A series of circumstances would give birth to an Argentine model full of legends
In the 1950s, Renault ventured into the American adventure. First, by introducing the Dauphine to the United States. The French model was initially well received, but it would later become clear that the idiosyncrasies of that market were insurmountable for the French model. Likewise, the Directorate had set another target, South America, specifically the markets of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
In the latter country, Industrias Kaiser Argentina, better known as IKA, was founded in 1955. Made by the North American manufacturer Kaiser, for the purpose of local building of cars to confront protectionist laws. Renault finds it interesting to deal with IKA, to take advantage of the good poster of this company. Thus, in 1959, the first Argentine Dauphines were born, a model that would have an excellent reception in that country and with which Renault would acquire a good brand image.
Renault’s participation in IKA grew until it became the majority shareholder in the 1960s. It is in this decade that he contacts the American Motors Corporation, the result of the merger of Nash and Hudson in 1956. The AMC Group has specialized in the manufacture of compact models (according to the “compact” concept of the North US market) and economically accessible. At the end of 1964, AMC offered IKA the opportunity to produce the third generation of the Rambler American, the popular entry-level model. This car perfectly met IKA’s objectives to be competitive in a market that evolves with the rise in the standard of living of Argentine society.
But those responsible for IKA are, quite rightly, not satisfied with reproducing the original Rambler, which in this third generation had already abandoned the square shapes of the previous two, thanks to the work of designer Dick Teague.
So they turn to Pininfarina to give the American model a more European look and personality. The famous Italian coachbuilder refines the design in the bow and stern, giving it a more Latin character, and that the center area was not touched.
But the engineers go further, strengthening the chassis and installing sturdier suspensions. In reality, the front end had little to do with that of the Rambler, while the rear suspension was that of the IKA Bergantin, in fact a derivative of that of the 1958 Alfa Romeo 1900. It wasn’t just about the worst Argentine roads. , but also to give a driving feel more in line with Argentine taste. And along the same lines, it was decided to disregard the small mechanics available and to fit instead the six-cylinder engine, the famous Tornado, produced by IKA under license from AMC, but which was reworked by a team of Argentine technicians led by Oreste. Berta, mechanical genius and prestigious designer and builder of engines and racing cars. This six-cylinder was associated with a synchronized four-speed manual transmission from ZF. With this base and an interior also revised by Pininfarina (more refined and sporty than the entry-level Rambler), the Torino had a personality all its own.
On November 28, 1966, the official presentation took place on the racetrack of Buenos Aires with two body versions. The first is a classic four-door sedan, equipped with a six-cylinder engine, but with a displacement reduced to 3 liters and 120 hp. The second body is a beautiful coupé in the American sense of hardtop (the windows in the doors are frameless). You can choose from two variants of the latter. The first contains the 3.8-liter Tornado jet engine with a carburetor and offers 132 horsepower. The second variant has the same engine, but with three Weber carburettors, and already produces 180 hp.
Argentine drivers, enthusiasts and always good connoisseurs of what a real sports car is, are delighted to welcome the arrival of this IKA Renault Torino (with the evocative logo of a rampant bull on the front), with a personality that catered to their taste.
IKA, which has been IKA Renault since 1967, will deliver one of the first sedans to President De Gaulle (preserved in Flins, in the Renault Heritage collection), and the Argentine authorities will also donate some Torino’s to foreign leaders such as Leonidas Breznev, or Fidel Castro. And Muammar Gaddafi will buy a coupe.
The Torino will shine in competitions both in Argentina, where it won five titles, among others, in the famous Road Touring Car category (1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971 in Formula A and B) and in Uruguay.
But where it will have the greatest international impact will be in 1969. An IKA Renault team of three Turin, with five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio as sports director and Oreste Berta as technical manager, heads to Europe to participate in the 84 Hours of the Nurburgring, in the famous Maratón de la Ruta, with a team made up of some of the best Argentine drivers today: Eduardo Copello, Alberto Rodríguez Larreta, Juan Manuel Bordeu, Gastón Perkins, Jorge Cupeiro, Eduardo Rodríguez Canedo, Rubén Luis Di Palma, Oscar Cacho Fangio (son of the champion) and Carmelo Galbato. By the way, none of them knew the difficult German route, the “Green Hell”.
Two of the cars crash, but the one driven by Copello, Franco and Rodríguez Larreta is first in class and fourth overall. In reality, he could have won without a five-lap penalty for a pit stop to fix the exhaust. In recognition of his work leading the team, IKA Fangio is donating a 380S hatchback.
And the phrase “sales begin after the checkered flag is lowered” became a reality as the number of buyers increased dramatically.
The Torino will evolve into an increasingly refined and powerful car, which makes the coupé in particular a very attractive model. In France, Gaston Juchet, the father of the Renault 16, in 1970 studies a redesign that will ultimately remain in the project phase. In the middle of that decade (since 1975, however, there is no longer IKA Renault but Renault Argentina), the Torino will lose the Pininfarina shield and adopt the nomenclature of the French Renault range: L and S for the sedan , and TS for the compartment.
In 1981, the Renault Torino reached the end of its career, with two magnificent models: the Grand Routier GR sedan and the Coupé ZX. In total, almost one hundred thousand units were sold, of which 57,258 were coupé bodies.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
