6. Volkswagen SP2
The biggest car company in Brazil was Volkswagen. They produced all of their products there, including the Beetle, T2 Van, and 1600 TL. The combination of air-cooled quality, usability, and low price made Volkswagens the most popular cars in Brazil by far. However, Volkswagen didn’t have any performance credentials or a sports model. So, in the early ‘70s, Volkswagen wanted a piece of the action. The problem was that Volkswagen had no powerful engines or performance drivetrain components to turn any of its models into anything close to a performance car.
In an effort to produce a muscle/performance car, Volkswagen took the Beetle floorplan, a 1.7-liter flat-four engine, and tuned it to 75 HP, which wasn’t much, but it was far more than stock. They named the finished product the SP2, debuting it in 1972. It looked modern with a long front end, low profile, and sporty silhouette. However, the car cost more than any other Volkswagen product although it did deliver some performance. Unfortunately, it failed to meet the expectations of performance-oriented car fans. The SP2 was in production for four years until 1976. During that period Volkswagen made over 11,000 examples.