posted at the CC Cohort by riveranotario
In recent years there’s been a lot of pop culture devoted to dystopian futures; from books to movies to TV shows. Now, the one thing about those dystopias is that if cars make an appearance, they tend to be on the butch side of the automotive equation. But, what about those of us who aren’t so loving of hot-rodded V8s? What other car possibilities could there be for a dystopian future?
Here’s an interesting choice for those in want of further dystopian car options: A 1960s Siam Di Tella Traveller in metallic finish –a BMC product built under license in Argentina from 1959 to 1966. And in this surviving sample, looking almost ready for those upcoming dystopian days. Add a few spikes over that bodywork and you would be set to be Mad Max’s neighbor.
Those who know their Brit cars surely can tell that this Siam Di Tella Traveller’s face is that of a Riley 4/68 (plus other BMC variants). And if you think the model is making its first appearance at CC, you would be mistaken; a Ute version of the model, the Argenta, was covered back in 2013. That link covers quite a bit about the origins of this obscure Argentinian offering.
If old links aren’t your thing and wish a quick recap, Siam Di Tella was an established electrical appliance Argentinian manufacturer that jumped into auto assembly by the late ’50s. Thus joining that nation’s push into automotive production. A deal was struck with BMC to build models under license; the 1500 sedan being the first to appear. Assembly support was provided by BMC’s engineers, and while the face was Riley, the model was truly based on BMC’s Farina models. A crucial detail that explains the 1500’s Austin Cambridge looking rear.
By most accounts, the 1500 sedan version became rather popular with Buenos Aires’ taxi fleet. Meanwhile, the Traveller and Argenta Ute showed up in 1963, both with a 1489cc B Series engine offering 52 BHP. Last, a new line, the Magnette 1622, appeared in 1965.
While Siam Di Tella had been one of the first to jump into Argentina’s car production fray, its finances could never compete against the larger players that arrived shortly after. By 1965, IKA (Industrias Kaiser Argentina) took a controlling interest, and by the end of ’66, all of Di Tella’s car production had ceased. The BMC-sourced vehicles would remain in production for a short while, to be fully phased out with Renault’s purchase of IKA in ’67.
According to Argentinian sites, only 1,915 Traveller wagons were built. If so, what we have here today is a rather rare specimen. Good thing, should worse outlooks occur, it is looking quite prepared for any future dystopias. Just add some spikes and seesaws, train yourself in martial arts, and you’ll be fully ready.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1963-1966 Siam Di Tella Argenta – Hecho En Argentina
MY FIRST REACTION SEEING THE TOP PICTURE – “OH, ITS A WOLSELEY. WE GOT A LOT OF BRITISH CARS IN CANADA ON REDUCED IMPORT TARIFFS COMPALRED TO U.S. IMPORT CARS PRE AUTO PACT. WE GOT THESE BUT MORE OF THE AUSTIN CAMBRIDGE THAT USED THE SAME BASIC BODY. THX TO RICH BARON AS USUAL
If I’m not mistaken, this car is based on the Morris 1650. Notice that it has the same body, just a small change in the rear and front lights.
Did BMC have spare Riley front ends and A55 fins going spare at Longbridge? It does seem bizarre that the rarely seen Riley Farina had a bonkers second life in Argentina. Bit like the mutant toys in Toy Story. And there’s more. They even cobbled together MG bits into a Magnetta hardtop. The Farina design could cope with anything.
Wow! Who’d have thought the narrow-gutted BMC Farina could ever look decent?
Oh, I’ve got to do a model of that!
This is a good looking wagon .
With the large rear doors and cargo space it’s no wonder they were popular in taxi service .
In spite of the rust this one looks like it’d make a nice restoration, all the fiddly trim bits and hubcaps etc. are still present .
I like that little Magetta Coupe too .
-Nate
My uncle had a Cambridge estate back in 1960 but I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen a Riley version here in the UK.
No, just the Austin Cambridge Countryman and the Morris Oxford Traveller. The other brands were saloon only.
What a find, what a story (including the old post). Incredible. I had no idea.
Years ago, I think it was the UK mag Classic and Sportscar that compared a BMC Farina of about ’62 with the very similar-looking (but somehow subtly far more classical) Peugeot 404, sedans each. Despite nationalism, the BMC came across as a sweet, vague, almost like a pre-war burbler for low speeds, and lower expectations, whilst the Pug was crisp-driving and still acceptably modern (something I can account for as of 25 years ago). In short, the BMC car was rubbish.
I do, however, hope that the owner of this historical oddball continues to preserve it.
Yikes ! on that front grill. Did it melt in the sun?
My favorite BMC Farina ever.
When I was little in the early seventies, BMC Farinas were common. I used to like spotting their various different guises there were six to choose from. I remember them being popular with older people, the kind that went out for a Sunday afternoon drive. Here in Cornwall if you went to more or less anywhere on the coast you would see parked Farinas with smartly dressed old couples inside drinking tea from a thermos flask (in cups of course) and eating sandwiches, probably tinned fish or fishpaste. They’d open the doors to tip away dregs and shake the crumbs of the napkins and drive home. For me these always worked better as an estate rather than saloon.
The Morris Oxford version carried on in the UK until the Marina (a Morris here) was introduced in 1971. In the mid sixties there were six versions, in ascending price order, Austin Cambridge, Morris Oxford, Wolseley Sixteen-Sixty, MG Magnette and Riley 4/Seventy-Two. They all had different grilles, all except the Austin and Morris had make specific tail lights and dashboards as well.
As Ed says above they were thought of as older peoples cars, but when I was at college in the late seventies a couple of younger members of staff had them. One was an automatic, which would take some juggling by the driver when it was started from cold. Too much choke and it want to drive away too quickly, not enough and it would stall when drive was engaged.
I had the Morris Oxford traveller version same car different grille 1622 B series engine and major rust thru, fairly average car it got me where I was going.
The patina, the lighting, the car. Wow. What a great shot of a very interesting and rare car.
The dystopian look has always intrigued me. One of my first exposures was this Holden wagon, sheathed in corrugated steel, seen at Te Papa, the New Zealand national museum back in 1999.
The Kingswood used to be on the streets of Rotorua before it ended up in Te Papa. I remember seeing it outside the Rotorua Bath House around 1991 on a school trip and wondering just how much more fuel that poor old 202 would use carting all that weight around…! I see the creator, Jeff Thompson, followed it up a Morris Minor (image from Survivor Car Australia):
What a find!
It’s one of those things, like seeing the Queen wearing glasses or the PM in an Audi(!) that you recognise but don’t at the same time.
In a UK view, it’s a Riley 4/68 front, less the corner chrome grille fillets and with a more modest grille, with an Austin Cambridge or Morris Oxford estate rear. The Riley had 64 bhp as befitted a sports saloon; the Austin and Morris considerably less. The Riley 4/72 had 68 bhp….BMC……
The Farina saloon went to a second series in 1961 with calmer rear fins and other changes; the estate retained the original shape.
Personally, I think the Morris was the best looking of the bunch, with a calmer more Pininfarina grille and fewer old English styling cues, but YMMV.
I agree that the Morris is the best of the bunch, but here in Canada we generally got the Austin version. I have always preferred the Wolseley grille to the Riley. I do appreciate that the droop in the Riley makes them easy to identify.
Have to agree on the Morris, though the tail lights were a bit fussy. As a kid I remember seeing an Oxford Traveller brochure lying around, so Dad must have at least gone to the dealer for a look.
Of course down here we stuck a couple of extra cylinders on it for the Austin Freeway and Wolseley 24/80. No Morris version of those.
Used one as a shooting buggy in the ’80s. Nicknamed “The Deadly” No brakes and never, never shift it into 3rd.
Good, simpler days!
Maybe it’s your fine eye for lighting, but I’ve never seen an old car wear rust so well. Talk about patina. The hoodline above the grille/snout looks almost like leather.
I like small cars but unless those kids where sitting on mom and dads laps it must have been into the trunk for them. They appear to be questioning dads logic of such Kafkaesque trunk accommodations. An interesting and very rare bird for sure.
We used to consider these large family cars. In pre-seatbelt days it would have been quite normal to fit the child between the adults on the bench style seating these had (the front seats were either true bench or flat individual seats without a gap). Six adults would have been a squeeze, but not unknown.