Gurgel Model History

Brazil · founded 1969

Brazil's most ambitious independent automaker (1969–1996) — builders of fiberglass off-roaders, the Plasteel Xavante, and the BR-800, the first wholly Brazilian-engineered car.

Models

Ipanema

Gurgel's founding model — a fiberglass-bodied dune buggy on the VW Beetle platform that launched the company in 1969.

Dune buggy · 1969–1973
Xavante (X-10 / X-11 / X-12)

Gurgel's defining nameplate — a Plasteel-bodied off-roader that became the company's greatest commercial success and was exported to 40 countries as the Tocantins.

Off-road vehicle · 1973–1995
Carajás

A full-size Brazilian SUV that became the country's best-selling SUV — discontinued in 1991 as import competition arrived, available on order until Gurgel's 1994 bankruptcy.

SUV · 1984–1994
BR-800

Brazil's first wholly domestically engineered automobile — unveiled on Brazilian Independence Day 1987, powered by Gurgel's own bi-cylinder Enertron engine.

City car · 1988–1992
Supermini

The improved successor to the BR-800 — better finished, more powerful, and stronger, produced until Gurgel's bankruptcy in 1994.

City car · 1992–1994

Other makes