Brazilians planning return of the Interlagos

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Renault

click above to view more high-res images of the Interlagos

Only the most well versed automotive cognoscenti will remember the Interlagos, a car produced by Willys-Overland in the mid-'60s based on the Renault Alpine 108. Named after the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the original car was a fiber glass-bodied sports car that sold 800 units during a period of two years ending in 1966. Two Brazilian designers by the name of Joao Paulo Cunha Melo and Felipe Guimaraes Coelho have plans to revive the Interlagos with a new design for a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive, mid-engine sports car. It would be powered by Renault's 2.0L four-cylinder producing 142bhp mated to a six-speed manual. While no production plans are set, the two Brazilian designers hope to find a backer that can make the new Interlagos a reality and fund its export to other markets besides Brazil. Their design is simple, elegant even, like a Lotus Europa crossed with a modern day Noble. And like the Noble, if the Brazilians do find funding, the new Interlagos could come to the U.S. as a rolling chassis that requires a drivetrain, thereby skirting the whole safety and emissions requirements imposed upon vehicles sold fully assembled in this country.

Check out renderings of the Interlagos design in our gallery below, and view the original car and new one together in a video after the jump. (WARNING: The video auto plays as soon as the page loads.)

[Source: Wide Industrial Design via World Car Fans]

Gallery: WID Interlagos

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