The middle of the last century was quite a boom for the Brazilian automotive industry, especially in competitions. In the 1960s, brands such as DKW-Vemag, Willys-Overland, Simca, among others, battled it out on racetracks and tracks throughout the country.
Speed was a common theme, but few cars of the time represented this as purely as the Carcará, and probably few ended up having such a cruel fate.
The curious thing here is that, at least in its conception, this prototype was not created to “race” with opponents in races. Its function was to be fast, yes, but for another purpose: to be the first Brazilian record holder in absolute speed.
**TEAM OF STARS**
Mentioning here the team involved, directly and indirectly, in the creation of the car will probably make this post load more slowly, such is the weight of the line-up. But let’s get to it: the base was a Formula Junior, a single-seater “cigar” built in partnership by driver Chico Landi and designer Toni Bianco for a category that didn’t do well in Brazil.
A body that resembled a spaceship was built on the structure of this single-seater. The work of legendary designer Anísio Campos, the goal here was to be light, the material used was aluminum, and aerodynamic, something evidenced by the faired wheels and the predominance of flat lines.
Coordinating the project was Jorge Lettry, who became famous as head of the DKW-Vemag racing department. Interestingly, the speed record would be the last feat of this department, whose closure was already scheduled for June 30, 1966, one of the consequences of the purchase of Auto Union, the German brand “parent” of DKW, by Volkswagen in 1965.
The car, in turn, was produced in Matão, in the interior of São Paulo. The job was done by Rino Malzoni, another legend of Brazilian automation, one of the partners of Puma and creator of icons of the Brazilian automotive industry, such as the DKW GT Malzoni.
The engine was a DKW block with a cubic capacity increased to 1,089 cm³ (a 1.0 engine, therefore), capable of producing 105 hp at 5,800 rpm. To get an idea of what this means, just remember that a Volkswagen up! TSi, which also uses a 1.0 engine, needs direct injection and turbo to achieve the same 105 hp. The “magic” was done by the legendary engine tuner Miguel Crispim.
**SCARE AND RECORD**
With the car ready, it was time to try to break the record. The location chosen for this was a stretch of about five kilometers of the Rio-Santos Highway in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, currently called Avenida das Américas. It would be closed for a few hours between June 28th and 29th exclusively for the record attempt, something unthinkable today.
At the wheel of the car was Mário César de Camargo Filho, known as Marinho, who was then a driver for the DKW-Vemag team. However, some stability problems with the car at high speeds forced him to give up the venture. Norman Casari, also a driver for the team, took his place. The instability was partially solved with a creative measure: replacing the radial front tires with bias-ply models, which were less responsive. The parts were taken from a Vemaguet station wagon owned by journalist Bob Sharp, who at the time was a DKW employee and also a driver. It was an improvised effort with a high degree of risk, since the tires were approved for speeds of up to 150 km/h (93.2 mph). The record came on the second day of testing: an average speed of 213 km/h (132.35 mph) as a result of two passes, each in one direction. The expectation was to reach 230 km/h (142.91 mph), but an engine problem ended up limiting its performance.
**SAD END**
Such an iconic car deserved to be on display in a museum, right? Well, unfortunately that’s not what happened.
Bob Sharp tells the story.
“The Carcará ‘became pots and pans. Let me explain: when Vemag ended production in November 1967, it gave the Carcará to Norman Casari. Norman dismantled it to use the chassis in a sports prototype that used a rear-central engine from a Ford Galaxie, with 4.5 liters. The body, all made of aluminum, was given to Gerry Cunningham, from Glaspac, where it was stored,” he says.
Being dismantled, however, would be just one part of the Carcará’s sad end.
“One day, the Glaspac warehouses were cleaned out and one of them contained the bodywork, which was taken away as scrap. We never knew what happened to it, but the probability, 99%, I would say, is that it ended up in pots and pans,” adds Sharp.
Its record lasted longer than the Carcará itself: it lasted until October 2005, when it was broken by Thiago Jorge and his 350 hp Gol 1.0, which achieved an average speed of 219.1 km/h (136.14 mph) on the Imigrantes and Anchieta highways in São Paulo.
**THE CARCARÁ’S MARK**
The record set by the Carcará is not very significant when compared to those already set abroad, within or outside the class. The international record for engines from 750 cc to 1,100 cc, in the case of the Carcará, is 327.6 km/h (203.56 mph), and was set by Major Gardner, driving an MG with a compressor, in 1939. Craig Breedlove, however, has already driven at 965 km/h (599.623 mph), in a free-powered machine to set a world record. But in Brazil and South America, no one had made a similar attempt and recorded a speed higher than the Carcará. That is why Vemag’s pioneering attempt acquires significance. And it will represent an extraordinary stimulus for other brands to make their attempts.
**THE CARCARÁ IN THE NEWER PICTURES IS A REPLICA.**
SOURCES
1: https://www.uol.com.br/carros/noticias/redacao/2021/04/29/de-mais-rapido-do-brasil-a-panela-conheca-a-historia-do-iconico-carcara.htm
2: https://dkw.com.br/carcara/
