Obsessione Pro Machina

The Classic Machines

Sergio’s Pictures – Carambeí Historical Park.

Our Brazilian photo correspondent, Sérgio Devens Florentino, has once again amazed me with a stunning collection of pictures from another of his adventures. This time, he visited the charming little town of Carambeí. The city is situated in Paraná state, in the southern part of Brazil. It was established on April 4, 1911, by a…

Classic Rock – The Down Under controversy.

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past 40 years, chances are you listened to at least one song performed by the Australian rock’n roll band Men at Work at some point in your life. But if you are an old timer like me, who was young in the 1980s, you probably…


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Catch of the Day: The Fusca Bar.

It is easy to explain the passion we, Brazilians, feel for the VW Beetle. The car was fundamental to the motorization and industrialization of Brazil, being the best-selling car in the country for 23 consecutive years (1959-1982). Produced nationally from 1959 onwards, it consolidated Volkswagen, boosted the automotive industry, offered toughness for the roads of…

The Brazilian Effort in WWII – Into Enemy Skies

When the Brazilian president, Getulio Vargas, and Theodore Roosevelt reached an agreement on our cooperation in the war effort, the idea was not only to send army troops to Italy but also to deploy our navy and Air Force. The Lend and Lease Act. allowed the young Brazilian Air Force to replace its obsolete equipment…

The Brazilian Effort in WWII – Chapter II: Parnamirim Air Base

The battle of logistics When considering World War II, our attention tends to be on its causes or key battles that determined its course. However, a closer look reveals some staggering numbers that are difficult to comprehend. Just to put it in simple terms, over 127 million personnel were mobilized globally during the 5 years of…

The Brazilian Effort in WWII -Chapter I: The Smoking Snakes.

Italian Campaign – (July 9, 1943–May 2, 1945) Following the Allies’ victory over the Axis forces in North Africa, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill persuaded the Americans to capitalize on the momentum and open another front, this time in the Mediterranean region. Churchill’s idea was simple: he wanted to open a second path towards Berlin,…