The Brasília was launched as a commercial van to dodge car taxes, a classification that likely held back its own early sales.
Lead trim: 1.6 air-cooled flat-four · up to 48 hp
Volkswagen Brasília1973–1982
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Volkswagen Brasília yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Brasília was launched as a commercial van to dodge car taxes, a classification that likely held back its own early sales.
The Volkswagen Brasília is a rear-engined small family car developed by Volkswagen do Brasil and internally designated the Type 321, named for Brazil's capital city. It was manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen in Brazil from 1973 to 1982, in Mexico from 1975 to 1982, and built from knock-down kits in Nigeria, where it was marketed as the Igala from 1976 to 1980. Designed to replace the Beetle (called the Fusca in Brazil) and available in both three-door and five-door hatchback body styles, it combined VW's air-cooled engine with the chassis of the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and styling reminiscent of the Volkswagen 412; the Brasília was the first Brazilian hatchback with five doors. It was originally marketed as a small commercial van to take advantage of lower tax rates on "trucks", a classification that may have hampered initial sales, and by the end of 1982 over one million examples had been manufactured. Quatro Rodas tested the Brasília against the GM Chevette in March 1980.
Collectors Spotted in the Volkswagen Brasília Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volkswagen Brasília yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 air-cooled flat-four | 1973–1982 | 1.6 L Flat-4 | 45 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 1300 ethanol flat-four (49 PS) | 1980–1982 | 1.3 L Flat-4 | 48 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
Japan was a minor market for the Swift: when it passed 2 million sales in 2011, about 39% were in India and 27% in Europe, against roughly 15% at home.
To adapt the Horizon for America, Chrysler bought nearly 100 Volkswagen Rabbits purely to reverse engineer them.
The Mk3 Focus RS's AWD system could send 100 percent of engine power to the rear wheels alone — built not in Ford's home country, but at the Saarlouis plant in Germany.
In June 2003, a Mégane II became the subject of the first ever live televised crash test with a real human driver at the wheel instead of a dummy — filmed by Top Gear.
This Wagon R redesigned its rear doors specifically to kill off the D-pillar — bigger doors with built-in quarter glass solved what earlier generations needed a whole extra pillar for.
The BX was the UK's best-selling diesel car for four years from 1987, and 2,315,739 were built in all.
Six months before Suzuki retired the Fronte name for good, the CN11S's 796cc version was already being built in China under a completely different name: the Anchi 6330.
Built to use up Chrysler-Simca's parts bin, it took its engine and gearbox straight from the front-wheel-drive Simca 1100 but mounted them amidships instead.