As someone whose first car was a 1965 Rambler 440H 2-door hardtop, I consider this 1977 Argentine-built IKA Torino to be the ultimate Rambler American. Its convoluted tale follows.
 As the Automotive Traveler team's resident AMC-oholic, it gives me great pleasure to present this car to you: an Argentine-built 1977 IKA Torino (not to be confused with Ford's Torino) now available on eBay. But first a quick history lesson. In 1963, American Motors (AMC) won Motor Trend's coveted Car of the Year award with the introduction of an all-new mid-sized Classic and Ambassador, and in 1964 a completely redesigned compact Rambler American was added to the lineup. It replaced a car whose basic design dated back to 1950. In an effort to minimize tooling costs, many stampings, including the doors and much of the glass, were shared among all three models. In 1964 AMC introduced stylish 2-door hardtops to both the Classic and Ambassador offerings along with the restyled American. All three models were the work of noted AMC Vice President of Styling Dick Teague.
 As you can see from the A-pillar rearward (shown here is the 1965 version, identical to my first American), there are only minor trim differences between the Torino and the American, but because the Torino used the beefier frame rails of the Classic, wheelbase grew one inch to 107 inches overall. The unique front clip was designed by the Italian design house Pininfarina--yes, the same Pininfarina that designed so many legendary Ferraris--after AMC sold off the tooling to Industrias Káiser Argentina (IKA), a Kaiser affiliate in Argentina. In 1966, IKA started what would end up being a 16-year production run of a car whose development began in 1961, a testimony to the soundness of the basic design. It was the last front-engined, rear-wheel-drive car produced by any of Renault's worldwide affiliates. (Note the deeply tunneled headlights on the original 1964-1965 Americans, a design cue many feel that Teague picked up from the revolutionary 1963 Chrysler Ghia Turbine cars.)
 Unlike the 1964-1965 US-built Rambler Americans, which were equipped with overhead valve 6-cylinder engines (a V8 would come in 1966), the IKA Torinos were always equipped with a version of the Kaiser overhead cam six first developed for the 1963 Willys/Kaiser Jeep Wagoneer, the first modern SUV. (The first irony in this story is that the Kaiser six in the Wagoneer was replaced in 1965 by AMC's then-new 232-cubic-inch six that debuted in the second half of 1964 in a specially equipped Classic hardtop. The tooling for the engine was shipped to Argentina even before the body, and in 1970, AMC bought Jeep. Confused?) The engine displaced 3-liters except in the high performance 380W models which were bored and stroked to 3.8 liters. In addition to the hardtops, IKA also offered a four-door sedan version.
 My connection to these cars, before I bought my '65 Rambler in the summer of 1972 prior to starting my senior year of high school, was seeing a Torino at a car show in Westlake Village, California back in 1969. Already somewhat of a car (and AMC) nut, upon seeing the brown Torino, I knew it was "different" yet still a Rambler. As it turned out, the car was owned by the Argentinian Consul in Los Angeles.
 While the exterior clearly is set apart from the 1964-1865 Americans on which it was based, it's the interior that truly distinguishes the Torino from its US counterpart. On the early cars, you will find a real wood dash, styled very much like you would find in a Fiat or Lancia of that era. It's far more upscale than the metal-with-vinyl-padded dash found on US-built Rambler Americans. This car, being a later version, has a very angular dash of black vinyl and plastic that lacks the warm wood of the earlier cars. Note the simple elegance of the exterior of the earlier cars along with the character of the real wood dash in the composite image below.
 To me, the ultimate 1964-1969 Rambler American/Rogue would be the tire-shreading 390-cubic-inch 1969 SC/Rambler V8 mated to the early European-style Torino interior with a modernized coil-over suspension, similar to that found on this car available for sale on eBay. It should be noted that the Torinos had a very successful motorsports career that was capped with a class win and third-place overall finish at the 84 Hours of the Nürburgring in 1969. The final Torino was produced at the IKA Renault Santa Isabel plant in 1982. Today a cult surrounds the cars in Argentina along with a still-vibrant tuning aftermarket. I often visit eBay Argentina to see what Torinos are available. It's been a long-held dream of mine to buy a Torino in Argentina and drive it back to the US. That would truly be an Automotive Traveler-worthy adventure.
 The second irony of the story is that while Renault was increasing its stake in American Motors here in the US, ultimately taking control in 1980 after its lenders wouldn't extend it any further credit (sound familiar?), introducing the French-designed Alliance in 1984 then selling out to Chrysler in 1987, they were still producing this American-Italian-French-Argentine hybrid first sold in the fall of 1963 as the stylish yet economical Rambler American 440 hardtop until 1977. These days, instead of AMC, it's Chrysler forced into the arms of a foreign partner, in this case Fiat. For the sake of Chrysler and its US employees, let's hope the marriage of Chrysler and Fiat works out better in the end than the link-up of AMC and Renault. The common thread through all of this? Yes, you guessed it, Jeep!
 My thanks to fellow AMC nut Larry Daum who brought this car to my attention. (Larry and Mark Ogulnick of the Las Vega AMC community helped arrange this 2005 post SEMA Show shoot of a Torino owned by a local Argentine ex-pat.) For some additional commentary on the car in English, visit bringatrailer.com. There, many of the comments will shed additional light--some of it incorrect or speculative--on this very interesting, three-continent story. For even more information, visit the Torino section on the Rogue Registry as well as torosite.com, clubamigosdeltorino.com, cupetorino, and pasion-torino.com in Argentina. (Note: You can use Google Translate to translate the Spanish-language sites.) Images of several Rambler Americans and Rogues can also be found in the 100th Anniversary of the Rambler in Kenosha 2002 image gallery here on Automotive Traveler.
While I would love to bid on this car, it's a bit rich for my blood, but I wish the seller the best of luck in finding a new home for it, hopefully someone who will appreciate it for all the history and collaboration that it represents.
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aguante el torino.