Click above for high-res gallery of the TAC Stark
For those looking to tackle the Brazilian Amazon, your vehicle has arrived. Well, almost. The TAC Stark was scheduled to debut last year, but supplier setbacks forced the upstart Brazilian automaker to push back the launch of its first product until next year.
The TAC Stark is a small Jeep-like truck that looks like a cross between a Wrangler and a dune buggy. Its Volkswagen-sourced engine is mounted in front of the cabin but in between the axles for optimum balance, and produces a little over 100 hp from either gasoline or ethanol. If it had made it to market on time, the TAC Stark would have been the first off-roader to boast that particular flex-fuel ability, but the Mitsubishi Pajero TR4 beat it to the punch. Not to worry, though, as there's plenty else to set the Stark apart from local competition. The quizzically engaging design is crafted out of composite body panels over a tubular chassis with an independent double-wishbone suspension, Eaton five-speed transmission and BorgWarner transfer case. It measures a bit over four meters long with a two-and-a-half meter wheelbase and barely tips the scales at 1300 kg.
The vehicle will begin delivery through five Brazilian dealerships next year for the equivalent of about $41k, including the 30% purchase tax on new vehicles in Brazil. Assuming all goes according to plan, TAC hopes to begin exporting the Stark as soon as 2012. In the meantime, you can check out the images in the gallery below.
[Source: TAC (Portugese) via World Car Fans]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
B-NOIT @ Mar 17th 2008 8:23AM
$41k? I don't know much about the Brazilian auto industry, but I wonder if there is a market for such an expensive dune buggy...
James @ Mar 17th 2008 9:25AM
$41,000 including the 30% purchase tax. It says this in the article. You can't really compare prices that way in other countries
For example, the two best selling sedans in Brazil, the Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla start at about R$60,000 with taxes, which is about US$35,000.
geo.stewart @ Mar 17th 2008 10:39AM
okay, at 75% of the cost of a corolla, this is a no brainer for the jeep fan.
to the us market, you are talking about a 10K off-roader.
doesnt exist currently. its almost throwaway easy.
sweet
500 @ Mar 17th 2008 10:58AM
30% purchase tax on automobiles? No wonder the Brazilians are all moving here!
James @ Mar 17th 2008 8:59AM
A Wrangler and a second gen Tiburon meet in a bar... 9 months later, the Stark.
SPG @ Mar 17th 2008 9:53AM
With a dash of "Smart ForTwo".
1337 @ Mar 17th 2008 1:15PM
I'd say a an Isuzu Vehicross and a Suzuki X90, but same idea.
SPG @ Mar 17th 2008 9:54AM
A fun and bizzare looking little trucklet.
Some interior photos would of been nice.
Das Boese @ Mar 17th 2008 12:01PM
Hmmm. I like dune buggies, and I like Jeeps... this thing rocks! I'd probably take off the doors for authentic buggyness though XD
Tube frame chassis sounds very mod-friendly... it'd be cool to have a removable roof and back cover, kinda like the Hummer HX. The rest, drivetrain, suspension and all sounds very good.
Adam @ Mar 17th 2008 2:49PM
Being brazilian and currently living in the US I find car prices in Brazil to be horrific, for example, a Honda CR-V in Brazil's currency is R$115,000 which is US$64,000ish cars like the Ford Explorer range about US$100,000, but the car looks like it is going to be very sucessful because it is a mini SUV and due to gas prices and the price of SUVs people don't have much options. The only popular mini SUV in Brazil is the Ford ECOsport, about R$80,000 in US$40,000ish. I thought I'd never see the day that a there would be a brazilian auto maker.
kudos for the Car
geoff @ Mar 17th 2008 4:43PM
Maybe if it came with strong solid axles (front and rear) with differential locks (front and rear) and more ground clearance (or easily increased by the end-user), it would be a worthy 4x4. But as it is, it's nothing more than the usual mall-crawler junk that modern auto manufacturers dump on the market.
Why can't someone besides Jeep produce an affordable vehicle that's actually designed for off-road abuse? Suzuki proved when they released the Samurai that an affordable, solid-axle 4x4 will sell like hotcakes and will quickly become a cult classic. The world has enough RAV4's and CR-V's and Subaru's crawling the malls already! How about something to actually compete with the Wrangler?
Mi key @ Mar 17th 2008 8:49PM
Another rumor about another Brazilian Car that we won't see.