Forbidden Beauty - The Sexy VW SP2 That Europe Wasn't Allowed to Have

They set new standards, made racing history or offered technical innovations, automotive milestones. Test driver Christoph Bauer drives the most important cars in history. In the Zeithaus of the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, there are over 100 road-worthy vintage cars with pioneering technology and revolutionary design. Today we are testing the Brazilian flagship sports car, the Volkswagen SP2, year 1976. In Brazil, there was a military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985, and the generals did not want to see foreign cars on Brazilian roads. Extremely high import duties make the import of foreign vehicles nearly impossible. Volkswagen do Brasil is one of the first and to this day one of the most important subsidiaries of the VW Group since 1953. And at the end of the 1960s, Rudolf Leiding is in charge there, who later also becomes the CEO of Audi and Volkswagen. And he dreams of launching a marketing and prestige project with a self-developed sports car. And this is the birth of Project X. The Brazilian version of the Volkswagen Type 3 serves as the technical donor. The lower mid-range sedan is technically closely related to the good old Beetle. And how do you give the solid German a South American temperament? In a record-breaking two years, a young team of designers and engineers brings the in-house development to production maturity. Although mass production is not what it can be called, the car is not intended for export. So at the beginning, just three, in peak times, a maximum of 20 vehicles roll off the line. The new sports car now goes by the name SP, reminiscence of Sao Paulo, the location of the headquarters and production facilities of Volkswagen. The total development costs of the Volkswagen SP amount to just 16 million Mark, a relatively low sum. Because most of the components come from already existing VW models, and the improvisational experts at VW do Brazil simply produce special production tools themselves. The shapely steel bodywork is crafted and welded by the Brazilian Karman plant. The cockpit of the Volkswagen SP2 truly makes sports drivers' hearts beat faster. A huge, handcrafted dashboard with a total of six instruments, small sports steering wheel, short gearstick, and extremely low-mounted leather seats that don't really provide lateral support. Doesn't matter? The steering being quite sluggish and the gears are extremely close together? Well, who cares with that look? The first sketches for the SP2 were actually created by the then VW do Brazil boss personally, and he even had his wife Helga approve them over dinner. Because with its flat nose, wedge shape, and round rear, the Latino sports car was, of course, meant to steal women's hearts. The final touches were then handled by Brazilian Marcio Piancastelli. And this sleek shark nose here with the fierce double headlights? We later also find on the German VW 412. Otherwise, the SP2 never makes the leap across the big pond, unfortunately, because the front headlights are simply too low according to European and also American standards. VW do Brazil offers the SP2 in over 40 vibrant 1970s colors, like this Laranja Otono, a cheerful autumn orange. The bright signal paint is complemented by reflective, decorative stripes. Inside, the color palette is limited to beige or black. Leather seats and a radio are available on request. Luggage goes in the rear compartment or the front trunk. The chassis, which comes from the Brazilian VW 1600, is based on the classic beetle design, and there the engine is naturally located deep in the rear, breathing through these beautiful air slots here on the side. And here it is, the air-cooled flat-four boxer engine. In this case, it has a 1.7 liter displacement and 65 horsepower. Initially, there was also the SP1 with 54 horsepower, but due to lack of demand, only about 162 units were produced. Either way, a little more power would have suited the boxer. But at least thanks to the special exhaust system, it has a pretty cool sound. The Karmann Ghia costs around 8000 DM in 1971. The SB2 costs almost twice as much. That means it is neither particularly sporty nor very affordable. And the timing wasn't great either, because in 1971, Rudolf Leiding, who is the initiator of the SB2, moves to the executive board in Wolfsburg, and there he embarks on a radical change in direction. Instead of an air- cooled rear engine, he will focus on a water-cooled front engine in the future. And the platform frame has to give way to the self-supporting body. In 1974, the VW Scirocco debuts in Germany, a more modern and significantly more refined vehicle than the beautiful but improvised SP2. With serious shortcomings such as only 28 liters of tank volume and over 12 liters of consumption, the Samba sports car remains an improvised curiosity. Well, the Volkswagen SB2 is really anything but a sophisticated mass-production model. Rather a do-it-yourself exotic. But the success is still remarkable, because between the years 1972 and 1976, 10,031 units are built, and one of them is brought to Wolfsburg by the newly appointed VW boss, Rudolf Leiding, for the birthday of his wife Helga. After all, they jointly brought their Brazilian baby out of the cradle. Among experts, the SP2 is still considered the most beautiful Volkswagen with an air-cooled rear engine. In that sense, absolutely clear. The SP2 is definitely a milestone in automotive history. Its planned water-cooled successor, SP3, only reaches the prototype stage. And today, the Volkswagen SP2 carries the reputation of a genuine exotic car. Rust issues mercilessly wiped out the majority of these Brazilian dream cars.