The Engine Considered 'Legendary' by Drivers That Marked Generations in Brazil: It Ran Over 300,000 Km, Equipped Millions of Cars, and Said Farewell in 2013 After Almost Three Decades of Production

The Engine Considered ‘Legendary’ by Drivers That Marked Generations in Brazil: It Ran Over 300,000 Km, Equipped Millions of Cars, and Said Farewell in 2013 After Almost Three Decades of Production

Written by Débora Araújo

Published on 29/10/2025 at 10:49

Foto: O motor lendário da Volkswagen que marcou gerações no Brasil: rodava mais de 400 mil km, equipou milhões de carros e se despediu em 2013 após quase três décadas de produção

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Volkswagen Retired Its AP Engine After Almost Three Decades and Millions of Units Produced. Legendary in Brazil, It Marked Generations and Keeps Running Until Today.

The engine in question is the Volkswagen AP, also internally called EA827. Created in Germany in the 1970s and produced in Brazil starting in 1985, the engine became synonymous with robustness, ease of maintenance, and consistent performance. It was almost three decades of production in national territory, equipping some of the brand’s most iconic models.

In Brazil, it gained a reputation for being “unbreakable,” found in cars like the Gol, Parati, Saveiro, Voyage, Santana, Passat, and even sporty versions like the Gol GTi. Its versatility was such that it served both in basic entry models and in preparations that competed in professional races.

Why Was It So Loved?

The secret of the AP was its simplicity of design combined with reliability. It supported long mileages — many reports of units that exceeded 400,000 km without major interventions. Additionally:

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Millions of Units Running Until Today

During its career, the AP was produced in millions of units. Although officially retired in 2013 in Brazil, it remains present in a huge fleet that continues to circulate.

On the streets, it is common to find vehicles from the 90s and 2000s still in daily use with this engine, reinforcing its reputation for durability. In enthusiast clubs, the AP is preserved as a symbol of a time when simple mechanics dominated the scene.

The Reason for Retirement and the Legacy of the AP

Despite its durability and legion of fans, the AP did not survive the new emission standards. With the arrival of stricter pollutant regulations and the need for more efficient engines, Volkswagen ceased its production in Brazil and began investing in modern engines, such as the TSI family, in addition to electric and hybrid routes.

The End of an Era: Iconic Volkswagen Engine That Marked Generations with Power and Unique Sound Was Retired After Over 3 Decades

Even off the assembly lines, the AP remains alive. It became a school engine for generations of mechanics and a base for legendary preparations in competitions. In drag racing, it is common to find turbocharged AP blocks delivering 500, 700, and even over 1,000 hp, something unthinkable for engines of its time.

No wonder the engine is still celebrated. There are clubs, meetups, and even replacement parts produced on a large scale to keep this machine that marked the history of automobiles in Brazil alive.

The end of the AP engine is more than the retirement of a powerplant: it is the closing of an era. It was almost three decades of production and millions of units manufactured, a milestone that crossed generations and helped consolidate Volkswagen in the Brazilian market.

Now, the brand moves towards the future with cleaner and more efficient technologies, but the legacy of the AP continues to run through the streets — and in the hearts of enthusiasts, it will always be remembered as one of the most legendary engines ever made in the country.

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The Engine Considered ‘Legendary’ by Drivers That Marked Generations in Brazil: It Ran Over 300,000 Km, Equipped Millions of Cars, and Said Farewell in 2013 After Almost Three Decades of Production

Volkswagen Retired Its AP Engine After Almost Three Decades and Millions of Units Produced. Legendary in Brazil, It Marked Generations and Keeps Running Until Today.

Why Was It So Loved?

Millions of Units Running Until Today

The Reason for Retirement and the Legacy of the AP

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The Engine Considered ‘Legendary’ by Drivers That Marked Generations in Brazil: It Ran Over 300,000 Km, Equipped Millions of Cars, and Said Farewell in 2013 After Almost Three Decades of Production

Volkswagen Retired Its AP Engine After Almost Three Decades and Millions of Units Produced. Legendary in Brazil, It Marked Generations and Keeps Running Until Today.

Why Was It So Loved?

Millions of Units Running Until Today

The Reason for Retirement and the Legacy of the AP

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Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

Chinese woman planted trees for decades while sand buried part of her house, received $5,000 from an American in 1999, and helped transform the desert into a forest of 8 million trees in China.

Almost 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland. Houses form a continuous row, and behind them, narrow agricultural strips emerge, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

In the cold desert of Ladakh, where it hardly rains, engineer Sonam Wangchuk created the ice stupa, a tower that freezes winter water and stores it for irrigating crops in the spring, a simple engineering feat that mimics nature.

Described by astronauts as one of the most unlikely natural phenomena on Earth, the Okavango Delta spreads over up to 15,000 square kilometers in the middle of the desert and transforms Botswana into a living labyrinth of channels, islands, and flooded areas.

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