﹒1600cc VW flat-four engine
﹒Believed to be the only unit in the EU, let alone the UK
﹒Very low miles
﹒Recent recomission

Now here really is an unusual beast – a legend on two wheels and one of the motorcycle world’s most intriguing white elephants.

The Amazonas was Brazil’s first and only domestically produced and made motorcycle, made all the more interesting by its VW powertrain. If you’re looking for something unique to take to a Volkswagen event, you’ve found it. There’ll not be another.

Introduced in 1977, the original Amazonas was the brainchild of Brazilian inventor and customiser, Daniel Rodrigues, a mechanic from São Paulo. He’d read in the newspapers about a crisis faced by the Brazilian police force as a result of the then dictatorship’s import tariffs making it impossible to replace the existing fleet of 1950s Harley Davidsons, which were on their last legs.

His idea was to design a rugged, reliable, heavy-duty motorcycle for the police using Brazilian-made parts and home-sourced ingenuity. To meet the needs of the police the bike would have to be fast, easy to maintain, and able to stand up to punishment. First, he started a company called Amazonas Motocicletas Especiais, Ltda (AME) to produce his bikes, then he went looking for parts. 

The answer came from VW, which has been building cars in Brazil since 1953. With its low centre of gravity and reputation for durability, the VW flat-four engine from the Beetle was just the ticket – easy to maintain and inexpensive. 

Even a VW four-speed gearbox was used, complete with reverse – unusual on a motorcycle, but useful on one this heavy – while other parts bin bits included Ford brakes and lighting components.

It may have been a bit of a lash-up, but the Amazonas became the municipal motorcycle of choice for authorities across Brazil, despite being ungainly to look at and almost as heavy as a Mini. 

Today, it’s a wonderful curio. A legend in Brazil not for its brilliance (it didn’t really have any) but for its iconography, and unheard of in most other countries, the VW-engined bike is a fascinating vehicle and in the case of this example would be a unique talking point at any VW or motorcycle show.

The Amazonas is believed to be the only one in Europe, let alone the UK, and was returned to the road this year after spending 20 years laid up in a garage. 

It’s previous owner, the vendor’s late father, bought the bike from a motorbike dealer in Paddock Wood, Kent, who had imported it personally to evaluate a business case for importing it in greater volume, following Brazil’s return towards democracy in the 1980s and the removal of tariff barriers.

The fact that it is the only Amazonas in the UK and most likely the only one in Europe tells you all you need to know about that particular venture, but it also adds to the bike’s exclusivity both on the bike and the VW scenes. 

It’s one of only 450 Amazonas 1600s known to have been built for civilian customers and is equivalent to the police-spec bikes in every way.

The current owner’s father used it for a few years, covering just 2,500 miles in that time, before he became too ill to use it any longer and the bike was laid up. His son has recently recommissioned it after a long lay-up.

As well as the UK V5 and a few receipts documenting recent work, the Amazonas comes with a fresh UK MoT; its first since computerised records began in 2005.

Overall, the bike is in very good order. It was resprayed when it was nearly new as the previous owner didn’t like the original colour scheme, so it now has more of a classic Eighties metallic red and pinstripe finish. 

At one stage in its life, it tipped over in the owner’s garage incurring some very minor damage to one of the side storage boxes, but in every other respect it’s as you’d expect a bike with such a low mileage to be.

As part of its recent recommission, the Amazonas has had its carbs and fuel tank removed and cleaned out to remove all traces of old contaminated fuel, while it also got new fuel lines to replace the old, perished ones. 

The owner also had an electronic ignition system fitted to make it easier to start, while new tyres and brake linings have also been fitted in lieu of the worn originals, along with refurbished brake callipers. 

The bike now starts and runs perfectly, and it comes with a brand new MoT as reassurance to the new buyer that everything essential is in good order.

There are two ways to look at this unusual bike. One is as a truly unique motorcycle that will no doubt have plenty of appeal with bike enthusiasts thanks to its rarity and cult status, the other is as a real curio to take to Volkswagen events, where it’s bound to attract a massive amount of attention. 

Whichever way, you’ll end up with something really unusual and probably unique – you’re unlikely to see another one coming the other way…