Research your AMAZONAS with our VIN Checker

There are multiple stories surrounding the origins of Amazonas. However, one seems most plausible. In the mid-60s, Brazil suffered a military coup that threw out the Vargas dictatorship, only to install a brutal military dictatorship that lasted for over two decades. Then, the country’s economy was in shambles and was badly hit by the unwise trade policies put in place by the military government. The worst hit by these trade policies was the nation’s police force. There were no home-grown motorcycle companies at that time and the heavy duties imposed on imports made it difficult for foreign investors to set up a market in Brazil. A solution came in the person of one Daniel Rodrigues, a shade-tree mechanic from Sao Paolo.

When Rodrigues learnt about the situation that faced the police force, he conceived the idea of building a reliable motorcycle, which would be used by the police force, using locally-sourced materials and Knowledge. The perfect motorcycle for police use would have to be fast, durable and easy to maintain. Therefore, he founded a motorcycle company which he named Amazonas Motocicletas Especiais, Ltda, shortened to AME. This company would build the police issue motorcycle he had in mind. Next, he set out to find the right parts and quickly realized that the only available ones were car parts. He had little choice but to work with those.

Before the brutal military regime took over and imposed sanctions, reputable motorcycle manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Willys and Ford had been producing bikes in Brazil and a few of their machines were still available. Rodrigues opted to build his debut motorcycles with the VW’s 1600 air-cooled four type 1 engine. His motorcycle was manufactured and the Brazilian government found it appropriate for police work as it was reliable with its bullet-proof Volkswagen engine. Additionally, it was sturdy enough to weather the demands that come with police work extremely well. They were also easy to fix in the event that mechanical issues occurred and did not require one to be an expert mechanic to get them back on the road.

The company was encouraged by the success of the police motorcycle model and decided to design and manufacture bikes for the civilian market. By the time the 1980s rolled around, four models namely the Esporte, Super Esporte, the Tourismo and Policial had been produced and were well received by the target market.