Would the Volkswagen T2 "bus" still have a sustainable market-share in Brazil if it had received ABS brakes?

Needless to say the Volkswagen Type 2 van became an icon, not only among the most versatile vehicles but also culturally due to its influence, and in Brazil it soldiered on until late-2013 when updated safety regulations dictated that every new car or commercial vehicle should have ABS brakes, and dual airbag for new cars and some utilitarian vehicles according to their rated payload or passenger capacities if not fitted with dual-range 4-wheel drive. With its last iteration actually having some versions eligible for an exemption from the airbag rule, such as the panel van based on payload while a 15-seater school shuttle (escolar) and a 12-seater share-taxi (lotação) are registered as a bus in Brazil, the fitment of ABS brakes could render it still legal for Volkswagen to extend the production of the Kombi even further, even if the 9-seater Standard trim (which was the only passenger version that holders of a regular car driver license in Brazil can legally drive) would have to be phased out. Sure a panel van would be enough for many of the private buyers who get a T2 to convert into a campervan, while for most commercial operators who still opted for a Kombi the versions with a higher seating capacity made more sense.

Commercial vehicle buyers in Brazil tend to have a much conservative profile, so the Kombi had its fair share of suitability to the preferences of many operators, while its size was still more convenient on city traffic than some newer vans and trucks and a rear weight bias favored its cross-country ability without the expense of 4-wheel drive, which is an unusual feature for vans in Brazil anyway. Sure stricter safety and emission regulations would render it harder to keep the T2 up-to-date, such as the recently-enforced evaporative emission rules implemented this year, following the American standard instead of European and dictating the end of the supplemental gasoline tank which served as a cold-starting aid for flexfuel cars in Brazil, which the Kombi retained since the first dedicated-ethanol versions. Seemingly outdated, yet still beloved by operators who keep their Kombis operating instead of switching to newer vans with more safety and comfort features, the Kombi still had a quite sustainable demand in Brazil and little to no investment on advertising since the late-'90s, so most likely it would retain its market share if it had received ABS brakes once they became mandatory.

Coachbuilt full-size Brazilian Chevrolet square-body truck from the late-'80s

Brazilian car market has its fair share of makeshift models, with region-specific features sometimes not finding anything similar elsewhere, and it used to be that way for a quite long time since motor industry became consolidated at a first time in São Paulo state in the '50s, even though some companies such as GM had CKD assembly plants prior to that. General Motors for instance, started officially its Brazilian operation in 1925, having started to increase local content of its commercial vehicles range in 1934 and making the first Brazilian Chevrolet truck with a Brazilian-made engine in 1957 when the operations at the São José dos Campos plant started. That plant still makes trucks as of 2022, even though Brazilian production of full-size pick-up trucks and medium-duty commercial trucks came to an end in late-2001, yet old models such as the D20 which is basically a Perkins Diesel-powered Brazilian equivalent to the American square-body C20 are still a common sight, sometimes with extensive modifications including double-cab conversions meant to address both the lack of this option for professional operators and the restrictions against imported cars from 1976 to 1990 prompting wealthy Brazilians to consider choosing a full-size truck which could be upfitted in a way quite similar to the American "conversion vans".

It's worth to notice the Brazilian truck range used to have a much slower evolution than its counterparts from the United States, or even from neighboring countries which in fact relied on a considerably larger amount of imported parts often including most of the body panels, and a more work-oriented profile of most truck buyers prompted not only GM to offer a much more austere range having fewer options as a factory-fit, which in turn provided opportunities for all sort of aftermarket suppliers. Even though there was the local Suburban equivalent named Veraneio, better known for its large market share both among police forces and other law-enforcemend agencies and as ambulance, it remained stylistically related to the 5th-generation Suburban and 1st-generation C/K from 1964 to 1989, while the trucks switched from the 1st-generation C-series to the 3rd-generation in 1985, so converting a D20 of the 1988 model-year into some sort of van like this one coachbuilt by Auto Renovadora Boff (ARB) in São Marcos city, Rio Grande do Sul state, made sense at all. On a sidenote, during José Sarney's presidential term there were fiscal advantages for trucks, and even the ones with a payload below one metric ton could be converted to run on Diesel fuel while such modification was forbidden (and much harder to circumvent) for cars.

5 reasons why it's somewhat curious that no early Jeep version ever featured a Ford Model T engine

Many circumstances can be accounted while considering the involvement of United States in the World War II, which was prompted by the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor in December 7th, 1941, leading to a war efford which influenced other aspects of ordinary citizens' lives life in the aftermath, and the Jeep is one of the most noticeable icons of that period. Considering the Ford Model T engine was still produced until August 4th, 1941 for special applications which included not only its usage as a replacement part for the Model T which had a production run extended from September 27th, 1908 to May 26th, 1927, it could've sounded eventually simple to resume production of this engine for the war effort and adding a few improvements to keep it up to the task. Among many reasons, at least 5 sound quite curious when it comes to no version of the early Jeep to have ever featured the Ford Model T engine...

1 - technical features of both engines: while the Willys L134 "Go Devil" with its 2.2L displacement, a higher compression ratio and a more rev-happy (well, sort of) nature could seem quite obvious, instead of trying to upgrade the Model T's 2.9L engine with a slow-revving nature and a somewhat pathetic (for our modern standards) compression ratio, it's also worth to notice there are some resemblances. It's also worth noticing there are similarities, such as both following a very similar water-cooled 4-cyl sidevalve layout and featuring a 3-bearing crankshaft, which could render a Willys MB suitable to feature a Ford Model T engine with high-compression head and pistons, a stroker crankshaft, a camshaft with an optimized profile, a better carburettor, among other improvements which were already tried and proven by early hot-rodders way before the V8 craze took over;

2 - familiarity of the military personell: even though the Jeep featured a cockpit layout more similar to a modern car, many of the military personell of the United States and other Allies during WWII had their first experiences with motor vehicles on a Ford Model T and its very own arrangement of pedals and levers. While the Jeep revolutioned the market rendering 4-wheel drive a more common feature on utility vehicles, it's worth to notice the Ford Model T retained its foothold as a workhorse among some people who eventually refused learning to drive something else well after WWII, given its influence on a worldwide basis. Sure there were those soldiers unfamiliar with driving at all, who could easily stall while trying to drive a Jeep for the first time because of the clutch pedal, so the setup of the Ford Model T with its automatic clutch could've been a blessing to say the least;

3 - suiability to harsher environmental conditions: the Jeep featured a more conventional ignition, so it was a quite critical aspect while fording (no pun intended) a creek for instance, as a distributor is way more sensible than the commutator of a Ford Model T. Both a distributor and a commutator follow the firing order, but the distributor gets high voltage from a single ignition coil fed by the battery, and then feeds each spark plug cable according to the firing order, while the commutator feeds low voltage from the magneto to individual coils also according to the firing order, and then each coil feeds high voltage to the spark plug cables;

4 - technical suitability of 4-wheel drive regardless of engine: featuring a different engine wouldn't render 4-wheel drive unsuitable to the Willys MB Jeep, just like many modern retrofits have proven, yet an almost forgotten experience of 4-wheel drive conversions to the Ford Model T such as those done by Jesse Livingood have already proven a seemingly ancient engine design was not a problem at all. While the all-around drum brakes of the Jeep were better suited, in contrast to the Model T which resorted to a bands setup at the transmission for the main braking and drums at the rear wheels for stationary brake only, it's worth to remind the Rocky Mountain brakes which resorted to the stock drums to supplement the weak transmission brake on the Model T;

5 - the Jeep had been also made by Ford during the war effort: considering other military vehicles which had different engines according to the manufacturers who provided them during the war effort a reasonable circumstance, and Ford having also made the Willys MB Jeep yet renaming it Ford GPW, it would make sense to use one of its own off-the-shelf engines.

Why is the Asia Motors Towner still interesting to say the least?

Definitely underappreciated nowadays, the Asia Motors Towner was a Korean license-made derivative of the Daihatsu HiJet, and had its fair share of commercial success in the '90s on export markets such as Brazil for instance. Against all odds, once in a while I still see well-preserved examples of the Towner in my hometown Porto Alegre, mostly of the passenger versions which seem to be taken better care of than their cargo counterparts. Undeniably underpowered even for the standards of the "popular" cars in Brazil in the '90s, with its 3-cyl 0.8L engine, it's quite uninviting to go on a highway, yet it's possible to eventually rely on one as the only motor vehicle of a household due to its interior volume and the ease to find parking spots even on a crowded street.

Finding suitable tires due to the small wheel wells turns out to be the major hardship when it comes to maintenance, even though mechanical components or even the entire engine may also be replaced by something out of some other small car or even motorcycle engines can be adapted, as long as keeping one functional is more relevant than retaining fully-stock features. While the solid-axle rear-wheel drive layout may seem outdated, and a 5-speed manual transmission may seem unappealing for most modern drivers, it's still easier to repair than an automatic transmission or CV half-shafts. Maybe wouldn't be so bad to get one, as it's convenient for city traffic and could eventually also go occasionally on highway with plenty of space for luggage...

5 reasons why a hot-rod could still be tempting to eventually use as a daily-driver

Naturally it might be easier to look at some ancient cars such as a Ford Model A as if they were nothing more than a historical curiosity, either stock or hot-rodded. Odd enough, as the time went on, it became way more common to see them with some modifications either for looks or for functionality, including the fitment of a more modern engine and other improvements to brakes and suspension for instance. No wonder such a beauty could be tempting to eventually still serve as a daily-driver, and at least 5 reasons could be pointed out:

1 - it may look cool: sure it's a more subjective aspect, but the classic appearance of a hot-rod has its fair share of beauty, and it's quite obvious that nowadays a Ford Model A Tudor for instance would stand out of the crowd;

2 - the owner may limit how "modern" the car could be: with so many technical changes within the automotive industry, newer features were becoming more widespread on new vehicles and increasing their complexity. And even though basically every modern body-on-frame pick-up truck may highlight the suitability of such improvements to some older body-on-frame cars, some owners may have their own preferences on how much of such features would be desirable to have, considering most of those were not mandated when the cars more sought after by hot-rodders were originally manufactured;

3 - engine/transmission options may vary: even though the most orthodox definition of a hot-rod has been focused on American V8 engines, with the corresponding toll on fuel-efficiency applying, other engine types can also be fitted. Also considering how a stock 4-cyl engine of a Ford Model A could be souped-up before the small-block V8 engines became mainstream across the Big Three after World War II, even something which could be seen as "unorthodox" such as either a 4-cyl turbocharged gasser or even a turbodiesel could serve just right. And automatic transmissions to improve comfort in town are also not out of question;

4 - crash standards may be less of a concern for some people: sure a modern car with many airbags and crumple zones has its advantages, but not everyone really cares about it. Had some vehicle without airbags and crumple zones not be roadworthy at all, motorcycles would've been forbidden already;

5 - the owner may have the chance to know better the car: unlike newer cars which have been too complex for the average Joe to perform maintenance at home, hot-rods have usually been way more engaging, and their owners more mechanically-inclined and willing to learn all the aspects pertaining to how the car works.

'42 Packard Super Clipper Special Club Sedan

A beauty which may be rare even in the United States, as the Packard Clipper had been introduced just a few months prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, this '42 Super Clipper Special Club Sedan is definitely a historical benchmark on its own. Also remarkable is the straight-8 engine with the crankshaft supported by 9 main bearings, while the standards of its era would deem 5 main bearings acceptable for a competitive straight-8, even though the valvetrain retained the sidevalve/flathead layout. Odd enough, Packard's straight-8 engine performed similar to the OHV V8 engines which were experiencing an increased popularity in the postwar.

Ragge California, a late-'80s Brazilian Volkswagen-based mini SUV

Brazil is well known for the long-time prevalence of Volkswagen in the local market, and when imports were severely restricted from the mid-'70s until the reopening in the '90s, makeshift models catering to customers looking for something to stand out in the crowd relied on Brazilian-made mainstream cars as a source for engines and other components. That was the case of the Ragge California, a mini SUV with the Volkswagen powertrain and a fiberglass body, originally released in '86 branded simply as Ragge and renamed in '87, soldiering on until '89. There was another derivative named Long Beach, released in '90 when it was less competitive due to the reopening of imports, and slightly longer as it retained the standard wheelbase of the Volkswagen backbone frame, instead of relying on a shortened frame. There were exports at least to the United States in form of kit-cars, as well as to Japan and Italy.

BG Truck, a Brazilian derivative of Chevrolet C-Series trucks

Besson & Gobbi, the manufacturer of the Volkswagen-basaed Miura sports car, ventured in the '90s in the "dual-cab" conversions for trucks, having released models based on the Chevrolet C-Series, which by the was had been one generation behind the evolution of its American counterparts since the '70s. A configuration which used to have its fair share of popularity in Brazil gave a sedan-like appearance to trucks, most often resorting to fiberglass instead of steel for the bodywork. Besson & Gobbi had some expertise with this material, which had been used for the body of the Miura range prior to the BG Truck series which was its last attempt to compete with imported dual-cab trucks and SUVs which took over the Brazilian market after the imports were reopened in the early '90s. This one that I spotted in Porto Alegre, my hometown and also where Besson & Gobbi was headquartered, is a '94 model-year the last year before Chevrolet full-size truck production moved from Brazil to Argentina.

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...

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.