Porridgehead Part III -- FNM Onca

[porridgehead]

Here we have a lovely bit of confusion. Apparently a bunch of designers splurged on a five martini lunch and the next thing you know they spent the afternoon flitting about the studio scribbling on each other's projects, adding this, subtracting that, a grille from here, trim from there. Luckily they looked at the chaos the next morning and, after decisively snuffing out their Chesterfields in a huff, destroyed all their work from the prior day. Except for one. This one.

So be forwarned, although it may look like something, that may well be the very thing that it absolutely isn't. 

Or quite possibly maybe not.

One can never be certain about these things, whatever these things may turn out to be.

Oh, and when I mentioned the 'lovely bit of confusion' in the first sentence, I was referring to this description, not the car. Just wanted to clear that up.

Man, I gotta lay off the Happy Bunny Spaz Juice. *burp*

[Tifosi]

It's the result of an Alfa and a Mustang watching Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo on an in-garage home theatre system...


Dan

[porridgehead]

It certainly would appear that way. But who would do such a thing? And why? And where?

[MG]

Dang, that has GOT to be the roof line of a Series One Mustang Coupe, no?  If its not, it is a damn close copy.

Lessee....Ford used to use Ghia for certain projects, so its a Ghia design exercise on Moustang bits. The Alfalfa grille was just there to throw off the automotive press!   

Or maybe it was a Falcon study designed to test the waters for a "Grand Touring" version of that lowly conveyance?   

[Allan L]

Glas?
i.e. a car made by Hans Glas GmbH of Dingolfing, now BMW's largest factory

[SeaLion]

The wheels have just 3 bolts each. So it is probably something based on a Renault. Perhaps the engine is in the rear. Maybe the car is from somewhere in Latin-America. Could it be an argentinian IKA-Renault (also called Kaiser Renault)?

[porridgehead]

Not a Glas.

I'm guilty of misdirection here. This car is exactly what it appears to be, but it was not marketed under either of the names of those marques.

[SeaLion]

It is the brasilian FNM Onça. FNM was the brasilian part of Alfa Romeo, and the Onça had DKW Vemag underpinnings, hence the 3-bolt wheels.

[porridgehead]

Correctumundo! It is indeed a FNM, a seemingly unholy alliance resulting in an Alford.

I gotta admit that the FNM logo is pretty durn cool.



And a rear view of the Onça.

[porridgehead]

Oh, and by the by, since the Porridgehead posts are not official, I cannot help you on your way towards pro status. However, I give karma to anybody who guesses, knows, divines or otherwise correctly identifies one of my offerings. So you got that going for you.

Gunga-galunga

Or something like that.

And with that, onward we go to number 4.

[Tifosi]

Were there any Ford stampings used, or was the Mustang look just a coincidence, or maybe a copy?


Dan

[porridgehead]

Excellent question and one I was hoping nobody would ask.

(For the sake of clarity, the following is fairly serious. The facts, as far as I can tell, are accurate. I'm stating this here so MG won't get confused.  )

The Onca did not utilize any Mustang parts, as far as I can discern. The resemblence was not coincidental, however. The Mustang was very popular at that time and FNM wanted to cash in on the look, albeit combined with an Alfa engine and FNM's own chassis. The body is fiberglass, and may very well have been created from a mold pulled from a real Mustang. The chassis was from a Brazilian JK 2000. Very few were made.

Truly it was an original Italian Stallion


(sorry 'bout that)

[Tifosi]

Thanks.  Truly a bizzarre but fascinating car...


Dan

[Otto Puzzell]

I have an owey my eye.