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A Journey, A Car and Many Stories: Couple Travels Nearly 3,000 Km in a 1977 Corcel and Turns the Route Into a Tribute to Family
Traveling from Paraná to Amazonas would already be a great adventure in itself. But Hilário Zaltron and Janete Niedermeyer decided to make this journey even more memorable: they traveled almost 3,000 kilometers in a 1977 Ford Corcel, a car that Hilário decided to personally deliver to his brother Vilson, who lives in Humaitá, in the far north of the country. The vehicle, bought as a gift for his niece Fernanda Zaltron, crossed much of Brazilian territory in nine days on the road.
A Crossing Planned with Emotion and Nostalgia
The couple left Toledo (PR) and plotted a route that included stops in Campo Grande (MS), Cuiabá (MT), Vilhena and Ariquemes (RO), taking the opportunity to visit family. The decision to travel instead of shipping the car by road transport came after discovering that no transport company accepted the challenge of crossing the country with an old vehicle. Thus, Hilário and Janete took the Corcel on the road, trusting in the mechanical resilience of a classic that marked an era in Ford’s history in Brazil.
The model, equipped with a 1.4 gasoline inline four-cylinder engine, delivers 75 horsepower and 11.6 kgfm of torque, coupled with a four-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. This simple and robust configuration was one of the factors that made the Corcel one of the most beloved cars in the country — voted Car of the Year by Autoesporte magazine in 1969, 1973, and 1979.
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A Classic with a Family Soul
Even without air conditioning — something that only began to become popular in Brazil in the late 1960s — the couple faced the heat and long hours behind the wheel with ease. According to Janete, the trip was serene, with no mechanical surprises, and the car held firm from start to finish. The vehicle, sold for R$ 20,000, has sentimental value far greater than the price paid: it has belonged to the family for over 20 years and was previously used by Hilário’s mother.
After her passing, the sedan was put up for sale, but Vilson insisted that the car stay with the family. Now, the Corcel will pass to a new generation: it will be the first car of young Fernanda, the granddaughter of the former owner. “We didn’t want to sell the car to strangers. It carries too many memories and stories,” Hilário told Metrópoles in an interview.
A Route That Ended with a Ferry Crossing
After nine days on the road, the Corcel faced one last challenge: the ferry crossing over the Madeira River, heading to Manaus, where Hilário’s brother lives. As the river level was low, the vehicle had to be stored for a few days at a friend’s house, waiting for better conditions to complete the journey.
Hilário and Janete returned to Toledo by plane, a journey of just a few hours — quite different from the long journey on wheels that will forever be imprinted in their memories. “It was tiring but rewarding. Each stop was a new memory, and every kilometer was a story,” Janete told RPC Paraná.
As the Corcel begins its new life in Amazonas, Hilário has already chosen a new classic to call his own: a Ford Pampa, the direct successor to the model that took him nearly 3,000 kilometers of memories and nostalgia.
Ford é Fird