The greatest Rambler American ever produced might not be a true Rambler at all, but the IKA Torino built in Argentina from 1966 to 1981.

Founded in 1956, Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA) was Argentina’s own car company, a joint venture between local investors and the Kaiser interests in the USA. Early products included knocked-down Willys Jeeps and a continuation of the Kaiser Manhattan called the Carabella.  But by the early ’60s, IKA was laying out plans for a product more directly attuned to the nation’s car buyers and conditions, and the result was the 1966 IKA Torino.

Argentine national hero Juan Manuel Fangio, above, was on hand on November 30, 1966 for the formal introduction at the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez in Buenos Aires. If the Torino’s exterior sheet metal looks a bit familiar to you, good eye. The vehicle was largely based on the body shell of the third-generation (1964-69) Rambler American from American Motors in the USA, with a remarkably tasteful facelift by Pininfarina of Italy, mainly in the front fenders and grille.

The powerplant had roots in the USA as well: It was the Willys Tornado SOHC inline six designed by A.C. “Sammy” Sampietro and originally intended for Jeeps and trucks. Offered in multiple displacements and numerous states of tune in the Torino, in base form it displaced 2968 cc and was rated at 120 hp. In the early ’70s the six was upgraded from four to seven main bearings and treated to a new cylinder head, and in this form, sporting a set of Weber sidedraft carbs, it developed up to 200 hp.

One more grand departure from the American Rambler was in the cockpit, above. Also reflecting the style of Pininfarina of Turin, it was as refined as the cabin of any Italian GT of its time with richly upholstered bucket seats, a suite of round instrument dials, and wood trim everywhere. On some models, the instrument panel featured a center stack that extended down to the center console.

The interior of the Torino, and its overall presentation, were far more elegant than that of AMC’s sportiest Rambler, the 1969 SC/Rambler. (See our SC/Rambler feature here.) They weren’t in the same league, really. Some American writers at the time, including the late, great Brock Yates, wondered aloud why the Torino couldn’t be imported to the USA. But if we are truly honest with ourselves, the car was not a good fit with American tastes in the late 1960s. Too advanced, some would say.

The Torino was produced in both two-door hardtop and four-door sedan body styles, but naturally, it’s the hardtop that usually captures the eye of the American enthusiast today. (Fangio’s personal Torino was a silver four-door sedan.) In 1970, IKA was acquired by Renault but the Torino, despite its totally non-Renault content, was continued in production as the Renault Torino until December of 1981, and all told, nearly 100,000 vehicles were produced. Motor writers in Argentina describe the Torino as their nation’s most beloved car.  Lead photo courtesy of Renault Classic.