Among the variety of oddball cars from Brasil that utilize VW running gear, this is one variant I’ve never heard of. The L’Automobile Ventura utilizes a familiar formula of a fiberglass body on a VW chassis, but the bodywork is quite distinctive with clean lines and black fascias front and rear. The story behind this particular example is all the more fascinating for never being road registered and never having an engine installed. The odometer shows 130 miles and despite its heavily weathered condition, it likely has some value as a museum piece. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,000 in San Antonio, Florida.
L’Automobile Distribuidora de Veículos Ltda. of Brazil was the manufacturer of the Ventura, and it was originally imported to the U.S. by Continental Import/Export in Santa Ana, California. Why they imported this oddball, we’ll likely never know. The fascination by some individuals and companies of VW’s Brazilian operations seemed to defy logic, as if sports car buyers were suddenly going to take a chance on on a VW-powered car they had never heard of. If Max Hoffman was importing them, sure – you’d take a chance knowing he had some serious credibility with Porsche. These Brazilian market cars didn’t have the same cache.
But boy, did they try. The equipment and finish work was quite decent, at least in photos. I’ve not laid hands on a Puma or anything like that, but in general, the vehicles look like they were screwed together at a decent level. The Ventura’s interior features a classy 3-spoke steering wheel, auxiliary gauges, a 4-speed manual, and if this car hadn’t been stripped down, it’d still have full carpeting and some stunning bucket seats that look like they came out of a vintage Porsche Speedster. The seller reports that this Ventura has led a hard life outdoors and that the floorpans are rusted out and the sunroof panel was removed due to corrosion as well.
Apparently, this Ventura was imported from Brazil, towed behind another vehicle from Birmingham, Alabama to a city some 25 miles west of Atlanta. Then…it stopped. Literally, parked with no engine and barely any miles, stuck in the mysterious importer’s backyard from that point until now. There are many engine options that will work in this Ventura, and you can go from mild to wild in terms of VW or Porsche power. The fiberglass is said to be in good shape, and if you can source the original yellow-tinted headlight lenses that these came with, you’ll be well on your way to owning one of the rarest VWs ever made. Thanks to Barn Finds reader PairsNPaint for the find.
Very deteriorated.
It wasn’t successful at the time.
Based on SP2.
There are better options around here.
Without a doubt, it’s best to pass.