Sulam

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Sulam Equipamentos Esportivos Ltda.

logo
legal form Ltda.
founding 1973 or 1978
Seat São Paulo , Brazil
Branch Automobiles

Sulam is an automobile and vehicle tuning company based in São Paulo ( Brazil ) .

history

The company was founded in 1973 (according to its own information in 1978) by Martin Osvaldo Diaz as Sulam Equipamentos Esportivos Ltda. founded. It started with the design, construction, sale and use of motorized karts for karting . The future Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna won his first national championship title in motorsport on a Sulam kart .

In 1978, the SR / T model was presented at the 11th Salão do Automóvel, which was an extended version of the Ford Corcel .

Convertible versions of the VW Gol and Fiat 147 followed two years later . The latter model was as Sulam 130 SC from the pick-up Fiat Fiorino derived. A cabriolet version of the VW Beetle was also presented. Around 60 of this convertible were produced in the 1980s. At the ceremony for the restart of Brazilian beetle production in 1993, Pierre-Alain de Smedt (President of Autolatina), Itamar Franco and José Ignacio López drove up in a conversion from Sulam.

At the 12th Salão do Automóvel in 1981, three other models followed: two Volkswagen Voyages , as a convertible and as a Targa version with hatchback - which was called Voyage-Sul - and a VW Passat as a sedan.

In 1983 Sulam presented its first converted and refined pick-up. It was a Chevrolet C-10 with a double cab, shortened wheelbase and a higher chassis, with the model name Blazer based on the model of the same name for the North American market.

In 1984, Sulam produced its 1000th vehicle. The six models launched this year included convertible versions of the Chevrolet Monza and the Ford Escort . At the 13th Salão do Automóvel also one was replica of the Audi Quattro presented. It was based on the two-door VW Passat and had a body made mostly of plastic components. The engine had a displacement of 2048 cm³ and 122 hp, which - unlike the original - were only transmitted via the front wheels. There was also a convertible based on the Fiat Uno . The last two innovations were the Caravan Executive and the Super Chevy , which were a refined delivery van or pick-up based on Chevrolet.

Two years later (1986) the baja bug based on the VW Beetle and the Blazer 4 with space for eleven passengers were added. In the period that followed, Sulam concentrated on pick-up models: in 1988 the Blazer S was presented as a variant of the model introduced in 1983. Even Ford F-1000 were refined and rebuilt. From 1989 the models were given new names. The Ford conversions traded as Nebraska (double cab) and Dakota (blazer), while the GM models under Kentucky (double cab), Nevada (blazer) and Topeka (the former Blazer S) were carried out.

At the end of 1990, the Chevrolet-based Cross / Trail pick-up was added, which had a wheelbase shortened by 33 cm.

It was not until 2001, a new vehicle was presented again - this time a two-seater convertible of the Ford Ka , the name Kabriolet received. Three years later, Sulam again presented a VW Beetle Cabriolet with a high-quality interior.

As early as the 1990s, Sulam focused on diversification and began selling add-on kits, leather upholstery and later also vehicle armor. Sulam also produced ambulances and at times was also a dealer for Volkswagen and Fiat.

literature

  • Marián Šuman-Hreblay: Automobile Manufacturers Worldwide Registry. McFarland & Company Publishers, London 2000, ISBN 0-7864-0972-X , p. 276. (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eligiusz Mazur: 2005 · 2006. One of the largest car directories in the world. World of Cars. Worldwide catalog. Encyclopedia of today's car industry. ( online ; English)
  2. ↑ The motor vehicle manufacturer Sulam on the website lexicarbrasil.com.br , accessed on May 10, 2016 (Portuguese).
  3. ↑ Claudio rice: Fique Por Dentro - Waltinho Travaglini: To nome que é de sinónimo kart no Brasil. (Background information on the designer who designed the karts for the Brazilian brand Sulam before she turned to converting passenger cars). from: PlanetKart.com , November 3, 2014, accessed May 13, 2016 (Portuguese)
  4. ↑ Guia Histórico Fusca & Cia , On Line Editors 2016, p. 119.