Emme 420

Don’t tell anyone, but Volvo was already so far ahead of the game that by 1992 it had engineered and showed the ECC concept / prototype: a functional hybrid-electric car powered by a gas turbine (!) engine and built on the 850 platform, with looks from the soon-to-come S80.

The upcoming S80s sleek lines were all present in that concept, but of course, with the title of the article it's obvious I'm not going to talk about the Volvo.

I'm going to talk about the Emme 420: a Brazilian-made copy of the Volvo ECC concept — engineered, apparently, with the help of Lotus.

First, before you get excited about tracking down a pretty attractive super sedan with a reported top speed of 273 km/h (170 mph), don't get your hopes up. Only 12 were made, if you have a pretty liberal interpretation of the word “made”.

See, Emme was kind of a scam. Built in three series, the 420, 420T, and 422T, the car featured two engines apparently by Megastar, Emme's parent company and, at the top end, one from Lotus: a turbocharged 4-cylinder from the Lotus Esprit that gave world-beating performance. All were topped by a garish, body-coloured engine cover.

I assume the car was rear-drive, as all 420s made had a Tremec T5 manual transmission.

A high-strength plastic composite body (that could be made in as little as 12 minutes) was a sore point for the car. Although corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and extremely durable, the moulds used didn't take into account tolerances — so spare parts were allegedly incredibly difficult to make fit.

Its interior featured leather-trimmed seats, a wood dash, and a million small buttons all down the centre console; apart from a few ergonomic quirks it's a pretty conventional cabin. Since the company had bought switchgear from a number of other companies, this shouldn't bee too surprising.

You must understand that at the time, the Brazilian car market was still pretty locked up, and the prospect of a home-grown sedan capable of hanging with the very best from Europe must have been an exciting prospect for the country. Local land deals were made. Government subsidies were given. A promotional trip to Monte Carlo was made…but, of course, because the 420 didn't feature airbags or ABS brakes it would never be allowed for sale in Europe.