logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
9m 34s

The car that charmed Brazil

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Since its launch in the 1950s, the Brazilian version of the VW Beetle has had a special place in the nation's heart. Cheap, charismatic and virtually indestructible, it was many Brazilians' first car and is affectionately known as the Fusca.

The Fusca played a key role in the development of Brazil's economically and politically vital national car industry.

In 2014, Candace Piette spoke to two Fusca superfans, Silio Boccanera and Edivaldo Fernandes.

(Photo: A Fusca in the colonial town of Paraty. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
The man who said ‘no’ to Disney
In 1941, Walt Disney made a tempting offer to a fellow pioneer of the animation industry, Quirino Cristiani - the author of the first animated feature film.Cristiani was an Italian immigrant raised in Argentina who built a career creating animated political satires in the early d ... Show More
9m 55s
Jul 10
Ni Una Menos women’s movement in Argentina
On 3 June 2015, tens of thousands of people gathered in the capital, Buenos Aires, and in dozens of cities and towns demanding an end to violence against women. There were demonstrations in Chile and Uruguay in solidarity too. Argentina was reporting a female murder rate of one e ... Show More
9m 31s
Jul 9
Argentina’s national genetics bank created to identify stolen babies
In 1982, Argentine geneticist Victor Penchaszadeh was living in exile in New York when he received a call that would change the course of his career. Two founding members of the campaign group, the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, were asking for his help to find their kidnappe ... Show More
10m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
Brazil
Stories from Brazil, ahead of the presidential election in October, including the murder of Tim Lopes, the hero of Brazilian democracy and the Candelaria Massacre. Plus the creation of the capital, Brasilia, and the history of the Fusca - the car that charmed Brazil. This program ... Show More
51m 22s
Jan 2021
History of Brazil Soccer
Soccer in brazil, before the country start becoming one of the best when it comes to game of sports, wasn't so famous, but after the hard work which later becoming the building block of soccer in brazil 
4m 21s
Jun 2022
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini | Die Geburt einer Lamborghini-Ikone | 2
1970 will Ferruccio Lamborghini seinen Erzrivalen Enzo Ferrari unbedingt ausstechen. Die beiden Fabriken liegen nur 30 Kilometer voneinander entfernt, im Norden Italiens. Lamborghini wirbt von Ferrari einen der besten Designer ab und beauftragt ihn, einen echten Hingucker und wir ... Show More
27m 15s
Apr 2019
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini - Supercar Speed Freaks | 3
It is 1997. For decades, Lamborghini has struggled to survive as a company, and to compete with its nemesis Ferrari. All that is about to change. Volkswagen buys Lambo and injects it with cash and bulletproof German engineering. For the first time ever, Lamborghini can finally co ... Show More
22m 54s
Apr 2019
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini - Lamborghini Spawns an Icon | 2
It’s 1970. At his factory in Italy, Ferruccio Lamborghini is desperate to build a car that can outdo his rival, Enzo Ferrari, whose Ferrari factory is just 20 miles away. With the help of genius designers and engineers, Lamborghini comes up with what many car fans still today cal ... Show More
27m 38s
May 2023
Ferrari vs Lamborghini | Naissance d’une îcone | 2
Nous sommes dans les années 1970. Dans son usine italienne, Ferruccio Lamborghini cherche désespérément à mettre au point une voiture qui pourait surpasser les modèles de son grand rival, Enzo Ferrari, dont l'usine est située à quelques kilomètres. Avec l'aide de concepteurs et d ... Show More
27m 51s
Dec 2021
The Last Shelby Cobra
Kevin and Willie welcome the “Father of the Ford GT” Chris Theodore for a special extended conversation chronicling his remarkable career in the automotive industry. The “engineer’s engineer,” Theodore has been a driving force behind some of the greatest vehicles of the 20th Cent ... Show More
1 h