Today’s car is a 1974 Volkswagen Brasilia Estate, owned by Jim and Stephanie Steward. I photographed this car at The Air Cooled Volkswagen Car Show held at The Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum located in El Segundo, CA. It is finished in Amarillo (yellow) Janitzo (where it rains?), the interior is black vinyl with complimentary colored striped seat inserts, and the Amarillo painted metal trim. It is powered by a reworked 1.9 liter, air cooled flat 4 engine, with twin down draft Solex H32 carburetors. Mated to a fully synchronized 4-speed manual transmission with 4.38:1 rear axle gear ratio. Slowing it down are discs up front and drums in the rear. The front suspension is independent through equal upper and lower trailing arms, transverse torsion bars and an anti-sway bar. The rear suspension is independent coil springs, swing axles with trailing arms and a transverse anti-sway bar.
Volkswagen Brasilias were produced from 1973 – 1982 in Brazil with a total production of over 1 million. They are a rare sight in the U.S.A, as they were never sold here and made just for the South American market. The published top speed of 81 mph with a 0-60 mph time of 19.8 seconds.
This is a beautiful example of a VW Brasilia that is nicely cared for. What a great car, that will get plenty of attention because of its rarity here in the U.S. Whether on the street or at a show, a real it is a real conversation starter. Thanks for riding along. Frank
