Simca 1100 (1977) – Enthusiast Wanted

Once upon a time, the French company Simca was quite well represented in the Netherlands, but for that we have to go back a few decades. In the early 1980s, the brand name ceased to exist and the cars were not exactly made for eternity. The last car that appeared here as Simca was the Horizon developed by Chrysler Europe, which later went through life as Talbot. Here, however, we have a Simca in front of us that was still really developed purely as a Simca; the 1100. The Horizon’s predecessor.

Simca showed itself to be quite progressive with the 1100. It is namely a front-wheel drive compact hatchback, which was quite unusual when it appeared in 1967. Compatriot Renault 16 took off with pioneer status a little earlier, but Simca was also there early. Not only that; the sporty top version, the Simca 1100 Ti, is generally regarded as the very first hot hatchback. A special thing, that 1100, but nevertheless it has disappeared from the collective memory. This is probably mainly due to the fact that the body of the 1100 disappeared from sight almost faster than a fast accelerating 1100 Ti. They could rust like the best.

Simca 1100.

Simca’s 1100 are therefore very rare nowadays and we hardly ever come across them in the classic range. However, we now have one who would like to increase the limited number of 1100s in the Netherlands. A copy from 1977 that still has its original French plates and is waiting for a set of yellow or dark blue ones. It is an 1100 GLS, so a fairly complete version, with according to the brochure noteworthy luxury such as ‘bucket-shaped seats, four fully upholstered doors, a clock and halogen spotlights’. Yes yes, let yourself be pampered.

The car looks (at least on the photos) still quite okay and possibly comes from the warm and dry south of France or has been inside a lot. The interior also looks quite nice and the stated mileage of 153,225 km can be called modest for a car of this age. The odometer has only five digits, it is not known whether the maintenance booklets can confirm the mileage. In any case, you can count on the fact that there is still some work to be done on the car. Unfortunately, this copy has not completely escaped the clutches of the rust devil and it could just be that the 1100 has been standing still for quite some time. A technical check-up is definitely recommended, even if the car seems immediately drivable. The asking price is €3,750 and that seems a bit on the high side, but there will probably not be an opportunity to buy a comparable 1100 for less money soon. Which Simca fancier reports?