It is a pity that photos do not usually produce sound, because the characteristic rumble of the Volkswagen boxer had considerably reduced the search area for the origins of this open sports person. It turns out to be a Puma 1600 GTS, a car that has its origin in Brazil.
The number of body styles, models, kitcars and other derivatives of the Volkswagen Beetle seems literally innumerable. Time and time again it appears that certain countries have their own variants, cars that are often not only recognizable by that sound as a Volkswagen derivative.
The vast majority of those cars come from Brazil. The South American country has a remarkable, completely unique car culture, in which the air-cooled Volkswagen played a huge role for a long time.
However, Puma was not immediately convinced of the Volkswagen base. Brazilian inventors started their work in 1964 based on DKW technology and initially came up with front-wheel drive models. Only when Volkswagen took over the Brazilian branch of DKW a few years later and subsequently ceased production of the engine used by Puma, decided to move to the Volkswagen base.
The end result was a Puma that is called 1600 GTE in closed form, and 1600 GTS in this open version. That “1600” already gives away that there is a larger variant of Volkswagens endlessly evolved boxer in the rear.
The car is not fast, but nice transport for a sunny spring day, this blue GTS certainly seems to us. The copy is from 1972 and is notable for its bumpers, which are completely painted in body color. Although every Brazilian car on our roads is special, there are reportedly quite a few Puma sold in Europe. This car did not immediately come to its production, but already in 1981 to our country.
Incidentally, Puma had a remarkable sequel, because the production was moved to another country fairly recently. A neighbor of Brazil, perhaps? No: South Africa! In 2017, a more modern interpretation of the concept was presented, but much has not been heard from Puma since.