Fàbrica Nacional de Motores.

Some interesting variants of European cars have come out Brazil. After Volkswagen do Brazil’s specific models and a Fiat Tempra coupe that the rest of the world never got, we’re looking at what Alfa built there.

The story goes back to 1942 when General Antonio Guedes Muniz convinced the government to create Fàbrica Nacional de Motores (FNM from here on out). The company obtained the license to build Curtiss-Wright airplane engines in Brazil. That was profitable at first but by 1947 demand had practically collapsed and FNM needed to move on to something else if they wanted to stay afloat.

They turned to truck building and inked a deal with Italy’s Isotta-Fraschini. They assembled D80 trucks that they purchased as CKD kits from Italy and sold them as the FNM 7300 on the local market. Isotta Fraschini went under in 1951, leaving FNM struggling once again.

They found an unlikely partner in Alfa Romeo. At the time Alfa was producing its own line of trucks and FNM bought the rights to produce the 430 and the 900 lines, called the FNM D9500 and the D11000 in Brazil. Unlike the Isotta Fraschini trucks they were previously building, the Alfa-based trucks had specific bodywork for the Brazilian market.

The first FNM cars.

As the alliance grew, FNM’s interest turned to passenger cars and they started entertaining the thought of building a sedan in Brazil based on the 102 series Alfa 2000. Their first production car was introduced in 1960 under the moniker FNM JK – JK stood for Juscelino Kubitschek, Brazil’s president from 1956 to 1961. Early cars were imported from Italy but production soon shifted to Brazil. In the first year of production a Brazilian-made JK won the Mil Milhas Brasileiras endurance race; things were off to a good start.

The JK was a luxurious sedan meant for Brazil’s elite. It had the advantage of being fairly modern in a time when its competitors, notably the Simca Chambord, were aging. It had a dual cam 1975cc with a reduced compression ratio to deal with the lower octane gas that Brazil had at the time. Mated to the four-cylinder was a five-speed synchronized transmission. The JK went from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 18 seconds, which was fairly respectable back in its day. Four finned drum brakes with no booster took care of stopping the car. It boasted a complete instrumentation that included a tachometer and an oil pressure gauge and came with a complete tool kit and even a tire gauge. All of these little details contributed to the luxury aura that surrounded the car.

As can be expected the JK was extremely expensive and with an initial production of about 500 cars annually, it was hard to get one even for wealthy Brazilians. Since the factory was owned by the state one of the best ways to order a JK was to get a prominent politician to intervene in the process. This drove up the value of used JKs, which sometimes sold for more than new ones.

The first big change in the JK’s production run came in 1964. A coup d’état ousted president João Goulart, the same man who had been Kubitschek’s vice president. Brazil’s new leaders ordered that the car be named simply the FNM 2000, dropping the Kubitschek reference.

That same year FNM asked Rino Malzoni, a coachbuilder in Brazil, to design a coupe based on the 2000 platform. After toying with several designs Malzoni showed the final version, dubbed the Onça, in 1966. It looked like the illegitimate offspring of a stepnose Alfa 105 and a Ford Mustang but FNM was satisfied.

The Onça used the same engine as the 2000 but put out 20hp more thanks to a higher compression ratio and Weber carbs. It had a floor mounted shifter as opposed to the 2000’s, which was column-mounted. The body was made of plastic reinforced with fiberglass, making it a very light car and consequently a fairly fast car for its day. It is estimated that less than ten were built, with the last ones assembled in mid-1967.

An upgraded 2000 called the TIMB (Turismo Internacional Modelo Brasil) made its appearance in 1966. On the outside it had a smooth hood and a specific grille to differentiate it from the 2000. The compression ratio was raised (now on par with Italian models) and thanks to two double barrel carburetors it gained 45 extra horsepower. To complete the sports sedan transformation, the TIMB had a floor-mounted shifter.

In 1967 the Brazilian government started liquidating its FNM shares and Alfa slowly bought them. They had complete control of the company in 1968 but the 2000 remained essentially the same until 1969 when it morphed into the 2150. Engine displacement grew to 2132cc (125hp) and the car hit 62mph from a stop in 16 seconds. It finally had front disk brakes, an upgrade that customers had waited a long time for. On the outside the 2150 had a new grille and the now-retired TIMB’s smooth hood. A floor-mounted shifter was standard on all versions.

1970 was FNM’s best year yet with 1209 cars sold. All was well on the surface but in reality the competition was getting stronger and despite the previous year’s upgrades, FNM’s only model was starting to show its age.

The Alfa 2300.

FNM’s JK was an Italian Alfa modified for the Brazilian market. That recipe worked well for over a decade but Alfa wanted to replace it with a car designed specifically for Brazil.

That replacement came in 1974 under the name Alfa 2300. On the outside it looked like an Alfetta Sports Sedan but it was 41 centimeters longer, about the size of an Alfa 6. It had a 2310cc four-cylinder with a five-speed gearbox bolted directly to the back of the engine as opposed to the Alfetta’s transaxle setup. With a 0-62mph time of 11.7 seconds it was much sportier than its predecessor. Four disk brakes made sure the 2300 could stop as well as it could accelerate. Owners could make less pit stops thanks to the 26.4 gallon capacity of its fuel tank.

The driver steered the car with a three-spoke steering wheel and had a full instrument cluster to monitor speed, engine rpm, engine temperature and oil pressure, among others. Four seatbelts were standard. In short, the 2300 had just about everything a mid-1970s sports sedan should have.

Brazil’s 1976 ban on imported cars gave the 2300 a boost in sales and eliminated some of its competition. Alfa took advantage of that ban to launch the 2300B, a base model with a single downdraft carburetor and a less-luxurious interior.

A year later Alfa expanded the 2300 line upwards and launched the 2300Ti, an acronym well-known to Alfa fans. The Ti had two sidedraft Solex carburetors that helped give the car 149hp. Among the most noticeable differences between the Ti and other 2300 models were the addition of a quadrifoglio emblem on the C pillar and the use of real wood trim inside the car.

In 1978 Alfa was in financial trouble and sold FNM to Fiat, who was also present in Brazil. That same year a high-compression engine was available in the 2300 and raised the power output again, this time to 163hp. Equipped with this engine the 2300 was faster and more economical but it made an already expensive car more expensive.

Starting in 1976 Brazil had laws about alcohol in gasoline and Alfa jumped on the bandwagon in 1981 with a 2300 that could run on alcohol. It used a single carburetor like the 2300 B and logged 145hp. 1981 also marked the availability of power steering.

The 2300 ran into the same problems as the 2000/2150 before it: it was aging against a quickly-evolving competition and had to soldier on with minor upgrades since no replacement was in sight. In 1983 the only version left was the Ti4. It was given a facelift in 1985 but that was too little, too late.

By 1986 Alfa was deep in its financial woes and Fiat bought its entire operations. They pulled the plug on the 2300 and killed the Brazilian-built Alfa.

European models.

Alfa had no plans to sell the 2300 in Europe and focused on their flagship Alfa 6 instead. However, certain rumors claim that independent importer in Germany saw potential in the car and ordered about a thousand of them in 1979 to distribute there and in Holland. This claim is backed up by the Dutch magazine Autovisie. In their 1979 issue covering all the cars available in Holland that year, the 2300 is listed as the Alfa Rio.

Below, period FNM ads:

Hershey Porsche Show & Swap 2011

This years Central PA Porsche Club of America swap-meet could best be described as mildly disappointing. While it was great to see a large collection of Porsches in one location as well as have the opportunity to hunt for parts and memorabilia, the attendance seems to be dropping significantly. Perhaps it's the ever-growing popularity of eBay and other online parts availability, and perhaps it was the rather poor weather combined with a date so close to Easter that kept many away this year. Gas nearing $4.00 per gallon may also be a factor when one considers even a relatively efficient Porsche's tendency to consume large amounts of petroleum.

Alas, my dad and I couldn't get our 914 to the show either due to trouble getting the car up and running after having the engine out this winter. Again, considering the rain, probably just as well.
As usual, there was no shortage of the newer Porsche models. Plenty of 911s, 944s, 928s, etc. Many of the handful of 914s left something to be desired and 356s were very few and far between.

The number and quantity of offerings from vendors was also quite low compared to many past years. Amazingly enough, this was the first year I've attended the show and didn't find anything we could use.

All that being said, it wasn't terrible. Hopefully next year's event will be graced with better weather, lower gas prices, and not suffer from a lack of attendance due to disenchantment with this year.

For those in the Cleveland area, I would still suggest the relatively small swap-meet at Stoddard's new location in Highland Heights, Ohio. The literature and collectible swap-meet is Friday, June 10th, and the car swap and show is the following day. While it's nowhere near the size of Hershey, Stoddard is a world-renowned supplier of vintage Porsche parts with a helpful and friendly staff. They recently lost the Porsche dealership franchise to Penske, but deserve much support in their endeavors as a parts supplier and restoration shop.

The Volkswagen Iltis (type 183).

When the West German army (known locally as the bundeswehr) needed a Jeep-like vehicle after WWII, they rejected Ferry Porsche’s 356-engined type 597 and instead picked the DKW Munga. The 3-cylinder, two-stroke Munga entered production in 1956 and was phased out in 1968. During that time Volkswagen purchased what was left of Auto Union and owned the rights to the Munga.

The German army continued to use the Munga for several years after production ended but as they started to disappear from the fleet, it became evident that there was nothing available to replace them with. They hesitantly ordered Volkswagen 181s (better known as the Thing) but those had no real offroad capacity. In 1976 the army made a call for offers: they needed a vehicle that could transport four people, 500 kilos (about 1,100 pounds) and climb a 50° incline fully loaded. It had to be capable off-road but still be street-legal. It had to measure less than 4 meters (157 inches) long and 1.60 meters (63 inches) wide.

It’s with these and many other guidelines in mind that a team of ex-NSU workers led by a certain Ferdinand Piech mixed and matched Munga, Audi, mk1 Golf and Beetle parts to create the Volkswagen type 183, more commonly called the Iltis (ferret in German). The army approved the design in 1977 and placed an order of 8,800 cars. The first examples were delivered in late 1978.

The 183 was powered by a 1714cc water-cooled four-cylinder that came in two variants: there was a 70hp with lower compression (running on normal gas) or 75hp with higher compression (premium fuel only). A Solex 1B1 carburetor was in charge of fuel delivery.

The transmission was a 4-speed manual unit with a low gear indicated by a G on the shift lever (for gelände, terrain in German).

Under normal driving the 183 was rear wheel drive but there was a lever to engage the front axle and turn it into a 4x4. All 183s had a locking rear differential and some also had a locking front differential. Story has it that it’s this setup that inspired Audi engineers to begin working on the Quattro project.

The 183 had all the equipment one would think of finding on a military car including a NATO-spec 24 volt electrical system (two 12 volt batteries hooked together), a jerrycan of gas, blackout lights, and a flag holder on both front fenders. It had storage space under the hood, above both wheel wheels. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it used four drum brakes borrowed from the eternal Beetle.

Below, a Volkswagen 183 interior, heavily influenced by the Beetle:

Not just for war.

Volkswagen presented a civilian version of the 183 at the 1979 Geneva Auto show and sales began shortly after. Less than 1,000 of them were assembled before the plug was pulled. Several reasons have been pointed out for the 183’s failure on the European market: it’s not a terribly good-looking vehicle, it’s not a particularly comfortable vehicle, it’s too rustic, and so on. In reality the most valid reason for the 183’s lack of success was its price: in 1982 it cost about three times as much as a base-model Golf; it even cost more than a V8-powered Range Rover.

Perhaps in an effort to create publicity for the Iltis Volkswagen fielded four of them in the 1980 Paris-Dakar. The result was spectacular: #137 took first place, #136 took second place, #138 took fourth place and #139, a support vehicle, took ninth place. Patrick Zaniroli, pilot of the #136 car, said that aside from a different cam and a bigger carburetor his Iltis was 100% stock, an impressive feat considering how modified most Dakar cars were (and still are.)

When all was said and done 9,547 examples of the 183 were built, with the last one rolling off of Audi's Ingolstadt assembly line in 1982. That was just part one, though.

The Canadian connection.

In 1983 the Canadian government bought the rights and the tooling for the 183 and gave Bombardier the task of assembling them in their plant in Valcourt, Quebec. On the outside there were very minor differences between the Bombardier 183s and the VW 183s: the emblem on the steering wheel, the emblem on the grille and the taillights are among some of the most significant ones.

2,500 Bombardiers went straight to the Canadian government to be used locally. Another 2,500 were purchased by Belgium in 1985. To save on shipping costs the ones earmarked for Belgium had their bodies shipped from Canada, their engines trucked from Germany and the whole lot assembled in Volkswagen’s Forest, Belgium plant. The exact number of 183s produced by Bombardier is unknown but it is estimated to be close to 6,000.

No civilian Bombardiers were built but the army sold them off when they were finished using them so a few are out there. The Bombardiers are generally considered to be of lesser quality than the VWs and are less desirable. Some companies in Canada even specialize in importing VW 183s from Germany while the Bombardier-branded ones sit on army surplus lots.

In 1985 production for the bundeswehr started back up in Ingolstadt but was sporadic at best. In 1987 the end was near and Volkswagen made a final modification to the 183: they equipped it with a 70hp 1588cc turbo diesel four-cylinder.

Production ended in December of 1988. The second round of German production yielded 1254 examples, bringing the total number of 183s built to about 16,000 units. In the bundeswehr they were progressively replaced by the Mercedes G-Wagen but much like its predecessor, the 183 stuck around for a while after production ended. It saw combat duty in 1991 in ex-Yugoslavia and Canada and Belgium still used them in their fleet in the early 2000s.

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As a side note, in the late 1970s France decided it was time to replace their aging fleet of Hotchkiss Jeeps and like Germany they called out for offers. No French company had a fitting vehicle on hand and designing one from the ground up would have been too expensive so they worked with the manufacturers that did have something to offer. Peugeot teamed up with Mercedes, put a 504 engine in the G-Wagen and called it the P4, Saviem put a Renault 20 engine in Fiat’s Campagnola and dubbed it the TRM500 and Citroen built the C44, a Volkswagen 183 powered by a CX engine. In the end the P4 was awarded the contract and the other two projects were scrapped but a team entered a C44 in the 1981 Paris-Dakar. It did not finish the race.

2011 Avignon Motor Festival part one: not just the usual suspects.

The 9th annual Avignon Motor Festival closed its doors on Sunday night after a rainy last day. As with every year the event is divided up into three parts. The first is the parts and model car swap meet, the second is the auction and the third is the collection parking lot, where participants who show up in a classic car can display it and get half off the entry price.

The most impressive part of this year's show was the growing number of late-1970s, 1980s and even early-1990s cars on display. Until recently these so-called "youngtimers" were shunned from events like this in favor of more traditional classics but times change: Citroen Tractions are interesting but they're ancient history. 2CVs and air-cooled Volkswagens are hideously expensive and Dauphines, 403s and the like are almost 60 years old. There are less and less of them to go around, parts are harder to find and as the overall interest in them wanes a little, younger collectors move on to different cars, cars that they remember from their childhood and that are still relatively affordable.

This is the beginning of a new wave of classic cars and some of the first ones to surf it are the cars featured below. Enjoy the photos and get your hands on these while you still can.

Mercedes-Benz 240D (w123):

Mercedes-Benz 230CE (w123):

Mercedes-Benz 560SEL (w126):

Fiat Abarth Ritmo 130TC:

Alfa Romeo Spider (916 series):

Volkswagen Golf & Golf GTI (mk1):

Volkswagen Golf GTI G60 (mk2):

Peugeot 205 CTi:

Citroen AX GT:

Citroen XM:

Citroen CX (mk2):

Saab 900:

Avignon 2011 preview.

A couple of quick snapshots of what we have in store over the next few days.

Caption contest.

How would you caption this 1950s Borgward ad? Drop us a comment below.

The Geneva historics.

Geneva’s 81^st International Motor Show closed its doors a few days ago after a fascinating selection of world premieres. While most of the automotive press was busy writing about future cars, Ran When Parked was doing the opposite and taking a look at some of the cars that automakers premiered at previous Geneva shows.

1929: Mercedes-Benz SSK.

If we told you a car had a 7 .1 straight-six engine that made 220hp and gave the car a top speed of 120 miles per hour, odds are you wouldn’t imagine an expensive supercar. With a little bit of imagination you might imagine a lackluster 1970s American coupe the size of a train car. But by 1929 standards those numbers were amazing and the car in question was the fastest car around in its day: the Mercedes-Benz SSK. It was the last car designed by Ferdinand Porsche before he left to create the company that bears his name. Less than 40 were built and a good portion of them were raced with huge success, including first place in the 1931 Mille Miglia. If you see one, look under it to make sure it doesn’t have a Beetle engine – the SSK is one of the most reproduced cars in the kit-car world.

1967: Fiat Dino.

The Dino was the fruit of a cooperation between Fiat and then-independent Ferrari. Ferrari needed to quickly produce 500 V6 engines for Formula 2 homologation and feared that their 206 GT wouldn’t sell fast enough. They turned to Fiat for help, thinking that they could produce a car with that engine, market it for significantly less than the 206 GT and sell more of them. The result was the Dino coupe (by Bertone) and Dino spider (by Pininfarina). The only common point between the Fiat models and the Dino models was the 158hp 2.0 quad-cam engine; the rest was like night and day. Production carried on until 1972 with minor aesthetic changes and a displacement upgrade to 2.4. It’s worth noting that the 2.0 had an aluminum block whereas the 2.4 had a cast iron block.

1971: Maserati Bora.

The Bora was developed under Citroën's ownership of Maserati. It was drawn by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Ital Design. The Citroën influence was evident: the Bora had hydraulic brakes, hydraulic steering, a hydraulic clutch, hydraulically retractable headlights and even a hydraulic driver’s seat – small miracle that the power windows were electric and not hydraulic. The miles of hydraulic tubing that ran throughout the car sometimes failed, giving early cars a bad reputation.

The Bora was the first Maserati to have independent suspension. Under the hood was a 4.7 V8 that made 310hp. Later in the production run a 330hp 4.9 V8 was made standard. DeTomaso took over the brand in 1975 and the Bora limped on until 1978.

It’s worth noting that the Bora had a smaller sister, the Merak. The two looked almost identical but the Merak used the same V6 found in the SM.

1977: Porsche 928.

Rear-engined cars were quickly going out of style by the 1970s. Porsche designers were well aware of this so they started preparing a new, front-engined sports car that they presented in 1977. Porsche purists were outraged when they saw the 928: not only was the engine in the front, it was a V8, not a flat-six! And holy hell, is that a radiator? Blasphemy!

Once you looked past that the 928 was a very decent car. It had a transaxle mounted in the rear to give it a near-even weight distribution and aluminum body panels to save weight. The press was kinder to the 928 than purists were and named it the 1978 Car of The Year.

Several upgrades were made to the 928 during its long production run, including standard ABS from 1986-on. The 928 stayed in showrooms until 1995. The last version of it was the 928 GTS with a 320hp 5.4 V8.

1978: Toyota Starlet.

The first Toyota Starlet (called the 40 series) appeared in 1973 but its successor, the 60 series Starlet, was introduced throughout most of the world in 1978. The 60 series retained the 40 series’ 1.0 and 1.2 engines but Toyota added a 1.3 to the lineup. It was available either as a three door hatch or a five door hatch.

Toyota started sending the Starlet to the U.S in 1981. The timing was right; it was when Japanese cars were quickly overtaking Fiats and Renaults in the economy segment. The U.S. version of the Starlet used the 1.3 liter engine and was rear wheel drive, making it a bit of an oddity in a class flooded with front drivers. One of the Starlet’s most convincing aspects was its estimated 42 city/54 highway fuel economy. It left its place to the Tercel in 1984.

While the Starlet has been mostly forgotten throughout the world, it’s still fondly remembered in the drift and hill climb circles, where it’s not uncommon to see them competing.

1980: Audi Quattro.

The Quattro all-wheel-drive system that Audi is famous for today traces its roots back to the 1980 Audi Quattro. Audi started with a GT coupe and added a 2.1 turbocharged straight-5 that churned out 200hp, mated to the Quattro system and a five speed manual transmission. The Quattro is instantly recognizable next to a standard GT coupe thanks to its fender flares all around and its specific bumpers. Audi imported it to the United States in 1983 but very few of them were sold and even less of them are left today.

The Quattro was the first all wheel drive car in group B rally and was immensely successful until the FIA banned the group B in 1986 due to the high rate of deadly crashes. Certain rally versions of the Quattro were tuned up to 350hp

1986: Volvo 480.
The Volvo 480 filled a gap in the Volvo lineup that had been left empty since the demise of the P1800 in 1973. It shares certain styling cues with the P1800 ES like the glass rear hatch, though some have drawn an aesthetic parallel between the 480 and the Reliant Scimitar. Since it was Volvo’s first front wheel drive they had to experiment with an all-new rear suspension setup and consulted Lotus for advice. The engines came from Renault with the turbocharged variants looked over by Porsche. The end result was a quick little hatch with excellent handling.

Interestingly the 480 was designed for the US-market but an unfavorable exchange rate between the US and Sweden caused Volvo to cancel that project and confine sales to Europe. Production stopped in 1995 and it wasn’t replaced until the C30 came along at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

1993: Citroën Xantia.

The Citroën Xantia replaced the BX, whose angular design inside and out already looked a little dated by the early 1990s. It was sketched by Bertone and used a variety of PSA gas and diesel engines, including the 1.9 carried over from the BX. Following the tradition started by the GS, a station wagon version complemented the Xantia lineup in 1995. A relatively unknown turbo 4x4 Xantia won five French rally championships in the 1990s but couldn’t shake the Xantia’s image of a grandpa’s car, an image that Citroën’s entire lineup suffered from in the 1990s.

What really set the Xantia aside from the competition was its hydraulic suspension, giving it a best-in-class ride and handling. More expensive models like those equipped with the 3.0 V6 benefitted from the XM’s more advanced hydractive suspension. The hydractive eliminated some of the body roll typically associated with hydraulic Citroëns and eliminated their tendency to drop when parked, all this at the cost of an extremely complex electronic system that was not always reliable.

It was given a slight redesign in 1998 (pictured above) and carried on until 2002.

2001: Lancia Thesis.

You wouldn’t think so by looking at their current and recent lineup but Lancia used to be an independent company that made excellent luxury cars. If you’re skeptical, a ride in a 1960s Flaminia will easily convince you of it. Since the Flaminia Lancia had struggled in the luxury sedan department and hoped the Thesis would help them restore that image.

The Thesis’ style was prefigured by the Dialogos concept shown at the 1998 Turin Motor Show. The production version looked similar but had lost the concept’s rear suicide doors. It was powered by a series of Fiat engines, including the straight-5 2.0 turbo and the straight-5 2.4 JTD.

Controversial styling and Lancia’s declining brand image were two illnesses that the Thesis suffered from. Poor advertising took a stab at the car, too. Few people knew the Thesis existed and the first thing that was really said about it in the press was that it was selling poorly. These factors contributed to the Thesis’ failure but the end could be seen a mile away.

In the late 1990s Lancia’s flagship was the Thema, based on the tipo quattro platform shared with the Saab 9000, the Alfa 164, and the Fiat Croma. In ten years they sold 358,000 Themas. Its replacement, dubbed simply the K (prounounced Kappa, from the Greek alphabet) came in 1994 and 117,000 of them found a home until 2001, a huge step backwards compared to the Thema. When Lancia axed the Thesis from its lineup in 2009, they had sold only 16,000 of them. A vast majority of them stayed inside Italy (the only country that’s still vaguely aware of Lancia’s existence) where the government still maintains a fleet of them.

2002: Volkswagen Phaeton.

Much like the Lancia above, Volkswagen’s Phaeton is a brilliant luxury car that has been unjustly ignored. It made its debut in showrooms in 2002 and competed directly against class heavyweights like the Mercedes S-Class, the BMW 7-Series and its cousin the Audi A8. It had all the luxury bells and whistles that these cars had like a four-zone climate control system and available air suspension. On the menu was a wide array of engine options including a VR6, a V8, a W12 and two TDIs.

In short, the Phaeton had everything a luxury car should have and should have been a serious contender in the segment but unfortunately, few found the idea of an expensive Volkswagen riding on a Bentley platform convincing. Sales were unspeakably low, leading Volkswagen to remove the Phaeton from the U.S. market, though the internet rumor mill says that it might be back soon. It still enjoys steady sales in Germany and in China; in fact, the facelifted 2011 Phaeton was shown at the Beijing Motor Show, not at a European show.

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Which of these cars would you most like to have in your garage? Which would you like to read a full article on? Give us your feedback by going to our Facebook page.