Friday, June 10, 2022

Brazilian Fiat Tempra with the 2-door bodystyle specific to the domestic market

With a production run that went through '90 to '96 in Italy, '90 to '99 in Turkey, and '92 to '98 in Brazil, the Fiat Tempra had two options unique to Brazil, which were the 2-door bodystyle offered until '94 for every trim of the 2.0L engine either with 8 or 16 valves, and the sporty Turbo version from '93 to '96 in 2-door and the 4-door Stile in '95 which was renamed Turbo Stile after the 2-door body was phased out. Spotting a Brazilian Fiat Tempra is not so easy anymore, as many succumbed either to neglect due to a more criterious maintenance it demanded when Brazil was still reopening to the imports or were beaten the hell our ot, and the 2-door version is reported to be the last developed specifically to Brazil in a car which was meant to be marketed locally as somewhat upscale, until the 4-door bodystyles became more sought after in the mid-'90s. As crazy as it may seem, the prevalence of 2-door cars in Brazil even in the mid-size segment can be traced back to the influence of the Volkswagen Beetle...

Thursday, June 02, 2022

GMT400 Chevrolet Silverado with the fuel cap in an odd position?

With a short production run in Argentina and Brazil between '96 and '01, the GMT400 Chevrolet/GMC full-size pick-up trucks had some regional differences. Available only on 2WD with a 5-speed manual transmission, the engines available were either a multi-port injection version of the 250cu.in. straight-6 for the base model or some regionally-sourced Diesel such as the 4-cyl naturally-aspirated Maxion S4 and the turbocharged MWM Sprint 6.07T without intercooler. Local equivalents of the 3500HD were only available with the Diesels, while a short-bed 2500 regular-cab featured the gasser from '97 to '00. A noticeable difference of the Argentinian and Brazilian GMT400 Silverado, and an incorrectly named GMC 3500HD which in fact was the same 2500 with the turbocharged MWM engine, the fuel cap is located at the right rearmost quarter of the pick-up bed, with the fuel tank at the rear overhang instead of saddle-mounted in parallel to the left frame rail with a filling neck on the left front quarter.