Portaro
PORTARO was the name of a Portuguese 4WD offroad utility vehicle which was based on the earlier Romanian original ARO 24 Series 4X4 model produced under license in Portugal. PORTARO 4WD models were made between 1975 until 1995. The PORTARO name was an acronym of PORT for Portugal + ARO the Romanian main manufacturer of original offroad vehicles. History. The PORTARO 4X4 was manufactured from imported original ARO original parts in CKD form produced in Romania destined for final assembly here by the SEMAL company in Setúbal Portugal starting in 1975 by the entrepreneur and industrialist Hipólito Pires with  help from a business partner José Megre and a mechanical engineer Costa Freitas all three quickly became business partners at the SEMAL Industrial Complex who started the PORTARO project shortly after. The soon very successful PORTARO was a much improved derivative version from the original ARO 240 4WD Series from the 1970s looking very similar in concept and style to the British worldwide famous Landrover brand name but using an original Romanian cross country standard iron chassis and many parts, instead of industrial aluminium. After the first original model called the PORTARO 240 2500 4X4 which was a very basic  offroad vehicle much like an early 1970s Landrover 88D SWB 4X4 but powered by an original Daihatsu Diesel 2530cc running gear sales were instant as there was no other new domestic rival at the time, save for the unique well known Landrover a brand name available for sale since the early 1960s in Portugal. The brand name PORTARO 4X4 appeared in 1975 and came in two main versions: The "PORTARO 4X4"200 Series an offroad utility jeep and later in 1977 the "PORTARO Campina 4X4" the 300 Series very useful a pick up truck version both models enjoying healthy sales in  the 1970s and the 1980s with few equivalent rivals to match at their time with its own new original Model Range quickly being offered to potential owners. Most of the PORTARO 4X4 vehicles produced were originally fitted with Daihatsu Diesel 2500cc and 2800cc engined 4WD models like the 240, 250, 260, 280 followed by the 4WD pick up models Campina 280L, 320 and 350 Super. However in addition to several other new 4WD prototypes, two very interesting authentic PORTARO models were also manufactured this time powered by original Volvo Petol 2127cc and 2296cc powerful running gear similar to those used  in the original Volvo 240 Series cars at the time, although these were always sold in much smaller numbers intended for general Motor Sports Events like local offroad motor racing and rally racing occurring frequently in the 1980s. By 1982 the SEMAL company were assembling extra two more brand new PORTARO 4X4 versions called the 210 PT TURBO 4WD and 230 PV 4WD 2300 both are very rare petrol engined models that were much less popular though the lighter 230 PV 4WD soon turned into the most successful and the most powerful Portuguese made vehicle ever in offroad racing. Model  Range. This is a complete list of all the original GV-SEMAL brand, makers of the TAGUS and the PORTARO Model Range of 4X4 vehicles manufactured 1975-1995 including the models later produced by the FMAT company. GV SEMAL PORTARO 4WD Model Range. Also at the large FMAT factory complex any potential customer to Special Order could choose the current original Daihatsu TURBODIESEL 2800cc 117 bhp running gear to be supplied to any of the then original PORTARO 280 4WD Series similar to those as used in the popular DAIHATSU Delta lorries, Rocky, Taft and Wildcat 4WD models. By 1990  the original company who assembled PORTARO 4X4 offroad vehicles SEMAL sold the production rights, the tradename and all the spares parts stocks to the FMAT company at Tramagal an industrial town east of Lisbon next the Tagus river in rural Santarem who have been making agricultural equipment and industrial machinery since the 1920s. Motor vehicle assembly became a weekly operation at FMAT so output production had quadrupled than it was before making PORTARO brand name once more relaunched to the market after a brief absence but with a reduced new PORTARO Model Range by the 1980s. This unrestored basic grey  1989 PORTARO 280 DCM 2800 4WD Diesel nine seater as shown in this photograph was actually assembled at the FMAT manufacturing facility in the 1980s one of about 500 units of this model produced there this particular example was awaiting restoration owned by the author of this PORTARO article and pages. During the 1990s the Portuguese New Automobile Market the PORTARO brand name was facing a stiff competition with many other offroad vehicles and other 4WD manufacturers offering much better prices while others sold superior models too so their sales dwindled slightly and UMM 4X4 the other domestic manufacturer of  similar nature were also facing similar situations but at least UMM brand name still sold well. Therefore the FMAT company decided at the time to reduce some of their original PORTARO model range due to the economical and financial unrest at the time of the 1990s in Europe particularly in Portugal but unfortunately most of the spare parts were running low forcing FMAT to redesign their own PORTARO model range assembling vehicles this time fitting them with new FORD Transit TDI 2500cc running gear with higher torque and more powerful engines needed for these large vehicles which became the PORTARO  250 FMAT ID 4X4 however sales took a downturn in about 1994 and to make matters worse the stocked ARO original spare parts were running low too in the assembly workshops forcing to a reduced production of the historic PORTARO brand name so it was inevitable that FMAT could not handle this situation any longer and by 1995 marking the end of the PORTARO Portuguese brand name almost thirty years after it arrived upon the scene in the automobile market often with happy sales. References. ACP & AUTOMOTOR (Monthly Automobile Magazines) PORTARO Original Page on Facebook (In Portuguese) Rodas De Viriato  Official Website (A-Z Of Portuguese Motorvehicle Brands)