(first posted 6/1/2015) Rubens’ excellent history on FNM‘s Alfa Romeo cars and trucks in Brazil has two minor omissions: two low-volume coupes built on the FNM 2000 and 2150 platforms. In both cases, the designers, such as they were, relied heavily on existing cars. I’ll let you guess what inspired the Onça.
I also won’t have to show you its source of inspiration, as the Mustang is indelibly etched into everyone’s mind. The Onça arrived in 1966, or two years after the first Mustang. There’s not much info other than it was all FNM 2000 under its…borrowed skin.
The Furia 2150 arrived in 1971, and is credited to Brazilian designer Toni Bianco. But I’m not sure what we should credit him for, as the Furia is obviously a cribbed Lamborghini Jarama. And not a very well-done crib at that. I’m sure FNM was working with very limited resources.
In case you’re not quite as familiar with the Jarama, one of the lesser-known and loved Lambos, here’s one. It even has its half-headlight covers open, which makes the similarity even greater.
Hehehe. Great stuff.
Bob Wallace put another face on his own hot-rodded Jarama.
The Onça’s aft doesn’t look bad, but the front’s Alfa horse-collar grille not only breaks up the line, it’s a bit too suggestive of an earlier, notorious Ford Fail.?
It’s an Edstang!
Remove the Oncas grille and install black mesh and it would look better the bonnet appears to be on the safety catch or is that a cold air intake,
The Furia is ok at a glance, not sure now if Ive seen the Jarama before or not it looks familiar.
Yeah, that horsecollar looks tacked on, I would think it would be pretty simple to remove it.
The Onca. A mini Edsel version of the original Mustang.
On the Onca, What a great car to drive to a Mustang or Alfa convention, just to watch the chins drop,
Subscribed .
-Nate
The Furia that made it’s way to the race tracks had a much better looking. It eventualy came to the streets latter in the early 80s, but in a tammed version, built over the VW Beetle plataform.
Another doppelganger of these two is the Iso Lele, designed by Gandini (who was responsible for the Jarama). Variations on a theme, if you will…
And the Jarama may be little-known but I rather like it!
It is s big joke, when somebody see two hatch and say the AlfaSud looks like the Golf or vice versa. This is the same wrong case, when you compare the Lele and the Jarama, seeing both car one near the other there us so much similarity like Golf/AlfaSud. Gandini would not make that what you say for nothing on the world. The best car designer ever made Lambo, Bertone and many more. Only he copied were the doors that he designed for the Alfa Carabo and later used fir the Countach. Don’t be all so superficial on design, and don’t say nothing, before just say something to have said…….
That Onca is really rather spectacular! It provokes an interesting parallel with the various design rip-offs some Chinese car manufacturers are selling nowadays.
Red-headed step-mule?
By the way, “Onça” is a feline animal that you know by the name of “Jaguar”… And it is pronounced as “on-suh”.
Paul,
I saw an old post of yours regarding Mitsubishi van from 1988. My boyfriend in Memphis uses his all the time and I took a picture to show you.
I read an old post of your regarding Mitsubishi 1988 vans and I wanted to send you my boyfriends in Memphis TN. He uses it all the time.
Attached is a picture of it.
Are you sure the Onça isn’t a customized Mustang?