THE RENAULT IKA TORINO: THE EMBLEM OF A WHOLE NATION

There are cars that go far beyond their mission to simply transport their passengers. In the space of a few years, they become, in the space of a few years, a veritable myth, capable of capturing the imagination and arousing the emotion of an entire country. The Renault IKA Torino is one of them.

Developed in the 1950s, the Torino is the result of a drive by the Argentine government to launch the country's automotive industry. To help it develop, Argentina turned first to the United States, and in particular to the manufacturer Kaiser, which set up its Argentine subsidiary Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA) in 1956.

In 1959, IKA joined forces with Renault, which became a minority shareholder in the company. Production of the Renault 6 and Renault 12 will now be driven in Argentina, and an agreement is signed to produce a Dauphine on the Argentine market.

In 1970, Renault takes full control of IKA, which in 1975 becomes simply Renault Argentina. Rather than importing a vehicle that already existed, the manufacturer decided to continue a project already under way to develop a 100% Argentinean car: thus was born the Torino, with which the whole country quickly fell in love.

Based on an American Rambler, the new emblem of Argentinian automobile production features a completely original design created by the Pininfarina bodybuilder. Available as a saloon or coupé, it became a permanent fixture in the Renault range, and its ease of driving, more flexible and powerful than the other vehicles of the 1970s, quickly made the Torino a social phenomenon. Positioned on the market as a luxury car, it benefits from a "big" American 6-cylinder engine called the "Tornado", developing 155 bhp in its basic version and 176 bhp in its sports version.

At the time, in 1966, the Torino was the only national car in Argentina, and became the symbol of pride and attachment of the entire Argentinean people. It is THE Argentinean car par excellence, which soon seduced famous clients such as Fangio, Leonid Brezhnev or Fidel Castro.

Nowadays, the Torino is still revered in Argentina, where it is considered a national heritage, a mythical car. Renault imported only three units in France in the 1970s, and only for research purposes. It has been part of the Renault Classic Collection for several decades, and to the brand's knowledge there is only one example of the car in France today.

In 2017, after a long period of dormancy, Renault Classic decides to proceed with the dynamic restoration of the Torino. Thanks to the collaboration of a great Argentinean collector, Juan Luis Rawzez, all the missing parts were found, and although the shock absorbers - elements under high pressure gas - were refused by the airlines, the car has now recovered its former shape.

fr.renaultclassic.com/renault-classic/actualites/la-renau...

Taken on: March 8, 2013

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Car

Renault

Torino

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1966

Argentina

Mythical

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