Info für Besucher ohne Javascript

Premium

Madame makes a career: Simca Aronde 1958

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on April 1, 1958

Text:

Günther Gebhardt

Photos:

Archiv

22

Archiv

22

Simca Aronde P 60 Montlhéry (1958) - this version was named after the race track on which a 100,000 km endurance record was set

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde (1958) - the new Simca is a joy to drive

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde (1958) - Dashboard

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde (1958) - wiring diagram

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde (1958) - Engine, interior and trunk

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde (1958) - Montlhéry version

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1958) - the pride of Simca

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde 1300 Grand Large (1956) - the limousine with reduced blind spot thanks to panoramic windshield - advertising photo from 1956

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Grand Large (1955) - with all the advantages of the new series, especially lots of glass for the cabin

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Elysee (1957) - reclining seats and multi-purpose interior in the saloon

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Chatelaine (1958) - the estate version bore the features of the previous version even longer than the other models

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde 1300 (1956) - Illustration from a sales brochure

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde 1300 (1956) - Folding picture from a sales brochure

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde 1300 (1956) - the oceanic line - was Simca's title in 1956

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde 1300 (1956) - Interior - Picture from a sales brochure

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde 1300 (1956) - the "Flash" engine - from a sales brochure

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde (1955) - the Aronde engine in the Flash version

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Coupé de Ville (1955) - the predecessor of the Plein Ciel was the Coupé de Ville

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1958) - the Facel-bodied coupé built in 1959 after the facelift

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Océane (1962) - elegant coupé

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1962) - pretty convertible

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1956) - the radiator grille did not have a honeycomb grille at the beginning - illustration in the 1956 brochure

You have only

1 out of 22

images seen in high resolution

Summary

The Simca sedan was a favorite of the 'hobby' testers. To avoid being biased or coming to conclusions too quickly, one tester put the 1958 Simca Aronde through its paces over several thousand kilometers. And still could hardly find any faults. He was thrilled. This report reproduces the original wording of the intensive test from 1958, supplemented with archive illustrations and a sales brochure from 1956.

This article contains the following chapters

Flying high with the Schwalbe from Nanterre
Finally the missing mid-range car
Exceptionally economical and yet lively
Several thousand hobby test kilometers
Exemplary road holding
Still comfortably sprung
Powerful 57 hp without gimmicks
Resilient engine
Supply by Fiat in Germany
Steering wheel control for maximum performance
Practical and aerodynamic bodywork
Large action radius
No light without power!
Practical down to the last detail
But there is still room for improvement
The capricious Frenchwoman
Technical profile

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Aronde' is French and means 'the swallow' in German. And one swallow, they say, does not make a summer. We certainly don't want to doubt the truth of this proverb, although the four-wheeled 'Schwalbe', the subject of this article, could easily prove the opposite. The car model with the name 'Aronde' has - at least as far as the products of the French Simca automobile works are concerned - made a career overnight, so to speak, which has caused an unusual stir even in the automobile world, which is used to surprises. In France, a country rich in automotive tradition, this model succeeded in breaking into the phalanx of long-established names such as Renault, Citroën, Panhard and Peugeot, bringing Simca to second place in terms of annual production figures. Simca's post-war production began in 1945 with a total of 119 units. In 1951, this figure had risen to 42,500, but more than half of this number (21,942) was already accounted for by the new Aronde model that appeared that year. The 'Swallow from Nanterre' took off, reaching 138,064 production units in 1957. This meant that the Arondes accounted for the lion's share of Simca's total production of 174,979 units in the same year.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

Continue reading this article for free?

Images of this article

Source: