Hofstetter Turbo
| Hofstetter Turbo | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Hofstetter |
| Also called | Hofstetter Cortada (1989–1991) |
| Production | 18 |
| Designer | Mario R Hofstetter |
The Hofstetter Turbo is a car created in the 1980s by Mario Richard Hofstetter, inspired by the Bertone Carabo, a show car of the '70s. In 1980 Hofstetter pulled out his drawing paper and started to draw a prototype of the car. Mario Hofstetter also made this car at this time because the Brazilian government was very strict and didn't allow many imports into Brazil. In 1982 he started to put the mid-engined car together with some other workers, and began the Hofstetter company in 1984. Mario Hofstetter only was able to sell 18 cars throughout (1989–1991). A variety of different Volkswagen engines were available, some turbocharged.
The engine used in the car was a 1.8 litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated engine that was created from the Volkswagen AP Block. The original plan was to build a 2.0 litre engine but due to the thin walls surrounding the cylinders, the Garrett Turbo that was planned to be fitted could have easily damaged the engine and would have forced excessive amounts of pressure into the internal chambers, therefore the 1.8 litre was used. The transmission was a four-speed manual gear box. In first gear the car could exceed 70km/h at 6000rpm due to the strong turbo and could maintain a top speed of 215km/h. The car exterior was created from fibreglass and has a beige leather interior.