Siam Di Tella

Siam Di Tella was an Argentine manufacturing company; the name Siam is an acronym from Sección Industrial Amasadoras Mecánicas.
Early years and development
Founded in 1911 by Torcuato di Tella, an Italian Argentine immigrant, the firm began as a manufacturer of bread making machines, which came into great demand by local bakeries in the 1920s. Di Tella's friendship with Enrique Mosconi, the director of the newly established state oil concern YPF, helped result in a contract to build their fuel dispensers and Siam di Tella's growth into a leading Argentine manufacturer.

A military coup in 1930 resulted in the contract's rescission, prompting di Tella to convert his new factory south of Buenos Aires into the manufacture of industrial machinery and home appliances (particularly refrigerators), becoming the largest, domestically-based industrial conglomerate in Latin America. The firm established a facility making commercial freezers under license from Westinghouse in 1935, and their trademark household refrigerator unit in 1948. Advertised as la reina del frío ("The Queen of Cold"), these became popular among Argentine consumers and their production expanded from 11,000 units annually in 1948 to 70,000 by 1958. Expanding into an array of big ticket appliances, as well as their motorcycle and motor vehicle ventures, Siam diTella expanded to 13 manufacturing facilities employing 9,000 by the 1960s.

Siambretta

Following the founder's death in 1948, the firm secured a licensing agreement with Italian motor scooter maker Lambretta. This initially consisted of a deal to import 2,000 obsolete model A's that had failed to sell in Italy, 75 of which were donated to President Juan Perón's youth group UES. Contemporary LD models were soon added to the range and in the early 1960s SIAM began producing an Li/TV Series 2 variant. Some of these were exported to Chile and Uruguay. Siambretta production ceased by 1970 with around 200,000 units having been sold.

Reforms by way of a Law of Foreign Investment and an Automobile Industry Framework drafted by adviser Rogelio Frigerio and enacted by President Arturo Frondizi encouraged Siam to venture into the auto industry. A license obtained from the British Motor Corporation led to the Siam di Tella 1500; based on the British BMC Farina series of the late 1950s. The car followed the specifications of the BMC car in most respects, but was fitted with a low compression version of the 1489 cc B-Series engine with a single carburettor (the option of twin carburettors was offered, but very rarely specified). The vehicle became very popular among taxi drivers in Buenos Aires due to its spacious interior and its fuel economy compared to the US-derived vehicles previously popular as taxis. The 1500 was followed by the Traveller station wagon and the Argenta pick-up truck, then the upmarket "Magnette". The proliferation of domestic subsidiaries of U.S. and European automakers led to the bankruptcy of Siam's vehicle line in 1966; in all, around 64,477 units had been produced between 1959 and 1966. The automobile production facility was sold to Industrias Kaiser Argentina. IKA revitalised production with a variant of the Morris Oxford sold with two-tone leather seats and 1622cc engine as the Morris 1650; the base model Siam di Tella 1500 and the Argenta pick-up were rebadged Riley 1500 and the Magnette was uprated with twin carburettors and individual leather seats as the MG 1650 - sales of the Morris were good, but IKA was taken over by Renault in 1967 and production of this British-derived range of cars was shut down.