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Simca 1501 Special - Special features: none

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Created on December 22, 2022

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

12

Bruno von Rotz

11

Archiv

36

Daniel Reinhard

12

Bruno von Rotz

11

Archiv

36

Simca 1501 Special (1970) - simple, elegant, Italian, but also a bit arbitrary

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - simple, elegant, Italian, but also a bit arbitrary

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - in the color "Beige Lorelei Métallisé"

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - in the color "Beige Lorelei Métallisé"

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - Fog lights as standard

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - lettering with a last bit of fifties playfulness

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - sporty round instruments from September 1969. Two on the 1300 and four on the 1500

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - sports steering wheel, center console and wooden gear knob distinguish it from the normal 1501

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - Although the red zone only starts at 6000, the four-cylinder engine is not particularly torquey

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - four-cylinder Type 342 with 81 hp from 1.5 liters displacement

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - the rear was 13.5 cm longer for the 1967 model year

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - the simple bodywork conceals a surprisingly elaborate chassis

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - with high roof structure and good all-round visibility

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - sporty front with fog lights and black radiator grille

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - the lettering made up of individual letters disappeared the following year

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - rear end with similarities to the Audi 100

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - yellow headlights, but white parking lights

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - corner-mounted indicators were introduced as early as model year 1967, the double trim strip next to it only in 1970

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - angular rear lights came with the model update at the end of 1966

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - Wheel cover with "Pentastar" as a subtle reference to the patron Chrysler

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - small lettering on the hood

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - Symbolic picture: Chrysler left Simca out in the rain

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Simca 1501 Special (1970) - from this perspective it even has a certain BMW resemblance

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Simca 1300 (1963) - Simca General Director M. H. T. Pigozzi with the maquette of the new Simca

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Simca 1300 (1963) - General Director M. H. T. Pigozzi with the new Simca 1300

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Simca 1300 (1963) - on the Morefontaine test track with a gradient of 30 percent

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Simca 1300 GL (1963) - comfortable four-door model

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Simca 1300 (1963) - Rear axle

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Simca 1300 (1963) - view through the 1300 (view-through drawing)

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Simca 1300 (1963) - An illustration of the engine

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Simca 1500 (1966) - the large engine (right) compared with the smaller engine of the Simca 1300

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Simca 1300 GL (1963) - On display at the Geneva Motor Show 1963

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Simca 1500 (1963) - On a raised platform at the Geneva Motor Show 1963

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Simca 1300 GL (1963) - "Grand Luxe" version of the mid-size sedan with staggered lines

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Simca 1500 (1964) - the refined interior, disc brakes and modified front end distinguish it from the Simca 1300 - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Simca 1300 (1963) - Simple dashboard and steering wheel

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Simca 1300 (1963) - The engine of a 1300

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Simca 1300 (1963) - The passenger compartment of a Simca 1300

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Simca 1300 GL (1963) - Simple front with two large headlights

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Simca 1300 GL (1963) - modern sedan

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Simca 1501 Spécial Break (1970) - Rear compartment is lined with imitation wood - Geneva Motor Show 1970

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Simca 1501 Special (1969) - Stick shift, sports steering wheel and good seating position make you forget that you are driving a touring sedan - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Simca 1501 (1966) - the trunk promises plenty of space for lots of luggage

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Simca 1301 Special (1971) - at the Motor Show

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Simca 1501 GL (1969) - externally, the 1301 and 1501 are almost indistinguishable

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Simca 1301 Spécial (1971) - presented for sale

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Simca 1300 (1963) - Cars are tested day and night on the Simca test track in Mortefontaine

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Simca 1501 GL (1968) - as a four-door sedan

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Simca 1501 GLS Tourisme (1968) - as a station wagon, which was available on a 1301 and 1501 basis

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Simca 1500 (1963) - A Simca 1500 on a test drive

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Simca 1501 GLS (1966) - the revised dashboard

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Simca 1300 (1966) - Dimensions

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Simca 1301 (1968) - on a test drive

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Simca 1300 GL (1966) - on the road in Switzerland

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Simca 1500 (1966) - as part of the 1966 sales program, including Simca 1000, 1000 Coupé, 1300/1500

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Simca 1301 Spécial Break (1972) - with lots of space and a big mouth

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Simca 1301 Spécial (1972) - as a limousine

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Simca 1501 Spécial (1974)

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Simca 1300 (1963) - almost optimal all-round visibility

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Summary

It is French, looks like an Italian, feels like a German and drives like an American. Although the Simca 1501 had many good qualities, it disappeared into insignificance along with its brand. Perhaps it would have benefited from having a few clear deficits if it had distinguished itself with more clear strengths. This article tells the story of the Simca types 1300 to 1501, illustrated with current and historical images and sales material.

This article contains the following chapters

Almost an Alfa Romeo
Small on the outside, big on the inside
Bigger, not more modern
The fast Spezi
Loss of face

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

As the last of the "Big Three" from Detroit, Chrysler also wanted to try its luck in Europe in the 1950s. After all, General Motors had already had two brands specifically for the Old World market since the 1920s: Vauxhall and Opel. Ford had even founded its British subsidiary in 1909, before the French and German Ford plants were added in 1916 and 1925 respectively. To avoid starting from scratch, Chrysler bought a 25 percent stake in the French Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile - Simca for short - in 1958, which had been founded in 1934 to build Fiat models under license.

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