Price upon request
Take a look at the Gallery after the video and experience Automoto!
Summary
- Meeting with the journalist Jean-Pierre Gagick
- Road trip with a VW kombi from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro
- Filming on the picturesque streets of Paraty
- Visit the restoration shops in São Paulo
Meeting With the Journalist Jean-Pierre Gagick (TF1)
We received a phone call from Jean-Pierre Gagick a few weeks ago in preparation for the filming of Automoto on 16/04/2017. A report on Volkswagen in Brazil couldn’t be limited to only modern vehicles and we were asked to open the kombi Volkswagen doors to the TF1 cameras. We couldn’t refuse the invitation, naturally.
More than 300.000 Kombi T1 Splits were produced in Brazil. Including the T2 Bay Window models, that makes more than 1,6 million kombis of Brazilian origin. In the market of collector vehicles, Brazil is one of the biggest exporters of these legendary micro-buses. Moreover, locally made or original spare parts are easily accessible and customizing or restoring T1 and T2s in specialized workshops, with quality handiwork is available at attractive prices
Cyprien Hoffet from www.combibresil.com accompanied the Automoto team over two exceptional days on the coast of Rio de Janeiro and in specialized workshops in São Paulo.
Road Trip in a VW Kombi between São Paulo et Rio de Janeiro
Heading to Paraty
We met up at dawn at a small gas station in the outskirts of São Paulo with Thiago, the owner of the Kombi T1 loaned to us for the filming of Automoto.
It’s 6 in the morning, in the scorching sun, the day ahead looks good. We filled the tanks and took off!
After three hours on the highway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, we headed towards Cunha, a small town in the mountains of Serra do Mar, a mountain range that overhangs the coasts of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
We still had about 100 km to meet up with the Automoto team in Paraty, which is also written Parati. The word comes from the Tupi language, the same name of the indigenous tribe from the region.
The sun was strong and the engine started to overheat. April is in the fall in Brazil, but the heat was still noticeable. Before going down towards Paraty, we decided to take a small break at the waterfalls; Cachoeira do Pimenta et Cachoeira do Desterro.
We met up at 12 pm with Automoto. At the moment we hadn’t skipped a beat
We hit the road again…
Taking the Cunha route towards Paraty is always a great pleasure. The landscape is vivid and our eyes were always filled with great views!
Going down the Serra do Mar towards Paraty
And then …pfffff… a flat tire!
No worries! Thiago had everything he needed to change the tire. The cameras were turned towards Combi Kombi so being late wasn’t an option!
Arrival at Paraty!! Cyprien couldn’t hide his joy… But we were definitely spoiled. A strong vibrant sun welcomed us to this magnificent colonial town. Paraty is an exceptional cultural center, located on the Rio de Janeiro coast line “in the Bay of 365 islands”.
We parked “Katarina” in the shade, she had quite the drive! in Brazil, Kombi is feminine (uma kombi, in Portuguese).
Filming on the Picturesque Roads of Paraty
Now work begins! Jean-Pierre Gagick, the journalist from Automoto and Yann the cameraman don’t waist a second! The Kombi T1 Split that was provided to us appears on the screen along with the newest edition of the VW Saveiro, the compact pick-up derived from the Volkswagen Brazil Gol.
The first shots are taken in front of the hotel, facing the sea. Filming continues all day in the town, then on the coastal road back towards São Paulo. On the beaten path, cameras on board and drone in hand!
See all the pictures of the filming…
Visiting the Restoration Workshops in São Paulo
The second day of filming took place at Rizzo, a restorer specialized in T1 and T2 Kombis with whom we work. The visit starts in a work shop where the restoration and customization. jobs take place. Then we visited a hanger where Kombis are stocked that will be restored in the next weeks for out clients. We are quite discrete about the location, since there is a small fortune there.
See the photos behind our exclusive visit.
To know more
See many vehicles of Brazilian origin for sale on our site: combibresil.com. Kombi T1 Split, Kombi T2 Bay Windows, Karmann Ghia, PUMA GT and other old available vehicles that will import to Europe in 4 weeks.
Port to port delivery with all charges included, and required documentation!
