Cars
The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Simca, France, 1934-1978
Simca, closely tied to Fiat and Chrysler, thrived from 1934 to 1978. Key models included the Aronde, 1000, and 1100. Despite success, it struggled under Chrysler and was eventually sold to PSA, fading from memory but leaving a legacy at the Poissy plant.
The story of Simca (Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile) is closely tied to Fiat and its founder, Gianni Agnelli. In the early 1920s, Agnelli sent Enrico Teodoro Pigozzi to Paris to coordinate the collection of scrap iron for Fiat's foundries. The mission was successful, and in August 1926, Fiat established a company in France, SAFAF (Société Anonyme Française des Automobiles Fiat), to market Fiat models under Pigozzi's direction. However, after the 1929 economic crisis, France imposed heavy tariffs on imported cars. The solution was to produce Fiat models locally under the Simca brand: the Fiat 508 Balilla became the Simca 6CV, the Fiat 528 Ardita the Simca 11CV, and the Simca 5CV was a faithful copy of the Fiat 500 "Topolino."
World War II slowed operations, but Simca's facilities were spared from bombings and chosen by the American army for Jeep Willys maintenance. This prevented nationalization, allowing Pigozzi to resume control in 1946. In 1950, Simca distanced itself from Fiat with the Aronde, derived from the Fiat 1400 but designed and built in France. The car was well received.
