He Mr. Belly (played by actor Édgar Vivar) is one of the many characters that left us “The guy from 8”, one of the most important and popular programs in the history of Mexican television. His success even reached beyond the limits of Mexico. And the episodes, as well as the tours that their protagonists made in Latin America, had millions of followers.
back to the Mr. Bellythe curmudgeon and grumpy man -although with a big heart- was the owner of La Vecindad where the Chavo del 8 and the other characters. Although he did not live there, he periodically went to visit her, either to collect the rent or to share events, such as Christmas or “The Good Neighbor Party”. And in one of those episodes, the Mr. Belly He arrives with his car, a little-known model that ended up becoming a classic: a Volkswagen Brasilia.
This is how it is inside the car of Mr. Barriga, who turned 50 this month
As he Mr. Belly as his Volkswagen Brasilia were central protagonists of one of the episodes of “The guy from 8”. After leaving it parked at the entrance to the internal patio of La Vecindad, both Chavo and Quico and Don Ramón himself go out to see the car of the owner of La Vecindad. And the children even offer to wash it (with all the unforeseen events that this can bring).
Although Volkswagen Brasilia was not one of the most popular models of the German brand, it was the successor to a nice and entertaining model: the Beetle. From the German automaker they wanted to make this striking model evolve, so they gave life to a larger and improved version. And, as it was manufactured at the plant located in Brazil, it was baptized Volkswagen Brasilia. Perhaps unknowingly, the Mr. Belly in “The guy from 8” would end up being the main promoter of the model.
The Volkswagen Brasilia went on the market in June 1973 based on the type of low car that was its predecessor, so this month it is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Unlike the Beetle, the Brasilia had two trunks: one forward, under the hood; and another behind, above the engine (neither of the two was very wide). Like the Beetle, it had a large glass surface, which gave the feeling of being more spacious and excellent visibility.
Being so spacious inside (it was more than 4 meters long), the engine was practically inside the cabin, so the car of the Mr. Belly in “The guy from 8” it was really loud. It was also rather slow, since it went from 0 to 100 km/h in 25 seconds. The Brasilia was manufactured between 1971 and 1982, with different improved versions. It was eventually discontinued and replaced by the first Volkswagen Gol.