The FEI-X3 “Lavinia” a Brazilian sports car built by students under the tutelage of professor Rigoberto Soler at FEI: Faculty of Industrial Engineering.

FEI’S HISTORY

Founded in 1946 by the congregation of Jesuit priests from São Paulo and located in São Bernardo do Campo (SP) since the 1960s, FEI – Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial is today one of the main centers for automotive engineering training in Brazil. The five-year Mechanical Engineering course was created in 1947, and in 1963, with a three-year duration, the Operational Engineering courses were created, in several specialties, including Automotive Mechanics (MecAut).

DEPV – Department of Vehicle Studies and Research

Given that the basic objective of Operational Engineering is to provide professionals with practical knowledge that is useful in day-to-day industrial activities, FEI’s faculty was recruited from the ranks of the nascent Brazilian automobile industry. The first person to be chosen, brought from Vemag, where he was working at the time, was the Spanish designer Rigoberto Soler Gisbert, who arrived in Brazil in 1950 and was already nationally known as the designer of the extraordinary GT Uirapuru, from Brasinca. A professor of Bodywork, in 1968 he was given the position of coordinator of the newly created Department of Vehicle Studies and Research (DEPV).

It was through this Department that Soler, with his bold and creative spirit and his ability to encourage, structure and guide the collective work of students, became responsible for some of the most courageous and original projects ever conceived in the country in the spheres of motor vehicles and transport: with such pioneering projects he elevated FEI’s status to a reference in automotive engineering in the country and gave international prominence to his creative team.

The first of DEPV’s many exemplary projects was specially prepared for the 6th Auto Show, at the end of 1968: it was the FEI X-1, an amphibious vehicle designed and built in less than two months by Soler and his students, using almost exclusively materials available at the College. It had a wooden body, with the lower part in the shape of a hull, a Renault Gordini engine and rear axle, go-kart front wheels, two gears (forward and reverse) and a joystick to operate the rear rudder, instead of a steering wheel. With two seats and only 380 kg or 837.76 lbs total weight, up to 60 km/h or 37.30 mph it was driven by the rear wheels, after which it was propelled by a large propeller; when it reached 80 km/h or 50 mph, its “nose” would rise and from then on the car moved only supported by the rear wheels (equipped with freewheel). Braking was done by reversing the propeller.

FEI X-1: https://www.lexicarbrasil.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/fei1.jpg

In the following two years, a small hovercraft (X-2) with a payload of 280 kg or 617.3 lbs., and the beautiful FEI X-3, which would later become better known as the Lavinia, were simultaneously developed.

FEI X-2 (Model): https://www.lexicarbrasil.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/fei1a.jpg

THE FEI-X3 “LAVÍNIA”

There were several very interesting projects, but the FEI-X3 stood out from the rest. The car’s exclusive chassis was built with steel tubes. The body, after assembly, became part of the vehicle’s structure.

The sports car was 4.3 m or 14’1.3″ long, 1.8 m or 5’10.87” wide, 1.1 meters 3’7.31” tall and 18 cm or 7.087 in height, and weighed only 1055 kg or 2325.877 lbs. It was very low to the ground and had excellent aerodynamics. Its aerodynamic coefficient (Cx) was tested in a wind tunnel and was only 0.32. Excellent for its time.

It had beautiful alloy wheels measuring 8 inches wide at the front and 12 inches at the rear, and a rim measuring 14 inches in diameter. It had radial tires that ensured good stability. Its bodywork was very modern and had “gull-wing” doors. It was a car for two occupants. Its bodywork had stamped steel parts, and fiberglass-reinforced plastic was used on the doors and engine hood. But the bumper, front and rear nose cones were made of aluminum for shock absorption, based on studies of existing concept cars in Europe.

From the Brazilian Dodge Charger came the 5.2 L, 235 hp V8 engine (which could be tuned to 300 hp), a torsion bar front suspension, a rear axle, a steering box and brakes (disc at the front, drum at the rear). A four-speed gearbox was used (the Dodge’s had only three), while the rear suspension received coil springs instead of the original leaf springs. Designed to have a front engine and rear wheel drive, a tubular trellis chassis was designed for it. This engine was set back from the front axle, with the air intake on the hood showing. This front axle/engine configuration gave it an almost ideal front to rear weight ratio. 48% at the front and 52% at the rear.

One interesting feature was the two fuel tanks, each with a capacity of 90 liters or 23.775 gal.

Its acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h or 0 to 62 mph and estimated top speed of 220 km/h or 136.7 mph were not measured unfortunately.

The brakes, servo-assisted, were disc on the front wheels and drum on the rear wheels. And speaking on breaks, the aerodynamic brake was a very unique feature, especially in Brazil, helping with rapid braking at high speeds. The brake was a type of rectangular flap like those used on airplanes, which was located at the top rear of the car’s hood and raised, increasing braking force. It worked as an auxiliary brake for the conventional pedal-operated brake to which it was connected. When the pedal was pressed vigorously, it came into action.

Its body was hammer-molded from steel sheets over a full-scale wooden model, following the same technique used by Italian coachbuilders of the time. The structural design also took into account passenger safety: a roll bar integrated into the body, a chassis for progressive deformation, and an inclined tubular firewall, preventing the engine assembly from being invaded in the event of a head-on collision. Instead of a grille and bumper, the front of the car received a molded aluminum piece, which housed six rectangular iodine headlights and the air intake for cooling the radiator.

Inside, the dashboard was very complete. It had a three-spoke Walrod sports steering wheel, a speedometer graduated to an honest 200 km/h or 124 mph, a tachometer, an ammeter, a water temperature gauge, a fuel level gauge and an oil pressure gauge. Behind the gear lever on the console were a series of buttons for various controls. Its seats were not adjustable in height and people taller than 1.75 m or 5’9” had difficulty fitting in.

Among the many original details (for the time) were: windshield wipers retracted under the hood flap when stationary; lights mounted vertically on the rear pillars; instruments grouped vertically on the center console; reclining, cooled seats; and a detachable briefcase, in place of the traditional glovebox. Despite its reduced height and two spare tires, the X-3 had ample luggage space, with internal or external access, thanks to the rear overhang and the displacement of the two fuel tanks to the sides.

The car was presented twice at the Motor Show (VII and VIII editions), respectively as the X-3 (with an eccentric cowhide interior lining) and Lavinia, in this case with new paintwork and some modifications.

THE END

Years later, the college underwent changes in its organizational structure. Rigoberto Soler left his position as coordinator of the DEPV (Department of Studies and Research). The sports car remained in one of FEI’s warehouses for many years so that it would not be altered. In the mid-2000s, it was restored.

The car was very well restored to its latest specifications, under the supervision of Professor Ricardo Bock, coordinator of FEI’s automotive mechanical engineering course.

There were still some details to make the project more compatible with the streets. The idea was to manufacture it on a small scale. Another very interesting national project that did not go ahead. It would have been a great demonstration of Brazil’s potential in the global automotive industry. And our industry was only entering its third decade of production!

PHOTOS 1 TO 11: The restored car with it’s latest green, white and gold paint job.

PHOTOS 12 TO 14: The Lavinia with it’s first paint job.

PHOTO 15: A modern photo taken to look like a older photo.

PHOTOS 16 TO 19: Development and construction stage, all that was done by hand as there was no machinery or computers in Brazil, let alone at a university.

TRIVIA

1: The name Lavínia was a tribute to the wife of the mayor of São Bernardo do Campo, who donated the land where the FEI campus was built.

SOURCES

1: https://retroauto.com.br/o-esportivo-da-faculdade-desenho-arrojado-original-e-otimas-solucoes-o-lavinia-fei-x3/

2: https://www.lexicarbrasil.com.br/fei/

by OriginalPapaya8