FNM
were also interested in producing their own unique models.
This resulted in the Onça, the unabashed Ford Mustang
look-alike. The Onça resulted after Genaro “Rino”
Malzoni, creator of the Brazilian GT Malzoni and Cougar, was
invited by FNM to work on a sportscar project using the
mechanicals of the FNM-2000.
The
Onça name refers to the largest wild cat in the Panthera
family (Jaguar), and lives practically all over Brazil. By referring
to the most feared wild animal in Brazil, the car had to
live up to its name and came equipped with a tuned Duemila
engine with 20 bhp extra, leather upholstery and a Walrod
sports steering wheel.
Whereas
the Onça’s heavy styling took most of its cues from the
1964 Mustang, it also had a hint of Bertone GT in the nose.
The
Onça was hand-crafted and limited production only, with
Rino producing the bodies in Matão city, Sao Paulo.
However, the car’s production was to be brief, with
production stopping the following year, and with less than
ten examples ever being built it has remained a true rarity
to this day.
A high
performance version of the FNM-2000 modelo JK was also
launched in 1966 as the FNM-2000 TIMB (Turismo Internacional
Modelo Brasileiro).
In
1968, the majority of FNM’s shares were sold to Alfa Romeo
for US$ 36 million. It was in this year when Alfa decided to
modernise the FNM-2000 by increasing the cylinder capacity to
2.131 cc and facelift the nose. The car, which was by the
time severely dated in all aspects, was marketed as the
2150.
The
2150 also marked the
birth of another odd coupé. Called the Furia GT 2150 (see
scrapbook for images), the coupé was designed by Brazilian
designer Tony Bianco. The project was initiated by the FNM concessionaire
in Sao Paulo, and a few examples were hand-built by the
Caminhonauto coachworks. The car was presented at the 1972
Motor Show, and helped generate some interest in the ageing
2150 saloon.
By the
early ‘70s, Fiat started to play an increasingly dominant
role at the FNM factory. Alfa Romeo started assembling Fiat
trucks at the FNM plant in around 1970, which at the time
was producing about 3.000 trucks a year. In 1973 Alfa Romeo’s
43% shareholding in FNM was sold on to Fiat.
It was
around this time also that Alfa Romeo decided to introduce a
new car, as the FNM 2150 was hardly a product to be proud
of.
