All you need to know about Simca...
Born: 1935 Nationality: French
Henri Theodore Pigozzi began his automotive business by sending scrap cars to Italy for recycling by Fiat. This led to him becoming a Fiat agent in France in 1924 and two years later he began assembing Fiats near Paris. By 1934 he had built some 30,000 Fiats.
In 1935, in association with Fiat, Pigozzi established Simca with a view to providing small, cheap cars in an economically depressed market. Initially, Simca began assembling Fiat Topolinos and later sold those as the Simca 5. Fiat's 508 Balilla became the Simca 8. By the outbreak of WW II more than 58,000 Simcas had been built.
Car production was scaled down during the war, but Simca managed in 1942 to absorb the Delahaye and Delage brands owned by Baron Retiet. A racing enthusiast, Amadee Gordini, modified an 8 and won several key races with it.
In 1944 Simca began overhauling and making spare parts for US Army Jeeps and, from 1946 to 1951, produced again its pre-war models, with some modifications. An OHV Simca 6 began production in 1948.
In 1949, continuing co-operation with Fiat resulted in the Simca 6, a version of the Topolino C. Meanwhile, the 8 with a French engine larger and more powerful than its Fiat counterpart was available in saloon, convertible, and van formats. Gordini in the meantime was winning races all over France. In 1950, Simca sold more than 17 per cent of all the medium-priced cars sold in France.
A brand new car, the Aronde, with styling cues that were to distinguish Simcas for many years, was introduced. It continued to be powered by a version of the 8's 1200cc engine, but had a beautiful flowing body and used unitary construction. The gorgeous Coupe Simca 9 Sport was forerunner of a series of Aronde-based sports cars through to 1960 that are classics in design.
In 1954 Simca took over Ford of France, acquiring in the process a Ford 2.3-litre V8 and a Vedette model name that later became a Simca. The Vedette continued in production until 1961.
In 1957, mating the Vedette body with the 1300cc Aronde engine gave the Ariane, a good-sized, affordable family car. It stayed in production until 1963. In 1958, Chrysler acquired a minority interest in Simca.
In 1962 the Simca 1000, a boxy rear-engined small car with four doors, appeared. A derivative, the 1000 Coupé, was quite the most beautiful of its genre around at the time.
The Aronde was discontinued in 1964 in favour of a new 1301 and 1501 which abandoned the curves for the box shape. A front-wheel-drive 1100, with a transverse engine, hit the streets in 1968, by which time the Chrysler pentastar badge was an integral part of the Simca logo.
In 1970, along with a change of company name to Simca Chrysler, came the Chrysler 160 and its 180 and 2L derivatives, very much in an American style though designed in England. In the same year the company acquired Matra. Two years later the 1.3-litre Rallye derivative of the 1000 saloon created some sporting interest.
The 1973 Matra 530 LX was a Lotus-like sports coupé with a German Ford engine, and the 1974 Matra Simca Bagheera was a 3-seater sports coupé that wanted to be a supercar but lacked the power.
The Matra-Simca Rancho broke new ground in a niche area in 1977, based on a Simca 1100 platform but using a Talbot-Alpine 1.4-litre engine and a chunky body that in a small size looked like what was to be the Land Rover Discovery of some time in the future.
In 1978, the PSA Group bought Chrysler Europe, and the Simca name disappeared.
BEST CAR: For sheer beauty, the 1958 Simca Aronde 1300 Grand Large, above
WORST CAR: The Chrysler 160, designed by committee in Coventry.
WEIRDEST CAR: To these eyes, the Bagheera. ... - Brian Byrne