Simca

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The Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile ( SIMCA ) was a French automobile manufacturer. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture Fiat vehicles under license in France. After the Second World War , own models were added. Simca Automobiles later took over Talbot and began a collaboration with Chrysler , which in 1971 led to a takeover by the US manufacturer. After the takeover by Peugeot in 1978 , the Simca brand was given up.

history

SIMCA was founded in 1934 by Henri Théodore Pigozzi and from 1935 manufactured FIAT vehicles under license in Nanterre near Paris : First the Fiat 500 Topolino , which was sold in France as Simca 5 , then other models, Simca 8 and Simca 6 , until 1950 . FIAT received shares in Simca for the licenses. During the Second World War , Simca built parts for the NSU - Kettenkrad, among other things, on behalf of the German occupying forces .

In 1952 Simca took over tractor production from MAP , in 1954 Simca took over the Poissy automobile plant near Paris from Ford France and converted it into what was then the most modern automobile factory in Europe by 1957. In return, Ford received 15% of the Simca shares when the French subsidiary and its French models were sold. The previous Ford models Vedette and Comète continued to roll off the production line under the name Simca Vedette and Simca Comète Monte Carlo . The Ford Cargo F798WM truck became Simca Cargo (Matford F917WS) from 1955 . The Simca Comète Monte Carlo was discontinued just a year later, the Vedette - also offered as Chambord, Marly and Présidence - was manufactured in France as a large luxury-class Simca model until 1961. In Brazil , the model series then rolled off the assembly line until the end of the 1960s. With the purchase of the Poissy plant and the additional production of the former Ford models, Simca pushed Peugeot from third place among the French automobile manufacturers and took a place next to Citroën after Renault . The truck factory was operated through collaboration with Unic .

In the 1950s Simca brought out its own series such as Simca Aronde (1951) and Simca Ariane (1957), followed by the Simca 1000 (1961) with rear-wheel drive , from 1963 the 1300/1500 series, and the Simca 1100 (1967), the first Simca with transversely installed front engine and front wheel drive .

In 1958 Chrysler USA bought the 15% of Simca shares still held by Ford USA. Chrysler also took over Unic and incorporated it as the commercial vehicle division of Simca, so the truck models from France were only sold as Unic. Simca-Chrysler took over Talbot-Lago in 1959 . In the same year, Simca and Fiat founded a joint venture with the Moroccan government: the Société Marocaine de Construction Automobile . In Morocco, a total of more than 50,000 units of the 1000, 1100 and 1300/1500 series were to be produced. By 1971 Chrysler increased its stake in Simca to almost 100%, most of which was taken over by FIAT. The company was now officially called Chrysler Europe , but the Simca brand name was retained.

In 1978 Simca was sold to Peugeot . This continued the model series until 1986 under the brand name Talbot . Numerous new models emerged from the Simca-Chrysler estate, including a. the Peugeot 309 , which was intended as a Peugeot project as the successor to the Talbot Horizon and was named Arizona in the pre-series version by the press. In collaboration with Matra and Chrysler's experience in this area ( Chrysler Voyager ), a people carrier had been developed, but this was not taken over by Peugeot. This is how the Renault Espace was born .

Models

Timeline of the Clement Talbot / Automobiles Talbot / Talbot (PSA) / Chrysler Europe / Simca / Rootes / Matra models from 1945 to 1986
Type SIMCA until 1957 ,
Rootes Group independent until 1967		 Entry of Chrysler , formation of Chrysler Europe Part of PSA (Peugeot) from the end of 1978
40s 50s 60s 70s 80s
5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9
Small car Imp / Imp Californian / Husky 4 Sunbeam 5 Sunbeam 5
Chamois 4
Stiletto 4
... 5/6 1000/900/1005/1006 Samba 8
Compact class Avenger 5 Avenger 5 Avenger 5
... 8 / 8/1200 1100 7 1100 7
Horizon 7 Horizon 7 Horizon 7 Arizona
Middle class ... Minx (Mk I-Mk VII) / Husky Mk I Minx / Husky (SI-SIII) 1 Minx / Super Minx / Husky 2 New Minx / Hunter 3 Hunter 3 Hunter 3
SM 1500 Hunter Gazelle 1 Gazelle / Vogue 2 New Gazelle / Vogue 3
... Ten / 2L 80 / 90 (MkI) 90 (MkII) Mk III Rapier (SI – V) 1 New Rapier / Rapier H120 3
Scepter I + II 2 New Scepter 3 Solara 6 Solara (GB: Minx / Rapier) 6
Hawk (Mk I-III) Hawk (Mk IV – VI) Hawk (SI-IV) Alpine 6 Alpine 6 Minx / Rapier 6
9 Aronde Aronde Aronde (P60) 1300/1500 1301/1501 1301/1501 1307/1308 6 1510 6 1510 6
upper middle class ... Snipe / Super Snipe (I-III) Super Snipe (VI) Super Snipe (SI – V)
infant Ariane 160/180 160/180 / 2L 1610 / 2L 1610 / 2L Tagora 9
Upper class Pullman / Imperial (Mk I IV) Imperial
Record Vedette
Coupé / convertible Imp Sport 4
1000 coupe 1200 p
Alpine MkI / III Alpine SI – IV / Tiger New Alpine 3
Comète America
Sports car T26 Grand Sport / Saoutchik Sports Djet jet 530 Bagheera Bagheera Murena
SUV Rancho Rancho
Box van 1100 VF2 / VF3 City truck City truck
Talbot-Lago , sold to Simca in 1959 SIMCA: Fiat production under license SIMCA: 1954 by Ford France SA hinzugekauft SIMCA: partially developed on the basis of Fiat or Ford Chrysler-Simca Humber, a brand of the Rootes group, is discontinued in 1976 Sunbeam Talbot, a brand of the Rootes Group until 1953 Sunbeam, a brand of the Rootes Group from 1953, is discontinued in 1976 Singer, a brand of the Rootes Group since 1956, is discontinued in 1970 Hillman, brand of the Rootes group Chrysler Automobiles René Bonnet sports car Matra Matra-Simca Talbot Matra Talbot- Simca Talbot, brand discontinued in 1986

1 common platform of the Rootes group based on the Hillman Minx 1956
2 common platform Audax of the Rootes group based on the Hillman Super Minx
3 common platform Arrow of the Rootes group
4 common platform of the Rootes group based on the Hillman Imp
5 common platform - Chrysler Avenger, Project 424
6 shared platform - Chrysler Project C6
7 shared platform - Chrysler Project C2
8 shared PSA platform with Peugeot 104 and Citroën LN
9 Chrysler Project C9, technology largely from Peugeot 504/505/604

Simca-Fiat

  • 6cv (1932-1937) (version of the Fiat 508 Balilla )
  • 11cv (1934-1937) (version of the Fiat 518 Ardita )

Simca

  • Simca 5 (1936–1948) (Fiat 500 built under license; built in Nanterre)
  • Simca 8 (1937–1951) (version of the Fiat 508C or Fiat 1100)
    • Simca 8 Coupé (1939)
    • Simca 8-1200 (1949-1951)
    • Simca 8-1200 convertible (1949–1951)
    • Simca 8 Sport Coupé / Cabrio (1949–1952)
  • Simca 6 (1948–1950) (variant of the Fiat 500C built under license)
    • Simca 6 Decapotable (1947-1950)
Simca Aronde (1954)
Simca Aronde P60 Elysée (1961)
  • Simca 9 / Aronde (1951–1964)
    • Simca 9 (1st generation)
      • Simca 9 Sport Coupé (1951–1955)
      • Simca 9 Sport (1952–1955)
      • Simca Aronde 1200 (1951–1955)
    • Simca Aronde (2nd generation 60A )
      • Simca Aronde 1300 (1956-1959)
      • Simca Aronde Coupé (1956-1960)
      • Simca Aronde Oceane (1956–1962)
      • Simca Aronde Commerciale (1956-1960)
      • Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1956–1962)
      • Simca Aronde Monaco Coupé (1958–1962)
    • Simca Aronde (3rd generation P60 )
      • Simca Aronde P.60 (1959–1963)
      • Simca Aronde Ranch P.60 (1960–1963)
      • Simca Aronde Montlhery (1959–1963)
Simca Vedette Chambord (1960)
  • Simca Vedette (1955–1962)
    • Régence
    • Versailles
    • Trianon
    • Marly (Break) (1956-1962)
    • Présidence (1959-1960)
    • Chambord
    • Beaulieu (1957–1961)
  • Simca Ariane (1957-1963)
    • Ariane 8 (1957-1960)
Simca 1200S Coupé (1967)
Simca 1100 LS (1974)
Simca 1307 GLS (1978)
  • Simca 1000 (1961-1978)
    • Simca 1000 (1961-1968)
    • Simca Abarth 1150 (1962-1963)
    • Simca 1000 Coupé Bertone (1962-1967)
    • Simca 1200 S Coupé Bertone (1967–1971)
    • Simca 4 CV (1969–1972)
    • Simca 1000 GL / 1005 LS (1977)
    • Simca 1000 Special (1969)
    • Simca 1006 GLS (1977)
    • Simca 1000 rally (1970–1971)
    • Simca 1000 Rally 1 (1972)
    • Simca 1000 Rally 2 (1973)
    • Simca 1000 Rally 3 (1978)
  • Simca 1300-1301-1501 (1963-1976)
    • Simca 1300-1500 (1963-1967)
    • Simca 1301-1501 (1967-1976)
    • Simca 1501 Tourisme´ (1967-1970)
  • Simca 1100 (1968–1985)

Chrysler-Simca

Chrysler 160 (1970)
Matra-Simca Rancho (1977)

Matra-Simca / Talbot-Matra

Talbot

Use of Simca technology by other companies

In many cases, other automotive companies also used engines, chassis components and / or bodies from Simca for completely revised or their own vehicle models. In close cooperation with Simca, the French manufacturer Gordini used Simca technology extensively from 1935 to 1951 for sports cars through to Grand Prix racing cars, in some cases even after the end of the official partnership. In Symetric-Arbel , which is also French, a Simca motor was used between 1951 and 1958, which fed the electric motors for the drive.

In 1963, the Carrozzeria Sibona-Basano from Turin presented the Simca Cerbiatto, a two-seater Spider based on the Simca 1000, and the Simca Mistral 1500, a 2 + 2-seater convertible based on the Simca 1300/1500, which, however, are probably only unique pieces stayed. The Italian automobile manufacturer Abarth built the Simca Abarth 1150/1150 S / 1150 SS / 1150 Corsa in larger series from 1963 to 1965 with the fundamentally revised technology and the series body of the Simca 1000 . From 1962 to 1966, the Abarth Simca 1300 GT / 1600 GT / 2000 GT racing coupés were built on the modified floor pan including chassis components of the Simca 1000 in presumably larger double-digit numbers with light metal bodies from Carrozzeria Beccaris and Carrozzeria Sibona-Basano. With the same Simca base, the Abarth 1300OT / 1600OT / 2000OT racing coupés with plastic bodies were also made by Sibona-Basano, 50 of which are said to have been built in 1965/1966.

The French manufacturer Chappe et Gessalin also used the floor pan and the drive of the Simca 1000 for its sporty coupés and convertibles CG Spider 1000 / Sport 1000/1200 S from 1966 to 1974. Another example of the use of the floor pan and the drive of the Simca 1000 represents the Beach Buggy Shake by Bertone presented in 1970 .

literature

  • Jean-Paul Rousseau, Jacques Rousseau: SIMCA Histoire d'une marque, Fontainebleau 1996, ISBN 2-84078-039-9

Web links

Commons : Simca  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ La SOMACA et l'usine Berliet-Maroc lancent l'industrie automobile , in Le Monde diplomatique, June 1962, p. 15.
  2. ↑ Ghassan Khaber: Somaca: Bye bye Taylor , in: L'économiste 331 of 21 May 1998th