¡Viva Argentina! SIAM Di Tella Argenta is the Riley Pick-Up that Never Was


As if the Riley 4/72 wasn’t obscure enough for our North American friends, Sección Industrial Amasadoras Mecánicas Di Tella, in a fit of revolutionary brilliance worthy of Bolivar himself, created the Argenta. And it was good.


You see, Riley never made a pick-up version of the 4/72, for reasons unknown to science or common sense. This is too bad – they might have stood out a little in the crowded, confusing BMC range. Was Wolsey the top-of-the-line marque, or was it Riley? Did it matter, as they were all rebadged Austins? Frankly, I’m getting a headache trying to sort it all out, and eventually the market got sick of it too and Riley was resigned to that very large and British dustbin filled with failed dreams and tinworm.

Enter the South American auto industry, fond of licensing bizarre foreign designs to give them long and distinguished afterlives (see also the Argentine Ford Falcon, in production until 1991). SIAM Di Tella had made a name for themselves producing bread-making machines, survived a military coup, and was cranking out Lambretta scooters by the bushel when the license for the Riley 4/72 design fell into their diverse laps. SIAM’s 1500 sedan became a popular taxi in Buenos Aires, but what about those customers seeking near-luxury appointments with a bovine-friendly cargo bed? The Argenta was born out of this bold line of thinking, and for four glorious years, the trucklet rolled off of SIAM’s assembly lines. That is, until foreign automakers decided to cut out the middleman by building their plants in South America, making the economic argument for SIAM’s auto production moot. In the wake of more coups and general economic unrest, SIAM disbanded factory by factory, lingering on until 1994. Apparently, despite making less than 30,000 Riley vehicles under license, there is an active enthusiast community, as there should be!
My take – this would be the ultimate support vehicle for a Interlagos-Alpine A110 road racer. Am I wrong?
Cambridge-Oxford Owner’s Club, Wikipedia

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  1. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    Did you know that Harry Truman named Simón Bolívar as one of the men he respected most, and kept a painting of him hung in the Oval Office throughout his presidency?
    Yea, it has nothing to do with this car. But you brought up Bolívar, and considering that I am currently working in an office about one mile from the Truman farm home, I am civically bound as a member of my community to promote the memory of Truman wherever possible.
    We now return you to your regularly-scheduled comments.

  2. Alff Avatar

    I had a rare opportunity to play cards at Truman's personal poker table recently. A president with a poker table in his home immediately gains credibility in my eyes.

  3. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    You are 100% spot on w/the Interlagos. I'd run a Justicialista and a VW SP2 along with it.

  4. islami sohbet Avatar

    Thanks for writing. I worked a lot of work

  5. Buickboy92 Avatar
    Buickboy92

    Love these! Great article!