![]() Like other vehicles from the brand, the car had a body made using the Plasteel system, weighing only 650 kg and measuring 3.19 meters, still being the smallest car ever produced in Brazil. It was a direct implementation of the project, with minor changes and improvements. The first model based on the original project was the BR-800, available only with the 800 cc engine option, generating 32 PS of power. Unlike the VW boxer, it could be taken to near 6000 rpm without any valve float. ![]() The engine was very similar to the VW Beetle boxer engine, even sharing some internal parts with it, but had many improvements: a sealed water-cooled system, better compression ratio and a different ignition system. It had a good mileage, making 14 km/L on urban traffic, and could achieve 19 km/L on the road, on constant speed, even without any electronic fuel injection. The car presented a big step in the national technology development: the engine, named Gurgel Enertron, was entirely designed and developed by Gurgel, low cost : it was a bi-cylindrical engine, originally with 650 cc and 800 cc options, equipped with totally electronic ignition control, using a system with two coils and no distributor. The system gave a good weight balance for the system, but presented some collateral effects, such as the need for a slower shift change, due to the inertia of the TTS. In 1984, the Carajás model was introduced: it presented the same Selectraction system as Xavante and X-12, but had some special qualities, such as the TTS (Tork Tubing System), used to transfer the power from the engine, on the front of the vehicle, to the transmission, on the rear. The car was an urban model, with small dimensions for the passengers and for the luggage. In 1981, the XEF model was developed, having only three front seats, an unusual solution at the time. A derived model, the G-15L, could carry 1 ton of load, having 70L of gasoline capacity, which could be extended to 140L, with an additional tank.Īt that time, business was going quite well: Gurgel was the first exporter in special vehicles, and the second in production and amount, in 19. ![]() In 1979, the X-15 was released, being a van which could carry 7 passengers, or 2 passengers plus 500 kg of load. The same body was also listed in brochures as available with a petrol engine, as the "G-800". Still, in 1980 another electric vehicle was conceived, called Itaipu E400: it was a van, still designed for urban travels, but making a better autonomy and still a remarkable mileage. However, due to the limited technology of the batteries of that time – they were too heavy and had low capacity – the project was halted. In 1974, the Itaipu was a pioneer project of an electric vehicle, which was developed to be a strict urban car for short distances. There was a more sophisticated version of X-10 called X-12, which was the biggest commercial success of the brand. In a situation of low-traction environment, it could be used to stop a free-spinning wheel and move the power to the other one, allowing the driver to restore traction to the ground and to move along. Xavante also had a feature called Selectraction, a system where two individual hand-brakes were installed next to the driver, for each one of the rear wheels. The next model was the first commercial success of the brand: the Xavante (also named X-10): production started in 1973, being the first car of Gurgel developed using the Plasteel system, which was proved very resistant under corrosive environments and also very mechanically strong, deforming temporarily but not smashing under pressure or shocks. The Ipanema was the first car produced by Gurgel, introducing the brand in the market.
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