Simca 8

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Simca
Simca 8 1200, sedan 2 doors
Simca 8 1200, sedan 2 doors
8th
Production period: 1938-1951
Class : Lower middle class
Body versions : Sedan , station wagon , coupé , convertible
Engines: Petrol engines :
1.1–1.2 liters
(23.5–30 kW)
Length: 4020 mm
Width: 1480 mm
Height: 1530 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight : 870 kg
Previous model Simca-Fiat 6 CV
successor Simca 9

The Simca 8 is a lower middle class car that the car manufacturer Simca , a subsidiary of the Italian automotive group Fiat , built from 1938 to 1951 as the successor to the Simca-Fiat 6 CV .

history

The Simca 8 was presented to the French public at the Paris Motor Show in October 1937 and was derived from the Fiat 1100 508 C "Nuova Balilla" . It was built under an Italian license in the Simca Fiat factory in Nanterre from April 1938 . It sold well as a competitor to the Peugeot 202 and the Renault Juvaquatre .

lili rere
Simca 8 Coupe
Rear view of a Simca 8 as a 4-door sedan

The Simca 8, which corresponded exactly to the Fiat 1100, had a vehicle front with an egg-shaped radiator grille and individually standing, round headlights. The body was much more streamlined than that of the predecessor Simca-Fiat 6 CV.

The doors of the four-door sedan were hinged on the A and C pillars ; the front ones in front and the back ones behind. This was called "Portes antagonistes". With this model, the independent brand "Simca" was born, the emblem of which featured a swallow .

The engine was the well-known four-cylinder in- line engine from Fiat with 1089 cm³, which made 32 hp (23.5 kW) at 4200 rpm. Like many Fiat engines, it had an OHV valve control . The front wheels were individually suspended and the rear of the car had a powered rigid axle . The drum brakes on all 4 wheels were operated hydraulically. The cars equipped with four-speed gearbox reached a top speed of 110 km / h.

After business resumed after the Second World War , the Simca 8 remained on sale for several years.

In Italy Fiat had already replaced the first 1100 with the Fiat 1100 B model, from which the Simca 8 benefited from the redesign of the front bumpers, the radiator grille, the bonnet and the trunk lid. On this occasion, the Simca 8 also received an engine with a capacity of 1221 cm³ and an output of 41 hp (30 kW). This engine was later to be used in the successor Simca 9 .

In 1948 Simca presented the Simca 8 Sport , the body of which was designed by Pininfarina and which was built by Facel Métallon for Simca . The engine of the sports car developed 50 hp (37 kW) with the same displacement and reached a top speed of 135 km / h.

The production of this sports car was stopped in 1952. At that time it was considered the most beautiful car in France.

The sedan remained on sale until the end of 1951. Then it was replaced by the Simca 9, the well-known Simca Aronde .

A total of 113,165 Simca 8s left the production lines in Nanterre.

Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet 001.jpg
Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet 002.jpg
Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet 003.jpg
Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet 004.jpg
Simca 8 sports convertible

Sports successes

  • 24 Hours of Le Mans 1939 : Winner of the 1.1-liter class, with Amédée Gordini and José Scaron (10th overall), second Guy Lapchin and Charles Plantivaux (13th overall), four drivers of the racing team Gordini ;
  • Coupe de Paris 1945: 1.5-liter class. (Amédée Gordini);
  • Coupe des Alpes 1949: winner of the 1.1-liter class, with Robert Manzon ;
  • Rally Lyon-Charbonnières 1949: ( Blondel and Monestier );
  • Rally Morocco 1950: ( Charles Preynat );
  • Rallye du Var 1950: ( Dekuypert );
  • Women's Cup at the Monte Carlo Rally 1950: ( Germaine Rouault );
  • Grand Prix d'Agadir 1951: class win ( Robert Amic );
  • Rally Poland 1957: Class winners Group 5 touring cars, with Bolesław Majkowski .

(Note: After the war, the Simca 8 was again second in the 1.1-liter class at the 1949 Le Mans 24-hour race with NJ Mahé and R. Crovetto (14th overall).)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Production Simca Fiat 1932–1938 . Simca-Fiat.info. Retrieved May 18, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Simca 8  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files