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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel - Thunderbird à la française

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Created on September 25, 2011

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

27

Bruno von Rotz

13

Archiv

23

Daniel Reinhard

27

Bruno von Rotz

13

Archiv

23

Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Whitewall tires already cost extra in 1960

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Independent face

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - A Plein Ciel Coupé from 1960

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The panoramic windshield characterizes the shape

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Generous glass insert to ensure a view of the sky

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Not a single Simca lettering on the Plein Ciel

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Some people were reminded of the American Thunderbird

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Panorama windshield

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Frameless windows on the door and rear windows

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The roof protrudes over the rear window

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The front is also reminiscent of a hot-washed Thunderbird

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Rear with swallow on the gas cap

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The lamp design changed during the construction period of the Plein Ciel

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Aronde lettering on the hood

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Aronde lettering on the rear

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Aronde stands for swallow

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Tank cap with the swallow

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The fittings can also be found in a similar form in the limousines

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Comfortable seating position possible

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Watch out for the bottom corner of the panoramic window when getting in

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Everything neat and tidy on the dashboard

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Gearshift on the steering wheel

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The speedometer is easy to read

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Good accessibility is guaranteed, hood can be unlocked from the outside

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Flash Spécial engine with 57 hp

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The Flash Spécial engine had proven itself in world record drives

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Flash Special - the more powerful engine

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Original sticker with maintenance instructions

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The type plate with chassis number

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - View into the sufficiently spacious trunk

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Beautifully designed decorative panel at the entrance

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Plein Ciel lettering with patina inside the vehicle

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - The gearbox shifts well and precisely

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Great fun, especially on long roads

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Most other vehicles had to make do with this view 50 years ago

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Smooth progress is guaranteed

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Good all-round visibility thanks to generously glazed cabin

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Elegant appearance

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Still looks elegant today

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - Driver's perspective - everything under control

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

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - P60 Coupé - Illustration in sales brochure from 1960

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1956) - maximum visibility thanks to the panoramic windshield and a top speed of over 140 km/h were proclaimed by the Simca marketing people at the launch in August 1956

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Simca Aronde Océane (1961) - Convertible built in 1961

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1960) - the coupé version based on the P60 series

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1961) - sporty Simca style

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Simca Aronde Océane (1959) - the convertible version based on the P 60 platform

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Simca Aronde Océane (1960) - the open-top version had most of the body parts in common with the coupé

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1959) - Coupé version based on the P 60 model series

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Simca Aronde Plein Ciel (1962) - pretty beach shot with the Simca Coupé

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Simca Aronde Océane (1958) - the convertible version built by Facel in 1959

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

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Simca Aronde Océane (1962) - convertible version of the last year of construction - when the smart aunt comes by ....

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

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

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

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

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Simca Aronde (1960) - the comparatively conservative sedan next to a futuristic experimental vehicle

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

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

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Simca Aronde P 60 Montlhéry (1960) - this saloon donated its technical genes to the coupé and convertible versions

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Simca Aronde Monaco (1962) - Beach scene with the two-door version

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

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Summary

Around 6,000 of the Simca Aronde Plein Ciel coupé were built between 1956 and 1962. Attractive, sporty, but very expensive, it did find some enthusiasts, but the great success for Simca was rather the saloons of the Aronde series. This report shows one of these beautiful vehicles built in 1960 and includes original brochures, historical pictures and even the engine sound of the pretty French sports car.

This article contains the following chapters

I sell my cars to the most beautiful women in Paris
Large-scale production technology and American-Italian-influenced haute couture
No special offer compared to the competition
Model maintenance over six years
Long-distance qualities
Robust, economical and fast
Blue temptation
Rare and popular
Sought after and highly valued
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It doesn't take much imagination to picture Jeanne Moreau in the Simca Aronde Plein Ciel, waiting outside a café on the Boulevard St. Germain smoking a cigarette until she decides to get out, carefully pushing her knee past the panoramic windshield that protrudes far into the doorway and finally closing the car door and strolling into the restaurant, attracting the attention of all the men. Marilyn Monroe might have been a better fit for the car than the French actress, as the design of the attractive Simca coupé was more than just a little American. Henri Pigozzi (one of his statements was "I sell my cars to the most beautiful women in Paris") headed the French brand Simca (for Société Industrielle de Mecanique et Carosserie Automobile) from 1954 to 1963. He was a marketing pioneer in many respects. He had recognized that his customers wanted to buy pretty cars, but that the technology should not be neglected and, above all, had to be reliable.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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