Chrysler of Brazil
Based on a Plymouth Bulletin article by William D. Brisbane, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, written in 1989 - long before the Dakota plant was conceived.
Chrysler produced a number of vehicles in Brazil over the years, all badged with the Dodge name, ending production with the sale of its facilities to Volkswagen when pressed for cash in 1980. Its production center was in the Sao Paulo area, along with most other automakers. It would briefly return in the 1990s with the Dodge Dakota, a venture ended by the Mercedes acquisition, and continues to make engines there - engines used mainly by BMW in their Mini.
Chrysler's involvement in Brazil was a result of Simca's production. When Chrysler bought Simca in 1958, its first act in Brazil was to double the warranty of the small French-designed cars being produced there (with optional V8s for performance). These cars had a reputation for very poor quality, partly due to untrained, inexperienced workers, partly due to the poor quality of local materials, including local sheet metal.
Mike Sealey added: The Simca V8 is a continuation of the old Ford V8-60 flathead, Simca having taken over Ford-France in November 1954. This engine was developed in the US as an "economy" alternative to the larger Ford flathead V8; Henry Ford hated six-cylinder engines and originally insisted on a smaller V8 as an alternative after the last B/C 4-cylinder US Fords went out of production in the Thirties. The V8-60 was not a success in fullsize Fords, and was finally replaced by a six about 1941 or so after much persuasion by Edsel Ford. It was much more successful in smaller cars such as the French Ford line.
Later Brazilian versions of this engine were converted to overhead valve (OHV) configuration. I don't believe the French got the OHV version but I could be mistaken. The OHV conversion was a hemi (!), which probably further confuses folks assuming this must be a Chrysler V8 of some sort.
By 1969, Chrysler had gotten some central involvement, and started making a new line of Dodge trucks at a new factory. The D700s and D400s were followed by a Dodge pickup. These were similar to the commercial vehicles sold in the US, with diesel versions coming later - and, interestly, alcohol-powered models in 1978. These trucks sold well, and may have been the most important reason for Volkswagen to acquire the Brazilian operations - they even kept the name until the end of 1984, when actual Volkswagen trucks replaced them.
Also in 1969, the 1966 Dodge Dart four-door sedan was introduced as a new car, soon replacing the troublesome and unpopular Esplanada. It had V8 power and a standard three-speed transmission, and was named car of the year by Auto Esporte in 1970. Sales topped nearly every model of Simca and Dodge production through that point (all but the 1964 Chamboard). A two door coupe came out the next year.
The Dart competed with the Ford Galaxy for the high end of car buyers, with many becoming chaffeur driven, while the coupe appealed to younger buyers. There were Charger and Charger R/T versions, mainly Dart hardtops with the roofline extended to the trunk and speed-related items such as dual exhausts, four-on-the-floor shifter, mag wheels, and bucket seats. It was at the high end of Brazilian production performance, consistent with the Dart's relatively high price overall.
In 1972, more luxurious models were featured at the auto show, and Dart styling moved away from its American counterparts, though the basic engineering remained the same. Production continued with few changes until the 1979 lineup, when the Dart name gave way to LeBaron for luxury and Magnum for sport (replacing Charger). Magnum was a status car according to Status magazine, partly because of covers attached to the rear side windows that hid the rear seat from view. Few Magnums were made and today they are rare.
The Dart peaked in 1972 and 1973, before the oil crisis, which changed tastes to more economical vehicles. In 1980, only 403 Darts were made, and they were halted the next year. It had been popular with a spacious interior without excessive width (the Galaxy's problem), and maintenance and durability helped. The lack of a six cylinder no doubt hurt its survival after the fuel crisis.
Augmenting the Dart in popularity was the Dodge 1800 (Horizon/Omni), a two-door sedan produced in England and Argentina as well. Called "Dodginho" in Portugese, it was not a standout despite a relaitvely nice interior, partly because it was not well adapted to local driving conditions. To increase sales, its name was changed to Polara, which had a relatively good image, and GLS and GL models were added in 1980. It was the first Brazilian production vehicle to have a standard automatic, and sales were steady for its last six years at about 13,000 per year, ending with Chrysler's other Brazilian operations in 1980.
Plymouths imported to Brazil
Plymouths were imported from the United States over the years, with the most popular remaining vintage model appearing to be the 1950-52 Cranbrook sedan, with many models still surviving, usually painted black. Later models are relatively rare, though at least one Barracuda and several Satellites are present; some or most of these may have entered as American diplomats brought them in for personal use and later sold them. Most of the embassy's fleet appears to have been Satellites and Furys for some years.
DeSotos of Brazil
I started my collection when I was 15 years old, and today I'm 42. My dad bought his DeSoto brand new in 1947, and only went to buy his second car in 1973. I'm the 4th of 5 brothers in my family, and the only one that loves car collecting. Here in Brazil it is common among the middle class for a dad to give a car as a present to his son as a prize for his achievement in being admitted to an University. That is what it happened, I learned to drive when I was 15 and started driving the DeSoto, when I passed the University admission test I won the DeSoto because my dad was a bit tight financially, gave me the old car as a temporary measure/solution. Well, I kept it for 10 years and only got the promised car when I was 25. Afterwards, there wasn't another way because I was in love with the old DeSoto. When I turned 27, I decided to dismantle the car for restoration, not a single piece was left in the car, it took me 3 and a half years from the start to the finish. There is only 1 more like it in Brazil, DeSoto Diplomat Special de Luxe. I made a registry of all the vehicles still existing here in Brazil, and today I own a registry of all the old cars from Chrysler until 1960. In my collection today I own (these):
- DeSotos: 1947 Diplomat Sedan, 1948 Diplomat Club Coupe, 1946 Traveler Custom Sedan, 1952 Custom Sedan.
- Plymouth: 1955 Sport Coupe Belvedere.
- Chrysler Imperial: 1954 Sedan.
Chrysler in other parts of the world! | Photos at valiant.org!