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| The Dankar Squalo |
Dankar Indústria e Comércio de Veículos Ltda. was a small manufacturer of limited production cars in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They produced two original models in small quantities, in the early 1980s. The company acquired a firm called "Squalo Indústria e Comércio de Veículos", which had presented an unprecedented coupe on the Volkswagen Brasilia platform, named the "Squalo A", in 1979.
Upon taking over the company's management in 1980, Dankar maintained the vehicle's brand, but soon revised the Squalo's architecture. They designed their own bespoke chassis that used Passat TS mechanicals, with the AP 1600 engine mounted in a mid-rear position, driving the rear wheels. This was a significant improvement in the car's performance, giving it some grunt to match its stylish exterior.
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| The Dankar Squalo, at rear |
Disc brakes were used at all four corners. The suspension was completely independent, the front by torsion bars (from Brasilia) and the rear McPherson struts (using the front set of the Passat). It also had a bespoke radiator, with two electric fans, located in the front of the car.
The bodywork, molded in fiberglass-reinforced plastic, had rectangular pop-up headlights (via the Fiat 147), electric laminated windows and thermal rear glass (VW Passat); the wipers tucked behind the hood when out of use. Affixed to the molded bumper (painted in matte black), a rubber strip protected the front.
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| The Dankar Squalo interior, shown among other Brazilian classics in a private collection |
The well finished interior had wood panels, full instrumentation, center console, air conditioning, a leather-coated steering wheel, shell-like sports seats also in leather, and three-point seat belts.
The design bore certain similarity to the rear profile of the Puma (which was used in the preparation of molds for the Squalo bodies). With the revised car, the only potential flaw in the car's styling was soon remedied: the fake and unnecessary air intakes in the rear quarters were replaced by functional grilles, which aerodynamically exhausted hot air accumulated inside the cab. Initially painted black, these grilles came in body color, from 1981 on.
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| Advertising material for the Dankar Squalo - "Squalo. A beautiful sportscar with luxury and performance" |
Dankar's time in business was brief, as is often the case among small manufacturers. Less than three dozen Squalo coupes, including two exported units, were built.
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| The Dankar Squalo, in profile |
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| Advertising material for the Dankar Squalo |
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| The Dankar Squalo, rear 3/4 view |
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The Dankar Squalo with pop-up headlights on and rear hatch open.
Note the painted "bumper" and fog lights integrated in its front fascia |
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The Dankar Squalo, shown among other Brazilian classics in a private collection
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The Dankar Squalo, in a private collection
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| The Dankar Squalo, at rear, in a private collection |
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| The Dankar Squalo |
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| The Dankar Squalo, in racing tune |
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| An example of the Dankar Squalo built for racing |
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| The Dankar Squalo racecar, at front |
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The engine bay of a Dankar Squalo based racecrar.
Note the crossmember between the strut towers |
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| The Dankar Squalo |
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| The Dankar Squalo, front and rear. Note the pop-up headlights |
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| The Dankar Squalo, dashboard and rear view |
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| A Dankar Squalo, with removable roof panel(s) |
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