I think it is a collection pitcher, probably from the turpentine trade, where the turpentine collection pans were dumped into the funnel, and poured out from the squarish looking back spout. n Could also have been from the maple syrup trade.
I talked with a friend who is from Portugal and he said that it is unlikely but not impossible that it had anything to do a car, especially around the turn of the 20th century. AT that time Portugal was still using ox carts. And , he added that most small towns had there own way of doing things so something found in one town might have no relevance in another. He thinks it may have something to do with the olive oil industry.