The story
IAVA was established in 1971 after an initiative of Carlos Marsengo, then Director of Fiat Concord, the Argentine subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. It was believed that Marsengo had been given approval to establish a performance vehicles division from Italy.
The first models were assembled in the Fiat plant in Caseros, Buenos Aires, but short after production moved to Martínez, on Fondo de la Legua avenue. The first president of IAVA was Gerónimo Grossi, and Marcelo Zunnino was appointed as Director.
IAVA's most emblematic model was Fiat 128, which performance cars competed in Rallying and Turismo Carretera with successful results. The IAVA "128 TV" ("Turismo Veloz") was launched in March 1972, with near 500 units built in the first year. This model had a top speed of 170 km/h at 7,000 rpm.
IAVA also made version of the Fiat 147 which was named Sorpasso. They also made versions of the Fiat 133 called IAVA and Fiat 133 Top respectively. Later, IAVA created a buggy called Kikito Buggy but produced less than 25 units, along with 2 berlinetta-type prototypes. It also made a motor for boats based on an SSB structure and a prototype for the firm Mara. Other Fiat models modified by IAVA were the 600, 125, and Duna.
In 1985, Sevel Argentina (which produced Fiat and Peugeot brands in the country since 1980), determined that the subsidiaries should be closed, causing the end of IAVA.
From Wikipedia’s article on Industria Argentina Vehículos de Avanzada, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4