That other French car...

Ray Bell

Ray Bell

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Here's a website with some nice pics of Simcas...

Of course, the photos don't show the rust.

<a href="http://www.philseed.com/simvedette.html" target="_blank">http://www.philseed.com/simvedette.html</a>

No other French marque is on the site, but there's a lot of makes from both Europe and America there...
 
Simca 1000 looks like a Renault 8!
The engine's in the back too.

<img src="http://www.philseed.com/images/sim1000ral74a.jpg" alt=" - " />
 
ray wrote
Of course, the photos don't show the rust.
Click to expand...
I used to help look after a friend's Simca Aronde back in the 70's. I'd have to say that it had rather less rust than my 403 at that time.

Nicely built little car the Arondé.

Not many around now though, I'm afraid. haven't seen one for years.

Cheers

Rod
 
Mind you, if I was going to pick a car from the <a href="http://www.philseed.com" target="_blank">http://www.philseed.com</a> site, I'd have to go for the Bristol 406 I think. Always loved Bristols.

Cheers

Rod
 
a few years back I bought a 1957 Simca Vedette for 2 cartons of B & H extra mild. It ran for about 6 months until the head cracked. A guy I worked with came in a told me to come out the front and have a look at something. When I got out side I saw the ol' Simma billowing smoke down that was being blown down the road for abiut 100m. Very very funny.
 
Where is that car now?

I'm raising this thread from the gutter to see if we can put on some pressure to have a forum for Simcas.

Or maybe for 'other French makes' including Simca, Ballot, CD, Delage, Delahaye, Facel Vega, Bugatti... well, you get my drift.

How about it gibgib? Can we do it?

Talking to a guy tonight about his little Simca collection (which includes Vedette, Arondes of various vintages including a convertible, 1000s, 1500s, well the list goes on. He's interesting in participating and he says that other members of the Simca Club would be too.
 
wasn't it either Rolls or Royce that stated that the Bugatti was a very fast truck

i'm sure i have read that in a few places over the years
 
Other French Cars

No pugrambo, it was Emile Bugatti who produced small cars with powerful 4cyl engines and great chassis dynamics (for the time), who said that; "Bentley, produced the fastest trucks in Europe!"
 
David M said:
No pugrambo, it was Emile Bugatti who produced small cars with powerful 4cyl engines and great chassis dynamics (for the time), who said that; "Bentley, produced the fastest trucks in Europe!"
Click to expand...


ah

i had a feeling it was something like that

i was close :D
 
David M said:
No pugrambo, it was Emile Bugatti who produced small cars with powerful 4cyl engines and great chassis dynamics (for the time), who said that; "Bentley, produced the fastest trucks in Europe!"
Click to expand...


"Mr Bentley makes a fine racing lorry"
Yes, an orphans forum would be great. Not just Simcas.

Farmerdave
 
Definitely would like to see a Simca Forum.

Bugatti's comment about Bentley lorries was a payback for criticism by Bentley of Bugatti brakes.
Bugatti also responded that his cars were meant to go not stop!!!!!
 
Simcas went very well in competition and many were raced in Australia. They nearly won the first Armstrong 500.
This is also interesting.

By 1957, SIMCA had taken over its own United States distribution at 445 Park Avenue. The success of the Aronde continued when, by the end of 1957, over 538,000 SIMCA Aronde's had come off the production line at Nanterre. The Aronde had quickly become a bigger sales success than its competition, the Peugeot 203. It held endurance records, had its motor modified, received frequent freshening ups, great publicity, super dynamics and the charisma of its President Director General, Pigozzi. But, it was time for SIMCA to do something. After 6 years, and the relative sales failure of the recently semi-rejuvenated Oceane, the Aronde was showing its age. The SIMCA Aronde established a new world record by travelling 62,137 miles, approximately 2 1/2 times around the world, in less than 37 days, averaging 70.02 mph, at Montlhery, France. On 19 Dec 57, an Aronde began its trip that set a new trans American speed record. The SIMCA made it from New York to Los Angeles in 46 hours and 3 minutes. The previous record of 47 hours, 37 minutes was held by a V8 powered American car.
 
Okay then... a bonus for the first one to come up with a website that shows pictures of the overhead valve conversion used on the Vedette in Brazil...

Yes, a hemi-head ohv conversion was fitted to them towards the end of the production run, Brazil being the last place to produce the Vedettes.
 
gibgib said:
Simca 1000 looks like a Renault 8!
The engine's in the back too.

<img src="http://www.philseed.com/images/sim1000ral74a.jpg" alt=" - " />
Click to expand...

Jeez :eek: The similarity is uncanny. You would think that Renault would have sued Simca or vice versa for plagarism. :blackeye: There was also the Simca 1000 coupe, which does remind me a bit of the Alpine A110.
sim1000coupe-jr.jpg
 
Brazilian Vedette-no photos yet.

The Vedette had used a 143.5-cid flathead V8 (2.60"x3.37" bore & stroke). The Brazilian Simca Vedette used an overhead-valve version of this engine with a 3.47" stroke (147.3-cid)
 
505 owners will love this!

The 91.7 x 81.6 mm, 2156 cc engine found in the Peugeot 505 Turbo dates back to the 160/180 2 litre designed by Simca in 1967.

The Citroen BX P, M, Rally, 4TC Serie 200 and 4TC Evo cars used this engine (prepared by ROC in the case of the BX P). This was used also in the Matra Le Mans sportscars, Matra Murena, and also some of the Matra F2 cars. Because of its strengths, it was used until 1986. In the Matra Murena, with a turbocharger, it would in its original form produce 155bhp @ 5200rpm.
 
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