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Brazilian Sports Car: 1975 VW SP2

SP2 Barn Find

Here’s a car you don’t see to very often. It is a Volkswagen SP2 and the reason you dont see them is because they were all built by VW of Brazil. Over 10k were produced, but only 670 were officially exported to other markets. This particular car is supposedly one of only four located in the UK. It needs some rust repair, but is currently running. The seller is asking £7,950, but you can make an offer here on eBay. Thanks goes to Simon W. for the submission.

Comments

  1. Avatar AW240Z

    In the description “complete car with v5” Ok, I give up, what’s a V5?

    AW

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    • Avatar keith

      Same as a pink slip.

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  2. Avatar cliffyc

    A V5, is a UK Vehicle Registration Document,it is required in the Uk for every motor vehicle.Th Tear-off sections if you sell or scrap the vehicle.Hope this helps AW240Z, (Datsun/Nissan fan?). :)

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  3. Avatar Dolphin Member

    This is the same basic car as the Puma, which was made in Brazil using a lot of VW components. If you Google VW Puma you will get lots of info on it, plus some photos showing versions with a more rounded front end with set-in headlights that is the better version compared to this blunt-nose version….better looking, and I think would produce a lot less lift at speed. I do like the overall shape a lot, tho.

    This particular car has limitations, besides not being presented too well (how can you not mention ‘Puma” in the listing?):
    – It’s got some bad rust, probably because it’s in moist ‘ol England
    – It’s pricey, yet not that rare
    – Did I mention it’s in England?
    – These look faster than they are

    AW: The V5 refers to the Volkswagen “V5” engine that’s in this car. It’s not a real V5. Instead, it has all 5 cylinders in-line, like ’80s Audis and many recent Volvos have.

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    • Avatar Cameron

      Your wrong about the V5, whilst there is a 5 cylinder engine now back then there wasn’t and it wouldn’t be called a V5 as that would be false advertising as its an “Inline engine”. A V5 is a document relating to owners the car ha(d/s)

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    • Avatar Dolphin Member

      Sorry, guys, confused the distinctions between this and the Puma. Both from Brazil, overlapped in production times, both produced by, or under Volkswagen with VW engines, but not the same car. My apologies.

      There was a straight-5 engine from VW called the V5, but was not used in the SP2, but now I see that a V5 is car paper in the UK and is entirely different. Love those Brit. abbrevs.

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      • Avatar Roberto J

        I gave you a thumbs down I meant to give you a thumbs up. Whatt an interesting car great post.

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    • Avatar Jack

      Huh? LOL!

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    • Avatar HTG

      Yes, it is that rare, it’s rare IN Brazil.
      See in the ebay advertise that the engine is the original VW air cooled.
      And it’s very diferent from a puma, although based in the same car (beetle)

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    • Avatar Ward Whittaker

      You are absolutely 100% incorrect. This car has the 1600 pancake flat 4 upgraded to 1700 with slightly bigger pots. I live in Brazil and had a Brazilian type 3 with the same engine.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Rodrigo

      VW SP2 was made By VW, this was the first sport car made in Brasil. Puma was based on VW, bu was manufactured by Puma Automoveis. This company als use a GM part to make on Puma 6 cylinders, using a GM 6 cylinders car…. Vw also was responsible to create a Karmann guia, and Karmann guia TC….. the are based on the same car, but completely different drive sensations.

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  4. Avatar Chris

    A v5 is the official UK vehicle registration document as required to use a vehicle legally on UK roads. Every such car is required to have its up to date (including significant modifications and or colour changes that differ from the ex-factory status) held by the governments Vehicle Licencing Authority, based in Swansea in Wales. The police extensively use this data base supported by the insurance companies and details of the annual vehicle road worthiness test, called the MOT test, which active cars must pass after their 3rd year on the road. It is essential to obtain V5 details upon purchasing a car, though less reliable sellers do sometimes try to evade this process. We have several other ways to cross check vehicle history, eg buying in a private vehicle history.ownership computer check. I,m sure the US must have a similar document to the V5 though I,m guessing these will be a state by state basis.

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  5. Avatar Matthew L

    A V5 is the UK vehicle registration document or logbook.

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  6. Avatar brian stig

    V5, refers to the vehicle log book as we call it, in the USA, you call this the title deed,
    but, the car should have a new style log book,called “V5c”. The `DVLA` were sending out new log books (V5c) to the owners if their car was on the data base for SORN (statutory off road notice) so, this car may have been “off road” for more than 12 years, so would have missed the SORN regulation. hope this helps you AW240Z.

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  7. Avatar capt mike

    I bought my daughter a new Puma around 1990 from the US importer in Houston. This car is not remotely related at least to one we bought. Hers was all glass with a VW air cooled 1835cc with a turbo. Ran like a bat out of hell and turned alot of heads. She wrecked it in Galveston and the insurance adjuster did not know how to figure the damages. We ended getting 2 1/2 times what we paid for it six month after I bought it.

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    • Avatar paul

      shh the NSA is watching.

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      • Avatar Mike

        Dang. It’ll only let me click “like” once.

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    • Avatar Roberto J

      Great case for driving extremely obscure classics. Kudos for choosing something like that for your daughter to drive.

      Like 0
  8. Avatar viking

    this car has a type 3 vw engine, same as vw square back, fast back and notch back. the fan is direct drive from the crankshaft. other than that, it is a bug engine.

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  9. Avatar AW240Z

    Many thanks to all those who responded to my V5 question. Learn something new everyday! AW

    Like 0
  10. Avatar conservativesdefeated

    rust…………bucket

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  11. Avatar Jeffrey Hamilton

    An interesting Brazilian made vehicle, not too bad looking, VW mechanicals so it’s easily repaired, all pluses. Now for the minuses, it’s in the UK whilst I’m in Ontario, Canada and shipping ain’t cheap. Too much money for too much rust, pretty much negates it for me. If it were closer and cheaper it would be an interesting project.
    cheers….JeffH

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Eduardo Batelli

    Dears friends, this car was designed and assembled by VW Brazil, with 4-cylinder boxer engines 2 to 2; opposites; in the beginning, were mounted with 1600cc engine (SP1) and by the end 1700cc engine (SP2) M.Pioneira Lafer
    Eduardo Batelli
    (55 11) 5541-9936
    (55 11) 98833-5959 – (55 11) 99141-7363

    Galeria de fotos:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpioneira-lafer/
    YouTube
    Google:https://www.google.com.br/#hl=pt-BR&source=hp&q=batelli+mp+lafer&aq=1&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=batelli&gs_rfai=&fp=bde55c0fc1bfc632&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&cad=b

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  13. Avatar Luciano

    Hello everybody.
    I would like to participate in this discussion about the Volkswagen SP2 because I own a model year 1975. I can say that it is a very rare car, including here in Brazil, as were approximately 10,600 units manufactured between June 1972 and February 1976. We can assume that half of this amount is buried in junkyards and many others have been lost in time.
    This car has an engine similar to the Type 3, but with some external modifications and their engine capacity increased to 1700cc (which is the only Volkswagen engine in this configuration), by increasing the size of the pistons.
    Different from what was said earlier, this car uses the platform of the Volkswagen Variant (Brazilian model) and, contrary to popular belief, he does not use many components from other family cars being mostly unique pieces of this car, which makes its restoration process very difficult.
    For more details visit: http://vwsp2classico.blogspot.com and http://www.vwsp2.com.br/club/pt/

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  14. Avatar fay66

    Looks as though the designer had been having a good look at the Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato!
    I like the overall style except for the front end, which imho looks to plain relative to the rest of the styling.
    Just read another report from the english daily telegraph that said it was known in Brazil as a sheep in wolf’s clothing due to the 1.7 75BHP engine.

    Brian

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  15. Avatar Mike

    The only 5 cyl engine was built by AUDI and started life in the 80s. I believe that Mercedes had a 5 cyl engine also.
    About Puma: The Puma was developed by an independent factory and started life with a 3 cyl, 2 stroke engine from the DKW (german factory, now defunct). It was a front wheel, watercooled engine with 3 distributor points. The future cars had rear, air cooled VW engines. The Puma was the brazilian answer for the Porsche. Brazil produced several rarities;
    amongst them the 65 Ford Galaxy, Alfa Romeo model 54, Dodge Dart, Renault Dauphine, Renault Alpine, Simca Chambord, and the popular VW beetle.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar robert

    I have a vw sp2 in Scotland Uk 1700cc engine porsche cams imported from dubai 1980 only 4 in europe now rare car

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  17. Avatar MR Friedmann

    Very unfortunate that these cars are all rust buckets, unless you do a full resto.
    My friend Eduardo Batelli know a lot about these cars. I wanted one but the price for these cars are a bit too high.If you look closely you can see a resemblance to the Porsche 928. Could Porsche have copied the idea from Brazil?

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    • Avatar Robert

      Not all rust buckets my car above was brought from Saudi Arabia a warm dry rust free zone and yes porche copied the shape for the 928. Which was manufactured later

      Like 0

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