If you went looking for a Puma, you could find the four-legged variety, according to Wikipedia as follows “they are highly adaptive and can be found in a large variety of habitats, including forests, tropical jungle, grasslands, and even arid desert regions“. You can find the four-wheeled version in different habitats too, such as the field where this 1973 GTE Spyder is located. And like the four-legged version, this one’s looking a bit endangered. But, let’s give it a chance, remove the tarp and see what’s what. Located near Sweetwater, Idaho, this forlorn-looking cat is available, here on craigslist for $3,995.

Pumas grace Barn Finds webpages with some regularity and their history has been well documented. Puma, which is still in existence today is a Brazilian manufacturer of sports cars having gotten its start in 1963. The production rights got passed around and then in 2014 ended up under the newly formed Puma Automóveis Ltda, an operation that is based in San Paulo.  This find, a GTE Spyder, was launched in 1971 and only a little over 200 were produced, most ’73 Pumas were fixed roof versions. The seller advises, “Only date I can find is for the motor 1969” which isn’t really helpful and I imagine that this example is actually a ’71 or ’72 as I cannot find evidence of a ’73 Spyder being built.

This car is said to have good bones with only some cracked gel coat. The images aren’t too revealing from a detailed perspective but it appears that the paint has mostly taken flight. The top looks OK but the rear window has been knocked out and that’s far from helpful with outdoor storage. The taillights look like they’re missing too. If I had any interest in this car, I’d really want to see the underside and check the Karmann Ghia platform and suspension mounting points carefully.

The engine is basically an unknown. It is a VW four-cylinder, flat-four, but which one isn’t disclosed though the Spider did employ a 1500 CC version, connected to a VW four-speed manual transaxle. It’s a sure bet this Puma hasn’t done any prowling in many moons.

The interior is mostly gutted but at least one can get a glimpse of the floors. The seller mentions that he has the seats and the wooden center console but this small environment is going to need a complete makeover. Exposure to the elements probably hasn’t done the electronics any favors and it’s likely that the instrument panel will, at the least, require complete disassembly.

This was probably a pretty neat car in its day and you have to admire a company like Puma, and its founders, for wanting to go the specialty car route – it’s usually a tough automotive row to hoe. This example is rough, perhaps too rough for salvation and that’s assuming someone with the interest would turn up. Then again, it’s a low production number Spyder so that might be the ticket to a new owner and complete rejuvenation, right?