UMM (Portuguese: União Metalo-Mecânica, is a Portuguese metal works factory and ex-automobile manufacturer based in Lisbon, Portugal. It was founded in 1977 with the purpose of manufacturing four-wheel drive vehicles for agricultural, industrial and utility applications.
History[edit]
The UMM 4x4 design is derived from a prototype created by the French engineering firm Cournil, called Entrepreneur. The Cournil Entrepreneur's building rights were acquired by the Portuguese company União Metalo-Mecânica, part of the Mocargroup and were renamed as UMM.
They became known for their reliability, especially when in a Paris-Dakar rally the team was able to finish with all the cars that started. Many UMMs are still in use by utilities in Spain, Portugal, Cape Verde (in use by the national army) and France and also by the "Guarda Nacional Republicana" (Portuguese Gendarmerie), fire service and military, although the majority of their customers were private individuals. Around 700 UMMs are still in service in the Republic of the Congo (Zaire). They are also popular in France and Angola.
UMM stopped building the UMM Alter II for private customers in 1994, but kept on taking large orders from military and utility services until 1996. Custom orders are no longer accepted. It is suspected that more than 10.000 UMMs were made.
The most famous UMM is probably the one that transported Pope John Paul II in one of his visits to Portugal.
An updated version was announced in 2000[citation needed], powered by a 2.1 L Turbo Diesel engine. This engine was less noisy and had more torque at low speed. Several options were available, including air conditioning and GPS. Price was meant to be lower to a Land Rover Defender with similar finishings. However, the company had no capital to invest in its development.
Recently the distribution of spare parts for the UMM vehicles was outsourced to the company Europeças, Europeças.
Vehicle Models[edit]
- UMM 4x4 Cournil (1977–1979)
- UMM 4x4 (1979–1984)
- UMM Alter 4x4 (1985)
- UMM Alter II (1986–1994)
- UMM Alter 2000 (2000–2004)
Notable Versions[edit]
- UMM Alter “Papamobile”
- UMM Alter A4 11 (To be called Alter III - Only three prototypes were made, only one is road legal)
Trivia[edit]
- The UMM Alter is named after a well-known Portuguese horse breed.
- Most of the known Portuguese off-road drivers started their careers driving UMMs.
