Brazilian heat, The Volkswagen Saveiro Summer

Photography and Words: Leonardo Silva   | Owner: Diego | 

Location :Belo Horizonte / MG-BrazilCar

Do you know the phrase “Save the Squares”? If you are from Brazil, you certainly know what I am talking about, otherwise I will explain. 

In 1976 the Volkswagen factory started work with the series production of parts for the Kombi and the Beetle. Some years later, the production of vehicles officially started with the classic assembly of the classic VW Passat and, after another four years, the Gol appeared in Brazil. At that time of 1980, variations of the Gol began to appear using the same platform, such as the Passat, Voyage (sedan), Gol (hatch), Parati (Wagon) and in 1982 the Saveiro (pick-up) appeared. It became the dream of many teenagers at the time, due to their sports versions such as the VW Gol GTS and Gol GTi that had a 2.0 High Performance (AP) engine, the Passat Pointer and Voyage Super that had 1.6 and 1.8 engines and versions of the 1990 to 2000 had a 2.0 engine. All of these cars are still produced by Volkswagen today, but the old models (80s and 90s) are the most sought after by enthusiasts from all over Brazil and even the world. And with that Saveiro could not be different.

Several versions were launched during these years, but there is one in particular that many Brazilian’s are fascinated with, Saveiro Summer! But what is so special about Summer? Saveiro Summer, was produced in 1995, and was limited to 400 units. It brought some standard items such as tinted green windows, the gradient windshield, foggy front lights, rearview mirrors with internal adjustment control, 14-inch alloy wheels. It also had a tubular bucket protector, side air deflector and period correct Summer logo. The interior featured a leather steering wheel, heating and exclusive patterns for the model. Thus, I bring here one of the most beautiful and rare models in its assembly in Brazil, the VW Saveiro Summer by Diego (@summer_vwstreet) that tells us a little of its history that this is already his third Saveiro truck.

“Do you know that dream of a boy in love with a car?? It is what this Saveiro represents to me ”

 Finding this year's model in a good state of repair is not a very easy task, it took years of searching and efforts to find a model that pleased him most. When Diego saw the car, it was love at first sight and the result could not be different, the Saveiro was too short for him.

The car is a Saveiro Summer 1996 in Nice Pearl Green color with 1.8 AP (Higher Performance) engine, the coveted Recaro seats and Quatro Bolas steering wheel. The structure was good, but a bit untidy so it was necessary to put some work into the project. The first step was to take care of the bodywork, where the painting crystallization process was carried out, which transformed the truck, gave it a shine and brought to life the shine of when it was manufactured.

Then, the 8” wide wheels of the Rodera brand began. 

“Deep down I knew that the wheels were not for her, it was then that I had the idea of looking for professionals to make the larger splits on the original wheels” 

who was not looking for much satisfaction and wanted a different project. After some time of searching, Diego found a team in another state in Brazil that could perform the job perfectly and the result was exceptional. The Saveiro is currently mounted with the 2 piece splits. 8” on the front wheels and 9” on the rear wheels. The project brought only joy and is a true machine for making friends and admirers, as it draws attention wherever it goes and there is no one person who does not take a look at it. The car is up to date with the original engine, but soon a turbo kit will be installed that will yield some more horsepower. Despite its age, the square look of Saveiro Summer stands out among cars with rounded designs, with its very peculiar green colour and a set of wheels that are simply exclusive.