The IES Gringa was a light pickup built by Industrias Eduardo Sal-Lari in Argentina in 1988. It used the same platform as the company’s 3CV, had a body of fibreglass and could be equipped with four-wheel drive; the Gringo, IES’s last new model, grew out of it a year later.
IES Gringa at a glance
| Maker | Industrias Eduardo Sal-Lari S.A., Argentina |
|---|---|
| Model year | 1988 |
| Platform | the same as the IES 3CV |
| Body | light pickup, fibreglass (glass-reinforced plastic) |
| Drive | rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive available |
| Military use | the Argentine Army had some 4×4 units |
| Derivative | Gringo of 1989, developed from the Gringa |
| Company fate | IES went bankrupt in 1990 |
Based on one source: the Spanish Wikipedia article on Industrias Eduardo Sal-Lari, which covers the Gringa in a short section.
History of the IES Gringa
A pickup from the 3CV platform
By 1988 Industrias Eduardo Sal-Lari was building the 3CV and its derivatives at Mercedes in Buenos Aires Province under its own name. On the same platform the company developed a light pickup with a body of fibreglass, called the Gringa. The design was well received, and the truck could be ordered with four-wheel drive; the Argentine Army took some of these 4×4 units.
The Gringo of 1989
In 1989 IES launched what it called the first Argentine jeep, the Gringo. Its development started from the Gringa pickup. The Gringo had a body for five passengers, a side-opening tailgate and a large glazed area behind the doors; it was designed and developed by the Argentine engineer Alfredo Osvaldo Raspanti. The Gringo was the last new model of the make.
The crisis of 1990
The economic crisis that began in Argentina in February 1990 put Industrias Eduardo Sal-Lari in a very difficult financial position and the company went bankrupt. The collapse coincided with the Gringo reaching series production, and it also ended work on the “Latinoamericano” project, a larger and more versatile car than the 3cv Súper América that was to have been built from parts made in several Latin American countries.
Design and features
- Fibreglass body: the pickup was built in glass-reinforced plastic rather than steel.
- Optional four-wheel drive: a rare choice in a small Argentine utility of the period, and one the army took up.
- 3CV platform: the mechanical basis came from the company’s car, which kept the project cheap.
- Basis for the Gringo: the pickup was developed into IES’s five-seat jeep-like model of 1989.
IES Gringa versions
- Gringa (1988): the standard light pickup with rear-wheel drive.
- Gringa 4×4: four-wheel-drive version, some of them bought by the Argentine Army.
- Gringo (1989): five-seat derivative with a side-opening tailgate.
The Gringa was built on the platform of the IES 3CV, and its stablemate in the range was the Méhari-derived IES Safari. More cars of the make are in the IES collection.
Sources
- Industrias Eduardo Sal-Lari, Spanish Wikipedia: Gringa, Gringo, company history
