Note: Not the same car, just showing what the nose looks like.
Brazil is where you go to see tiny pickups based on small cars and hopped-up Ford Mavericks, isn’t it? Well, true…but Brazil has also made their own cars at one point or another, usually through a foreign brand like DKW, Volkswagen or Chevrolet. Then there is the Puma brand…arising from the DKW Malzoni, the Puma brand wound up rooted with Volkswagen after they bought out DKW. Most Pumas are based on either the VW Karmann Ghia or the Brasilia, but then there’s the GTB. These were front-engined, larger than the typical Puma, and packed a Chevrolet 250ci inline-six. Based on the Chevrolet Opala, the GTB was the most expensive car you could buy in Brazil for years
It’s not common to see a Puma anywhere, let alone outside of Brazil, but this 1982 model is in Victoria, Australia and has been…tweaked some. Overall, the GTB looks factory fresh and in great condition, but under the hood the six has been jetted in favor of a Chevrolet 327. You’ll be rowing your own gears in this fiberglass beauty and you’ll be enjoying the layout of a high-end car…Puma really put the GTB on a pedestal and threw the kitchen sink at the interior. 
So why throw the trust fund at this car? Rarity. There were less than 1,600 made between 1973 and 1984 and who knows how many are out there. There might be one example in the United States, maybe. It’s a car that will without a doubt leave many scratching their heads and wondering, “What the hell is that thing?” And it should be a hoot to drive, being fairly light and fairly powerful.
JustAuto.com.au Link: 1982 Puma GTB/S2
Beautiful car – all it needs is a Coyote motor transplant….
I love it! Now I’ll be searching the interwebs for cheap used Pumas.
I remember seeing some rear VW engine Pumas at the local Volkswagen dealer hear in Toronto about 38 years ago. It even looked a little like this car, some of the same design elements
This ones a real beauty!