer Gennaro Malzoni (also known as Rino Malzoni) from Matão in São Paulo began with the construction of his own sports car for use on the race track. His creation was based on the technology of the “DKW 3=6“, a DKW straight-3 with a two-stroke engine and a DKW-typical front wheel drive. His partner Milton Masteguin made it possible to manufacture the car with a limited production of around 50 vehicles. Together with Jorge Lettry from the Brazilian DKW racing department, Luís Roberto da Costa, Milton Masteguin and Mario César Camargo Filho, Malzoni incorporated the Sociedade de Automóveis Luminari Ltd. in São Paulo in 1964.
Today these early vehicles are called “DKW Malzoni GT”, originally it was simply called “GT Malzoni”. In 1967 the car body of the DKW Malzoni was slightly modified by Anisio Campos. The car was renamed to “DKW Puma GT”.
Starting in 1968 the Puma was based on the Brazilian Karmann Ghia Type 14 equipped with a 1500cm3 4 cylinder boxer engine. The change to Volkswagen technology was also used to draw nearer to the design of the Ferrari 175 GTB. In 1969 the 300th Puma rolled off the assembly line.
The Puma GT 1500 was showcased at its first international car exhibition in São Paulo in 1970. In 1971 the first convertible version was introduced. In 1972 the production of the Puma GTB on a GM-basis started.
When the Puma was shown in London for the first time in 1973, Ford was brought into the scene to take legal action against the Brazilian company. The background to this lawsuit was that Ford claimed to have the right to the name Puma. It became apparent that Ford had bought a company producing turbines and generators called Puma. Finally a settlement was reached and Ford allowed the Brazilians to sell their cars using the name Puma.
In 1974, at the auto show in São Paulo, Puma presented an interesting innovation: the Mini Puma; a small car equipped with a 650cm3 engine. This idea was taken over by Daihatsu introducing the Daihatsu Cuore in Brazil nearly ten years later. In 1975 there was a change to the undercarriage and the technology of the VW Brasilia, an individual development of Volkswagen do Brazil. The VW Brasilia was primarily offered to the market in South America. In 1977 the company had 700 employees and 2 manufacturing sites, one for Puma passenger cars and the other for Puma trucks.
The economic crisis in 1980 affected the Brazilian automotive industry disastrously. The producers of small series were suffering particularly. The sales figures steadily decreased. In 1984 enormous debts and declining sales figures forced the closure of the Puma factory halls. In the following year the Puma marque was sold to a small company called Araucária S.A. located in the federal state of Paraná. Within the next two years Araucária produced only a small number of vehicles. In 1986 the production rights were sold to a company called „Alfa Metais“. Alfa Metais tried to bring the Puma marque back to life by developing two new export models: the Puma AM-1 (sport sedan) and Puma AM-2 (roadster). Both models were still based on Volkswagen engineering and had an air-cooled engine. Subsequent models of Alfa Metais, the types Puma AM-3 and AM-4 were rear-driven with water–cooled straight-4 engines, which also came from Volkswagen. These vehicles were intended solely for the Brazilian market. Nevertheless several AM-models found their way to Canada and America as well. The last produced model seems to be the AM-4. Exactly like the AM-3, the AM-4 had a rear-driven, water-cooled engine. In 1990 the Brazilian market opened up for the import of sports cars.
This sealed the fate of the Puma. The production of Puma sports cars was finally stopped in 1992 and the rights for the European market were sold to Ford.
In 1980 the idea of a small car similar to the Mini Puma was revisited. The car was available for a short time and called Puma Virtex.
Between 1964 and 1966 Rino Malzoni and his partners developed several pre series Malzoni GT based on DKW platforms. The 4th edition of the DKW Malzoni GT was the master of the first series of sports cars being very successful in national competitions.
Here2 you can see Anisio Campos on Rino Malzoni’s Farm Chimbo in Matão (in the heartland of São Paulo) and how he planned and built the design of the DKW Malzoni with wire frame technology.
Jorge Lettry together with Vemag formed a team that produced engines used on the racetrack. These Malzoni engines were considered serious competition, even for the big brands which were using 8 liter Corvette engines. Malzoni GT’s completed the approximately 8km long track in Interlagos in 3 minutes and 53 seconds. This is hard to believe given that the engine, which was constructed in the 1950s, was comparatively heavy for a race car and only had a 1000cm3 engine displacement.
In 1966, at the fifth international automobile show in São Paulo, Lumimari presented a new version of the Malzoni GT, revised by the famous Anisio Campos. It was called the Puma GT. For a better differentiation to the next step of evolution the car was named DKW Puma GT later on.
The Puma GT won the “Quatro Rodas” award for the best Brazilian car project. In the jury which awarded the prize was the famous designer Nucio Bertone from Bertone Studios in Italy.
Since then it is agreed that the DKW Puma GT had the most beautiful bodywork in the car’s history. Thanks to its pleasant yet aggressive alignment comparable to that of a thoroughbred horse, it still attracts attention today.
The Malzoni GT as well as the Puma GT were equipped with a 60hp two stroke engine with a top speed of 145 km/h, and did 0–100km in 19 seconds. These were very good results at the time, especially for the little DKW engine.
Between 1966 and 1967 sources tell about 135 Puma GT being built and sold. These figures were confirmed by Kiko Malzoni, the son of the company’s founder. In several publications the total count of 171 Puma GT + Malzoni GT appears conclusive. 35 + 135 equals 170 cars. Internal sources know one vehicle that was built after the official end of production and bears no ex-factory serial number. The bodywork number was issued by the traffic authority DET in São Paulo.
With the end of production of the DKW by Vemag the Puma Company had to look for a new technological solution. As Vemag was bought by Volkswagen and a lot of Vemag stuff moved to Volkswagen, Rino Malzoni and his partners started negotiations with Volkswagen do Brazil. At least the management at Volkswagen agreed to deliver rolling chassis directly from the production line to the Puma factory. When the new platform for Puma sports cars was found, Anisio Campus started to adapt the design of the Puma to fit on Karmann Ghia floor pans. The (VW) Puma GT 1500 was presented to the public in 1968.
Today there are only very few roadworthy Malzoni GT and DKW Puma GT. This makes them very popular for collectors.
Rino Malzoni moved from Italy to Brazil with his parents when he was 8 years old. Already at a young age he was a successful sugar cane farmer, lawyer and amateur race driver. He loved fast cars and lived life in the fast lane. In 1961, influenced by his circle of friends in the racing scene, he decided to build a car together with his friend Anisio Campos. It should become a two-seater that could be used for competitions. The technology of the prototypes of their creation was taken from the DKW Vemaguet. Anisio Campos was chief engineer at Vemag (Veículos e Máquinas Agrícolas) and one of the masterminds of that model. Between 1962 and 1964 on the farmlands of his farm Chimbo near Matão city in the state of São Paulo 3 prototypes were developed before the final shape of the Malzoni GT was finalized.
Initially only a few vehicles were built by Chico Funileiro, Miguel Crispim Ladeira und Jorge Lettry. However they created the lightweight sedans very well. In Brazil the Vemag racing team with the white Malzoni GT quickly became well-known. Mário César de Camargo Filho (MARINHO), one of the pilots, was the first buyer of a Malzoni GT. The Vemag racing department bought another three cars being driven by future famous pilots like Emerson Fittipaldi.
The successes of the Malzoni included winning the 1964 race at Interlagos with Marinho driving and good placements at other local competitions.
At the IV Centenario of the Guanabara Circuito GP in Barra de Tijuca on the 19 September 1965 the result list appeared as follows.
1. No 18 |
Ferrari 250 GTO |
– Camilo Christófaro |
2. No 10 |
DKW Malzon |
– Marinho |
3. No 47 |
Renault Alpine |
– Wilson Fittipaldi Jr. |
4. No 26 |
Simca Abarth |
– Jaime Silva |
5. No 05 |
DKW Malzoni |
– Eduardo Scuraccchio |
6. No 21 |
Willys Interlagos |
– Bird Clemente |
One of Malzoni´s sponsors was Jorge Lettry, who led the Vemag racing department. He was also the one who encouraged the four friends Luís Roberto da Costa, Milton Masteguin, Mario César Camargo Filho and Rino Malzoni to set up the company “Sociedade de Automóveis Lumimari Ltda”. Shortly afterwards it was converted to an incorporated company and traded under the name “Puma Indústria de Veículos S.A.” The company name LUMIMARI was an acronym of the first letters of the four partner’s names. The company built cars for competitions and rich benefactors who wanted to buy such a race winning sedan. Lumimari didn´t ever sponsor a racing team. After the first private deals the young company owners went to Vemag management to negotiate the supply of rolling chassis on a broader base. The director of Vemag was afraid of guarantee claims regarding DKW components. At least Antônio de Pádua Prado Santos agreed on a firm order of 30 chassis being delivered in the course of the year. The chassis for Lumimari received a special chassis number starting with “S” for “Sem garantia” (=without guaranty). The contract with Vemag was the official starting point of the success story of Puma. The first cars were all handcrafted and were therefore proportionally extremely expensive.
One of the highlights of racing is the legendary 1000 Miles of Brazil at Interlagos in São Paulo 1966. The Malzoni GT was leading against widely superior competition until 3 laps before the finish line. However the car came in at third position due to a technical fault which meant an additional pit stop was necessary. The final position board was as follows:
The car was driven by Jan Balder and Emerson Fittipaldi. The later world champion and Indy winner earned his racing stripes on a DKW.
Together with Anisio Campos, Rino Malzoni developed a high speed car with a DKW engine. On 29th June 1966 it was time to set up a world record attempt. Because the car proved to be very unstable at high speeds during the last test drive, the number one driver in the Vemag racing team, Marinho (Mário César de Camargo Filho) refused to drive the Carcará. They wanted to break the land speed record for a vehicle with 1.000cm3 engine displacement. Without hesitation Jorge Lettry asked the number 2 driver in the team, Norman Casari, to do the world record try. He didn’t want to pass up the opportunity so he pushed the car to 212.9km/h in two attempts, which meant the world record in this category, confirmed by the FIA.. At that time the street was called BR-2 Rio-Santos. Today Avenida das Americas takes course there, in the Barra da Tijuca suburb of Rio de Janeiro.
The little DKW with a 3 cylinder two-stroke engine had 1089cm3 and an aluminum body; the car made history as “Carrocaria Malzoni-Campos”. The car also made the driver famous. Norman Casari was born in São Paulo, but he moved to Rio with his parents when he was young. His racing career began in 1960 with VW, but his breakthrough was with DKW. His number was 96 and almost all motor sport enthusiasts knew this. It was astounding what this driver got out of this car. Quite often he was ahead of well-known brands like Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. He was the 1966 and 1967 winner of the Carioca Championship in Rio de Janeiro. The following year he completed the season as number two.
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1 Picture taken by Ronaldo Brochado former engineer at Puma Veiculos SA.
2 www.obvio.ind.br
3 www.obvio.ind.br
4 Anisio Campos, Emilio Camanzi, Bob Sharp, Nehemias Vassão, Flavio Gomes and Carlo Gancia „O Carcará estabeleceu em 1966, um recorde brasileiro até hoje absoluo!“ published at www.obvio.ind.br
On the 2nd