Sigma V8: Brazilian sports car with Stock Car engine is successful in the USA.
Entering the North American market is a very difficult task for most Brazilian entrepreneurs. But some manage to get there. It happened with Ricardo and Luiz Rodrigues, owners of Sigma Sport Car.
The brothers run a small craft vehicle manufacturer that is located in Santo André, in the São Paulo metropolitan region. From there comes the Sigma V8, a car made entirely in Brazil and which is also exported to the United States – simply the birthplace of the hot rod culture.
Production (almost) 100% national
The sports car is the result of Luis and Ricardo’s decades of experience in the automotive industry and in competitions. The first prototype appeared in 2009 and already had many characteristics of the final product.
A new prototype appeared the following year with the roofless body, in the roadster style. After some modifications and the offer of a rigid roof as an option, the project was completed in 2013.
Before that, Sigma had already been very successful at the SEMA Show, the largest vehicle preparation and customization event on the planet, which takes place annually in Las Vegas, in the United States.
“We took a car there and the foreigners were in shock when they saw a replica of a hot rod from the 1930s with so many modern elements. It is a project 100% made in Brazil with noble materials, it has a very well modeled body and the brakes are very strong “, affirms Eduardo Bernasconi, founder and editorial director of Fullpower , a company specialized in events focused on the automotive market – and to whom we thank for authorizing the reproduction of the images of Luciano Falco that are in this report.
Stock Car V8
In fact, the Sigma project impresses with its level of complexity and owes nothing to American models. The body is made of fiberglass and has lines inspired by the 1934 Chevrolet coupe.
Engine and gearbox are purchased “in the box” in the United States, while the other components are manufactured in Brazil. Sigma also takes care of the production of the independent suspension systems and brakes and the various pieces of aluminum and plastic reinforced with carbon fiber.
The chassis is prepared to receive any type of V8 engine powered by additive gasoline, including a set identical to the one fitted to the Stock Car cars. It is possible to order the vehicle with manual or automatic transmission.
The alloy wheels can be 17 to 20 inches and disc brakes on all four wheels. It is possible to choose body color, chassis and interior. The independent push rod type suspension (similar to competition cars) was designed by Sigma itself.
As the production is entirely artisanal, the production time of each unit can vary from six months to one year.
The starting price of the Sigma Sport Car is approximately $ 200 thousand, but it can reach up to $ 500 thousand, depending on the configuration chosen by the customer.
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