Puma (car manufacturer)

Puma
1977-1980 Puma GTE
Overview
Manufacturer Puma
Production 1964-1995
2006-present (South Africa)
Assembly São Paulo, Brazil
Babelegi, South Africa
Body and chassis
Body style 2-door Coupe
2-door Roadster_(automobile)
Layout RR layout
Related Volkswagen Brasilia, Nissan_S30, Opel GT

Puma is a Sports Car manufacturer, based in South Africa which originally started out in Brazil. While based in South America, the company built cars from 1964 until roughly 1995 and also produced trucks from 1978 to 1999. The company then returned in 2013 under the name of "Puma Automobiles" and began manufacturing the Puma 52 (made especially for racing tracks) and the Puma GT 2.4 Lumimari.

Many consider the first development of Pumas to be a result of Brazilian regulations during the 1960's which restricted imports and were designed to encourage domestic automobile production. High tariffs and more import-friendly regulations of the mid 1980s, as well as turmoil in the company, are widely considered to be among the main factors that ended the production of the first generation of Puma's Brazilian produced autos. During this era, Puma sourced engines from DKW (3 cylinders), Volkswagen (4 cylinders) and General Motors (4 and 6 cylinder) and mounted them on their own chassis and Fiberglass bodies. A select number of cars were exported to US markets during the 1970s to the 1980s but a more cost effective Kit car option was responsible for the majority of US models. The Kit car variant was actually a complete car exported without the front suspension, transaxle, engine, wheels and tires. The missing components were available from the North American distributor, or the buyer could source the needed parts locally. Less restrictive regulations permitted the importation and marketing of a greater number complete cars in Canada.[1]

Production of the first models started in 1964 using DKW components and a front engine, front wheel design. These models were sold and manufactured exclusively for auto racing. In 1967, and the entire automobile was re-adapted for street use and commercial sale and featured an updated rear-mounted Volkswagen engine with a rear-wheel design.

DKW years

DKW GT Malzoni - made by Genaro "Rino" Malzoni, on a DKW chassis.
Puma GT 1967, the last type with DKW engines

The original Pumas started out as a project known as DKW-Malzoni, built by Genaro "Rino" Malzoni of Matão in São Paulo in 1964. Malzoni was an accomplished lawyer, as well as an automotive enthusiast. At the request of DKW-Vemag, he developed a competition car based around a DKW straight-three two-stroke engine. Malzoni developed the steel-bodied prototype to compete with the Willys Interlagos; a locally built copy of the Alpine A108 which was outpacing DKW's heavier sedans. The prototype proved too heavy, and at the São Paulo Motor Show in the fall of 1964, the lighter fiberglass GT made its first appearance.[2] It won its first race, at Interlagos in 1964.[3] Malzoni founded the company Luminari Ltda with a group of other auto enthusiasts in 1964.[4] Competition cars had bigger 1.1-litre engines with as much as 100 PS (74 kW).[5] The cars began to sell in quantities larger than Malzoni could produce on a small scale and the company adopted the Puma name and began mass production of the first Pumas on September 14, 1966. [3]

Most models of the Malzoni GT featured a panoramic rear windshield, although very small number were built with a three-box window design.[2] The original GT Malzoni body was modified by designer Anisio Campos, who made the car somewhat longer and mounted the bumpers higher up, while the car (still on DKW-basis) was now named Puma GT. Production of the Malzoni GT (1964-1966, all types) was about 35 cars.[5] Annual production increased to 125 for 1967 and continued briefly into 1968. As few as only 170 of the first DKW-engined cars (Pumas and Malzonis) were ever built.[2]

Volkswagen era

1979 Puma GTS.

In 1967, Volkswagen bought DKW-Vemag, and the Brazilian production of DKWs ceased. With no DKW engines available, a new car was designed based around the rear-engined, air-cooled 1,500 cc Volkswagen Karmann Ghia sold in Brazil. It sold relatively well for a specialist sports car. The design, inspired by the Lamborghini Miura, was to remain largely unchanged for two decades.[6] At this time, the company name was already changed to Puma. From 1969 the standard engine was a Volkswagen 1,600 cc unit, for which Puma also offered kits to make more power. The name changed to Puma 1600 GTE.

A convertible version, the 1600 GTS, was added sometime around 1970, and cars began to be exported at that time to other South American countries, North America and Europe. Most of these exported to North America were sold in kit form however, all cars sold in Brazil were complete. Beginning in 1976 Volkswagen began honoring the warranties of standard engines supplied to Puma (as well as for Gurgel and MP Lafer), while Puma introduced a three-month/5,000 km warranty on their tuned engines. At the same time, a 1.9-litre kit was introduced, with a bore and stroke of 88 and 78.4 mm and Mahle pistons.[7]

1969 Puma GT with VW engine

VW stopped production of the Karmann-Ghia in Brazil during the early 1970s, and the Puma was redesigned to use the Volkswagen Brasilia as a base instead for 1973. Assembly of Pumas in South Africa by Bromer Motor Assemblies also began during this period. They finished 357 cars in two years, until closing due to bad finances.[3] The bodywork was restyled in 1977, while similar in appearance the bumpers were now moulded as parts of the body, rather than being separate chrome units. The body was now somewhat less rounded than before, and coupés received rear quarter windows rather than the previous louvres. In 1980, it was time for another restyling as well as a rename. The coupé became the GTI, while the spider became the GTC. The new look included rubber bumpers with decorative cast-in ridges which mimicked the Porsche 911 G's telescopic impact bumpers. The taillights were replaced by the Volkswagen Brasilia's Mercedes-style units, all the rage at the time with Brazilian cottage manufacturers. The small push-button door handles were replaced with more modern units borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Ti 4.[8]

Puma GTC (1980-1985)

A version utilizing the VWB Variant II's more modern chassis (albeit still with the Brasilia's front suspension) called the P 018 appeared for the 1982 model year. This model had slightly wider tracks front and rear, and a rear suspension featuring semi-axles with constant-velocity joints, sprung by transverse torsion bars, rather than the Brasilia's simpler semi-trailing rear. As with other Pumas, an air-cooled 1.6-litre Volkswagen boxer-four was standard equipment, with larger 1,7, 1,8, and 2.0-litre versions available at extra cost.[9] An annual production of 1,000 was planned, but in the end only about 55 of the P 018s were completed.

1981-1985 Puma GTI, showing the false impact bumpers and new light arrangements

Other products

The larger Puma GTB (coupé only), which used a front-mounted Chevrolet straight-six engine, was not regularly exported. Puma also showed a few project cars over the years, such as the Mini-Puma citycar of 1974, with a wheelbase of only 179 cm (70.5 in). This was to have been fitted with a halved Volkswagen boxer four, with 760 cc and 30 PS (22 kW).[10] However, Puma was unable to raise the funds needed for production. Amaral Gurgel later developed a similar engine, the Enertron, for his BR-800 citycar. In 1982 Puma had plans to license-build the Daihatsu Cuore locally (again as the Mini-Puma), but this failed due to the company's large debts and company mismanagement.[11]

Puma's trucks were of a fiberglass cab-over design, with proprietary diesel engines manufactured by MWM and Perkins (the 4.236 was a well known example). A Chevrolet inline-six, powered by ethanol, was also available for use on bus body models which were mounted on the same truck chassis. [12]The bodywork of Puma trucks was redesigned in 1978 for the 4.T and there was also the six-ton 6.T from 1979. Later in design; following Alfa Metais' takeover, there were several new designs. All designs were largely based on the 4.T models. Production of the trucks came to a final halt in 1999.

Puma designer Anisio Campos also designed the Dacon 828 city car in 1982. The first eleven of these cars were built at Puma's factory rather than by Dacon themselves.[13]

Decline and ownership changes

The Puma factory was heavily impacted by fires and floods as well as the harsh economic times in which occurred in Brazil in the 1980s.[14] Production had dropped from 400 cars per month during the company's peak in the 1970s to roughly 100 per year in 1985. Failure to meet production demands caused Puma to file for bankruptcy. In 1986, the rights to the Puma were sold to Araucária Veículos in Paraná, who made an attempt at revival but could not secure payment for VWB parts delivered.[15] Two years later they were sold again, this time to Alfa Metais Veículos.

During the Alfa Metais period of ownership, the GTB was renamed to the AMV, while the small Pumas were now called AM1 (coupé) and AM2 (spider). The AM1/2 was actually a revived version of the 1983/1984 P 018, fitted with the air-cooled 1,584 cc flat-four as used  by VWB at the time.[16] With a much reduced44 PS (32 kW) and a top speed of only 140 km/h (87 mph) the car had lost most of its sporting pretensions.[17] 1989 saw the introduction of the AM3 and AM4 which received considerably more powerful water-cooled Volkswagen AP1800 engines. But as the radiator was placed in the rear, weight distribution and handling suffered as a result.[14] Production continued in small numbers but the opening of the Brazilian market to foreign cars in the early 1990s marked the end of Puma's Brazilian factory. The last Puma sports car was an AM4, sold in 1995. Only about 40 AM3/4s were built.

South African revivals

The Puma had been imported into South Africa after 1986, but after costs became prohibitive the importer bought the molds to the 1973 Puma 1600 GTE and began building them locally. 26 cars were finished by Jack Wijker's Puma Marketing company between 1989 and 1991. Some of the later cars had rear quarter windows replacing the louvres behind the rear door.[3] Limited production of the Puma was once again re-started in 2006. 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.

Production

Year Production Year Production
1966 1976
1967[3] 125 1977
1968 1978
1969 1979
1970 1980
1971 1981
1972[3] 484 1982[18] ca. 450
1973[3] 769 1983
1974[4] 1,137 1984
1975 1985

References

  1. ↑ "Puma GT 1600 Coupe". Motor1. Mar 25, 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Hundt, Michael (December 2011). "Samba im Zweitakt" [Two-stroke Samba]. Oldtimer Markt (in German): 30–31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Price, Ryan Lee (April 2003). "The Story Behind the Puma". VW Trends: 38.
  4. 1 2 World Cars 1976. Bronxville, NY: L'Editrice dell'Automobile LEA/Herald Books. 1976. p. 412. ISBN 0-910714-08-8.
  5. 1 2 Hundt, pp. 32-33
  6. ↑ Castaings, p. 2
  7. ↑ "A Puma garante seus venenos - até 1900 cc" [Puma guarantees their tuned ones - now up to 1,900 cc]. Oficina Mecânica (in Portuguese): 14. November 1976.
  8. ↑ Nicoliello, Felipe (2008-12-03). "Puma GTI / GTC". Puma Classic (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  9. ↑ "Puma Novo P0 18 (sic)" [The new Puma P 018]. Quatro Rodas (in Portuguese): 45. 1981.
  10. ↑ World Cars 1976, p. 255
  11. ↑ Castaings, p. 3
  12. ↑ Puma 6.T: Ônibus e Caminhões [Puma 6.T: Bus and Truck] (brochure) (in Portuguese), Puma Indústria de Veículos S/A, p. 2
  13. ↑ Negyesi, Pal. "Dacon 828". KTUD Automotive Web. Archived from the original on 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  14. 1 2 Castaings, p. 4
  15. ↑ Viotti, Eduardo (October 1988). "Puma AM-1". Oficina Mecânica (in Portuguese). Sigla. 3 (28): 50.
  16. ↑ Viotti, pp. 48-49
  17. ↑ Viotti, p. 51
  18. ↑ Lösch, Annamaria, ed. (1985). World Cars 1985. Pelham, NY: The Automobile Club of Italy/Herald Books. p. 407. ISBN 0-910714-17-7.
  • Castaings, Francis. "O felino brasileiro" [Brazil's Feline]. Páginas da História [Historic Pages] (in Portuguese). Best Cars Web Site. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
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