Simca
(1932 - 1982)
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France
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The Simca 8, which was produced in over 110,000 units between 1937 and 1951, was a licensed version of the Fiat 508C 1100 Balilla, but moved away from it towards the end of production before being replaced by the Simca Aronde. With counter-rotating doors without a B-pillar, independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes, it had a modern look and was very popular with fans of sporty saloons. This vehicle report traces the history of this successful model and shows it in over 50 current and historical illustrations. The many sales/press documents, which even cover the Fiat 508 C, are a real treat!
"Station wagons" were hardly widespread in Europe in the first half of the 20th century. In the USA, however, the practical multi-purpose vehicles known as "station wagons" gained some popularity in the interwar period. This article reproduces a report from the magazine "Hobby", which was devoted to the increasingly popular "station wagons" in 1955.
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.
With the Simca 1000, the French manufacturer presented a vehicle that had four doors despite the dimensions of a small car. Special requests and special versions were not on offer and were not Simca's aim. Rather, the one-liter rear-engined car was to be inexpensive so that anyone could afford it and have simple technology so that it remained affordable to maintain. This (historical) report lists the strengths and weaknesses of the Simca 1000, illustrated with numerous historical pictures and sales brochures.
With the 1300 and 1500, Simca finally entered the mid-range segment. The two saloon variants had the proportions, performance and equipment to keep up with the competition at all times. The magazine 'hobby' devoted an extensive test report to the newcomer in 1963, which is reproduced here in restored form and with many historical illustrations.
Is 40 hp enough for a sports car? Rather no. The people in charge at Simca realized this around 55 years ago and doubled the power of the coupé based on the Simca 1000, which was fitted by Bertone, in one fell swoop. There was no longer a lack of power, especially as the coupé remained affordable with a four-digit purchase price. This vehicle report tells the story of the elegant Simca Coupé and shows the two generations in historical and current images as well as in the sales literature.
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.
Around 40 years ago, Formula 1 racing cars were still comparatively simple vehicles and there were few secrets about their design principles. Most of them even used the same engine. In 1973, the magazine 'hobby' analyzed the leading Grand Prix cars. This report reproduces the original text and graphics of that article and supplements it with contemporary and current pictures of the vehicles mentioned, or rather their predecessors or successors.
Gone were the days in the seventies when hardly anyone drove small cars, because in the age of parking space shortages and second cars, short, agile cars with as little superfluous sheet metal as possible were in demand like never before. Especially if they were also a bit sporty. The four candidates in the 1974 comparison test - Fiat 128 Rally, Simca 1000 Rallye 2, Autobianchi A 112 Abarth and Mini 1275 GT - had to prove themselves both in everyday traffic and on the Hockenheimring.
In 1974, the magazine 'hobby' compared the three affordable mid-engined sports cars Fiat X 1/9, Matra-Simca Bagheera and VW-Porsche 914 2.0 over 4,000 km. They were measured and felt, looked at and listened to. Many a flaw came to light and the qualities of the individual concepts became clear. This report edits the wording of the article at the time and supplements the illustrations with archive pictures of the three vehicles, as well as a whole series of sales documents.
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All 57 Simca models
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