5 posts tagged “brazil”

I’ve waited for ages to get the Vox compose screen: anyone else with this issue?
   Here was what I wanted to post an hour ago:

Fiat 127 Rustica coverage

Fiat 127 Rustica

I put in a few oddball cars on Autocade today. The following, all with French brand names, are either market failures, or vehicles that are strange to my eyes. At one point, there was a great push to have car model names consistent throughout the globe; now it matters less if a Chevy based on the Astra is called a Vectra in Brazil, or, for that matter, if a type 206 Peugeot is called the 207 there. The Renault Avantime, meanwhile, showed that doing niche vehicles did not always pay off.

Citroën Bijou. 1959–64 (prod. 207). 2-door coupé. F/F, 425 cm³ (2 cyl. OHV). Coupé version of 2CV for British market, with more conservative styling designed to appeal to UK consumers. Parts’ bin used, with single-spoke steering wheel, and rear window from DS Safari. Heavier than 2CV and considered expensive; 425 cm³ was underpowered, developing 12 bhp.

Peugeot 207/Peugeot 206+. 2008 to date (prod. unknown). 3-, 4- and 5-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, 1360 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 1587 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Facelifted 206, as Peugeot of Brazil claimed it would be too costly and impractical to launch the European model there. Sold in Brazil and neighbouring markets, but exported as 207 Compact to those countries where European 207 was also sold. Four-door saloon called 207 Passion; faux off-road SW estate gained extra Escapade model name, as had 206 in Brazil. No major improvements on 206—better thought of as a mid-term facelift. Criticized around launch in Brazilian press for being a revised, rather than all-new, model. Launched in France in 2009 as a budget model, built at Mulhouse, and bearing 206+ nameplate.

Renault Avantime. 2001–3 (prod. 8,557). 2-door coupé. F/F, 1998 cm³ petrol, 2188 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2946 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Odd marriage of MPV silhouette and two-door hardtop coupé configuration, developed to use Matra facilities in Romorantin. Built using composite panels, as with earlier Matras and original Renault Éspace. Huge doors, making it less practical in smaller car parks. A fast cruiser with an excellent view out; but too bulky to be a real coupé. Considered a flagship, but flopped; production ceased two years after launch.

Remember when it seemed really cool for Ford to market its models with a II tag? Not Mk II, just II.
   I imagine this must have started Stateside, maybe under Lee Iacocca, and found its way to Ford in Europe and Brazil. A selection from my Autocade site.

Ford Mustang II. 1974–8 (prod. 1,116,199). 2-door coupé, 2-door fastback. F/R, 2302 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 2792 cm³ (V6 OHV), 4949 cm³ (V8 OHV). An attempt to get back to basics. Bulk of 1973 Mustang discarded; all-new model returned to sensible size. Styling inspired by model from Ghia of Italy. Lee Iacocca, now Ford president, targeted the segment heading to smaller cars such as its own Capri and the Toyota Celica; the fact the Mustang II came out in the wake of the first fuel crisis was fortuitous. Four-cylinder engine considered weak; no V8s till 1975 (the classic 302 in³ unit); car needed structural changes to accommodate the V8. Heavy, cramped (shorter wheelbase than Celica, but longer overall), not that great a handler, and ignored by many collectors, though it has its own 1970s’ style and was incredibly successful for Ford in its early years. Emphasis on luxury in Ghia models, as Iacocca saw the II as a ‘little jewel’, built to high standards. Some Mustang features found their way into the Pinto. Cobra II trim in 1976, T-top in 1977, King Cobra in 1978, though more style over substance in all these cases.

Ford Capri II. 1974–8 (prod. 1,700,000 approx. incl. Mk III). 3-door coupé. F/R, 1302 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 1593, 1993 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 2294, 2792, 2993 cm³ (V6 OHV). Attractive liftback follow-up to ‘the car you’ve always promised yourself’. Dual production in Halewood and Köln to 1976, when UK production ceased. Wide range of engines. S and Ghia trims from 1976. Not the best handler; sold largely on image and, toward the end of its run, popularized in cult TV series The Professionals and Minder. Köln 2·8 V6 for export on US models.

Ford Taunus II/Ford Cortina Mk IV/Ford Cortina (TE). 1976–9 (prod. 1,131,850 sold for all Cortina Mk IV and V). 2- and 4-door saloon, 5-door estate, 2-door pick-up. F/R, 1297, 1598 (4 cyl. OHV), 1593, 1993 (4 cyl. OHC), 2294, 2994 cm³ (V6 OHV), 3273, 4089 cm³ (6 cyl. OHV). Facelifted Taunus TC with new front and rear ends, though Turnier looked largely the same from the A-pillar pack. Similar engines and transmission, but modern (for 1976) boxier appearance despite carryover doors. Ghia luxury trim added. Sold in UK, Ireland, South Africa and British Commonwealth countries as Cortina Mk IV. Built in Australia with some modifications as TE series with mammoth six-cylinder engines, with resulting bad effect on handling (despite spending a considerable sum trying to improve this over TC and TD). Australian models badged Cortina 4 or Cortina 6, depending on engine, with some differences including large indicators in front wings. South Africa offered GL, S and Ghia with Essex three-litre V6. Ford Argentina stuck with TC for these years and skipped straight to Taunus 80 shape for 1981.

Ford LTD II. 1977–9 (prod. unknown). 2-door coupé, 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 302, 351, 400 in³ (V8 OHV). Reskin of intermediate Ford Torino (1972–6), but with the normally full-sized LTD nameplate to give the impression of downsizing during 1970s’ fuel crisis years. Overly soft suspension, with resultant poor handling. Relatively cramped at rear given the large size.

Ford Corcel II. 1978–86 (prod. unknown). 2-door sedan, 3-door wagon. F/F, F/A, 1372, 1555 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Restyled Corcel, with more modern lines and, as with North American Fords, more weight. Underpinnings were identical, which meant Renault 12 roots. Light, fast car, with competition history. Estate still called Belina, as with predecessor. Spun off Ford Pampa pick-up and Ford Del Rey sedan. Facelift in 1985 saw II tag removed, but the Corcel range was deleted in 1986. Four-wheel-drive Belina less than reliable.

No, I did not mean John Steed. Finally got all these related cars into Autocade. Might take a few of you back down memory lane.

Hillman Avenger. 1970–6 (prod. 650,000 approx. all types, incl. Chrysler and Talbot). 2- and 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/R, 1248, 1295, 1498, 1598 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Contemporary mid-sized car from Chrysler with modern, coke-bottle styling and unusual “hockey-stick” rear lights. Mid-term upgrades with 1·3- and 1·6-litre engines from 1973. Exported as Sunbeam and Sunbeam Avenger to Europe; Plymouth Cricket to US, though short-lived there due to unreliability. Good handling for its day. Avenger Tiger limited edition in 1972–3 with twin carb 1·5, developing 92·5 bhp DIN, possibly numbering 600 in two series. Replaced by facelifted model, badged Chrysler rather than Hillman. Bodies made in Linwood, Renfrewshire, Scotland and freighted by train to Ryton.

Dodge 1500/Dodge 1500M. 1973–81 (prod. 262,668 all versions). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 1498, 1798 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Argentine version of Hillman Avenger and related to Brazilian Dodge 1800 (1973–5) and Dodge Polara (1976–81). Different rear end on sedan compared to Avenger. Originally three models, all sedans, with GT-90 at top of range. Larger engine from 1974. Facelift in 1977, in line with UK Avenger; GT-100 with 105 hp 1·8 announced same year. Wagon called Rural. Succeeded by Volkswagen model, which still carried a Dodge badge initially after VW took over Chrysler’s old Argentinian operations; but carried the VW logo after an extensive logo in 1982.

Dodge 1800. 1973–5 (prod. 92,665, incl. Polara). 2-door sedan. F/R, 1799 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Announced November 1972 and launched April 1973, Brazilian version of Hillman Avenger, with different rear side window and rear end. Originally with 78 hp. Nicknamed Dodginho. Not that well suited to local conditions, and car had to be improved and relaunched in 1976 as Polara, using old Dodge name with much goodwill in Brazil. Sporting 1800 SE version in 1974 with collector interest.

Chrysler Avenger. 1976–9 (prod. 650,000 approx. all types, incl. Hillman and Talbot). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/R, 1295, 1598 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Facelifted Hillman Avenger, abandoning old marque in favour of parent company’s, and “hockey-stick” rear lights replaced by horizontal items closer to that of Dodge 1500. New dashboard. No real mechanical changes but full production moved to Linwood (where bodies were already made). Two-doors gone, but Chrysler Sunbeam filled the void.

Dodge Polara. 1976–81 (prod. 92,665, incl. Dodge 1800). 2-door sedan. F/R, 1799 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Brazilian version of Hillman Avenger, nicknamed Dodginho, with different rear side window and rear end. Replaced nearly identical Dodge 1800 (1973–5). Engine gradually uprated to 92 PS. Facelift in 1978, bringing it into line with Chrysler Avenger in UK. A steady seller for Chrysler, but production ended 1981 after the company sold its Brazilian operations to Volkswagen.

Talbot Avenger. 1979–81 (prod. 650,000 approx. all types, incl. Hillman and Chrysler). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/R, 1295, 1598 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Rebadged Chrysler Avenger, after Peugeot took over Chrysler’s European operations. Originally retained Chrysler pentastar badge in grille despite Talbot wording on bonnet and boot. No real changes other than equipment and badging, but Avenger’s days were numbered after Peugeot elected to close the Linwood factory.

Volkswagen 1500/Volkswagen 1500M. 1982–91 (prod. 262,668 all versions). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 1498, 1798 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Facelifted version of Dodge 1500, itself an Argentine version of the Hillman Avenger. Had a good history as a Dodge in the 1970s, and sold on that goodwill as well as robustness; but largely seen as an economy model for VW in the 1980s. Five-speed gearbox from 1988, with air conditioning on more models.

Just got this in from Mike Corso at Cool Site of the Day.

A recent Brazilian YouTube sex scandal threatened to close down every WordPress blog around the world.
   Did you hear about it? It's already called “YouTube Gate”—apparently a spicy sex scene was posted on YouTube and someone discussed it on a WordPress-hosted blog.
   The problem is the Brazillian courts placed a ban on viewing the IP address of the entire WordPress website …
   … And that means potentially thousands of bloggers can't have their content shown in their country.
   Even worse, this isn't the first time a violation like this closed down an entire network of blogs.
   But the bottom line is this should be a wakeup call for those who rely on hosted blogs (like WordPress) to tweak their strategy and avoid getting their own blogs banned.
   The good news is the fix is simple … just host WordPress on your own server (rather than hosting it on the WordPress site).
   Getting WordPress installed on your own site is now a snap … just take advantage of John Saya's FREE WordPress autoinstaller.

http://www.cnotes.com/r/wordpress.html

Any questions, shoot me an e-mail.

Mike Corso
Cool Site of the Day

   This is a bit disturbing. Global Voices has more info. One of the quotations indicates a million Brazilian bloggers will be affected.
   I am not sure if a Brazilian judgement should have an effect on blogs like this, penalizing those in Brazil who are using wordpress.com. Those who didn’t feature the home-made porn on their blogs—as in the overwhelming majority of Wordpress users—should not pay the price for the handful that did. (And surely non-Wordpress blogs are affected, too?)
   Surely a simple deletion of the offending URLs would suffice?
   And this desire to post someone’s home sex video on to their own blogs—well, it ain’t my scene. Stick it on to YouPorn and let the perverts all go to the same place, and keep it off the blogosphere!