Due to the lack of support from the Government, the 14 companies that were designing cars had to close, a few years after their foundation.

Currently, new Portuguese car brands are starting to emerge, such as Adamastor or Veeco, but in this article, we look back at some of the historic car brands from Portugal.

Alba

This car was produced for a couple of years, between 1952 and 1954, in Albergaria-a-Velha, in the district of Aveiro. There is a unit in exposition in Museu do Caramulo, in Tondela, placed in the district of Viseu. It is thought that only three units of this car were produced, which is considered by many as one of the most beautiful cars ever made in Portugal.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

With a power equivalent to 90 horses and only four gears, the car could peak at 200 km/hour of maximum speed.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

OLDA

The brand was based in Águeda, once again in the district of Aveiro. The car started to be produced in 1954 and was acclaimed as the king of races, due to its construction. The car was aimed at driving races, with Joaquim Correia de Oliveira as its first driver.

The car had a power equivalent to 80 horses with a maximum speed registered of 165 km/h.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

Sado

The company only produced a single model of this car, which can be compared to the small city cars people drive nowadays. Sado was designed during the late ’70s, having started to be sold in 1982. The car cost 260.000 escudos, which can be converted to approximately 1.296 euros. The first 50 units were sold very quickly, with some people having to wait months to take ownership of their dream car.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

It had the power of 28 horses, and, similarly to the other, a gearbox with four different gears, and could reach 110 km/h as its maximum speed.


Felcom

This model is the oldest car ever registered to exist in Portugal. Its construction dates back to 1933, by Eduardo Carvalho. Little is known about this vehicle, but it is known that it was designed with pieces from Ford A and Turcat-Méry.

The use of other brands' engine pieces helped the car to reach 160 km/h of maximum speed, which was extremely rare, as the car was designed during the 1930s.

*Image: main picture*

AGB IPA

The vehicle was presented in 1958, during the annual industry fair. It was considered a revolutionary car, not only by the design, with rounder features, when compared to other models, but also for having two versions: a two and four-seat version of the car.

There were only produced five units of this car produced.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

Where can they be seen?

All the cars mentioned may be seen in Museu do Caramulo, in Tondela, in the district of Viseu.

And you? Have you ever seen one of these cars?


Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos