The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Simca, France, 1934-1978

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."

Simca's history begins in France in the 1930s, producing Fiat cars like the 11CV, a faithful copy of the 528 Ardita.

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.

The first step away from Fiat in 1950 with the Aronde, featuring Fiat 1400 mechanics but custom French bodywork.

In the mid-1950s, Simca expanded by purchasing Ford's Poissy plant and the Vedette V8 project. Sales soared, and Simca diversified production, including plants in Australia and Brazil, becoming France's second-largest automaker after Renault.

Simca acquired the Vedette project from Ford and its production plant to expand its range with a high-end model.

The booming European market attracted Chrysler, which acquired a stake in Simca in 1958, leaving Pigozzi in charge. Three years later, the Simca 1000, a rear-engine economy car derived from the Fiat 850, was a great success. Simca's engines also led to a partnership with Carlo Abarth, resulting in race-winning cars like the Abarth-Simca 1300 GT and 2000 GT.

The 1962 Abarth-Simca 1300 GT, based on the Simca 1000 chassis, won its class in its debut season in the World Manufacturers' Championship.

In 1968, Pigozzi passed away, and Simca lost its Italian character. It introduced front-wheel drive with the transverse-engine 1100, which became France's best-selling car. However, difficulties began when Chrysler took full control. The merger with the British Rootes Group failed, and despite the Simca 1307 and Horizon winning Car of the Year in 1976 and 1978, Chrysler sold Simca to PSA, formed by the merger of Peugeot and Citroën. PSA tried to revive Simca by rebranding it as Talbot, but the effort failed, and the former Simca models faded away. Today, Simca's legacy lives on within PSA's Poissy plant, but few remember the reliable Simca cars.

One of Simca's most successful models was the front-wheel-drive 1100, which became France's best-selling car.