Simca 1100
Encyclopedia
The Simca 1100 is an automobile
built from 1967 to 1982 by Chrysler Europe
's division Simca
. It was replaced by the (Simca) Talbot Horizon.
The 1100 was the result of "Project 928", started in 1962, finalized by engineers Philippe Grundeler and Charles Scales. The design was a result of Simca's market research in the early 1960s, which showed the increasing popularity of front wheel drive cars that provided better space utilization and comfort to small cars. In Spring 1962, Simca targeted a 1966-67 launch of a new range of front wheel drive cars with sedans, wagons, and light commercial vehicles to be included, all fitting into France's 6CV tax class - between the Simca Mille and Simca 1300. Both transverse and front/back engines were tested, and in 1963, the transverse-engine design was approved. The Simca 1100 was one of the first designs outside Fiat to feature a transverse engine with an end-on gearbox and unequal length driveshafts (now near-universal amongst small cars), a possible result of Fiat influence as a major shareholder.
In 1963, Chrysler
took a controlling interest in Simca, approving the project in 1964, with a production target of summer 1967. The short timetable included developing a new transmission, and using a larger version of the rear engined rear wheel drive Simca Mille (Simca 1000
) engine, displacing 1118 cc (the Mille used a 1.0 liter engine, the 1500 a 1.5 liter engine).
When first shown on Sardinia
and the Paris Auto Show in 1967, the 1100 was advanced in design, featuring a hatchback with folding rear seats, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, an independent front (double wishbone) and rear (trailing arm) suspension using Chrysler-style torsion bars (though Chrysler itself only used them up front), and a full range of controls. Numerous permutations were available, with a manual, automatic, and semi-automatic transmission. The engine was slanted to allow for a lower hood; and the engine, gearbox, and suspension were carried on a subframe to allow the unibody to be relatively unstressed. In American fashion, the body was welded to the frame, not bolted. The 1100 was reportedly studied closely by Volkswagen
when the latter company was designing its Volkswagen Golf
, after making rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive vehicles.
The 1100 was (along with the pricier Renault 16
& Austin Maxi
), one of the first hatchback
designs, with a folding rear seat, and in three and five-door variations. Different equipment levels were defined by LS, GL, GLS and "Special" tags. Three and five door station wagon
s were also included in the range.
The car was fitted with Simca Type 315
petrol OHV
engines with 944, 1118, and 1294 cc variants, depending on year and market. A "stroked" 1118 cc engine displacing 1.2 litres was introduced in 1971 to the UK market as the Simca 1204. It was also sold in the USA in limited quantities.
The 1100 had a four speed manual gearbox and room for five people. There was also a three-speed semi-automatic gearbox that required manual shifting but used an electronically activated clutch. The 1100s transmission configuration was revolutionary in that it was transverse and axial with the engine giving the "engine on one side, transmission on the other" layout copied on almost all hot hatches and front wheel drive vehicles throughout the world ever since. In France, the 1100 was very successful, achieving best-seller status, but it was less competitive in non-European export markets. In the UK, while recognised as an innovative and capable car, its poor record of body corrosion and top end engine wear counted against it. The engine could be very 'tappety'.
Three LCV
versions with van
, pick-up truck
and High Top Van bodystyles where called Simca VF2, and were sold from 1973 to 1985, three years after the 1100 had been removed from the market. In the United Kingdom, these models assumed the Dodge
nameplate after 1976 and Talbot
in 1979. In 1974, the sporty TI appeared with the 1294 engine (82 PS), at the time when the car also saw a cosmetic redesign. Based on the 1100 chassis, the Matra
engineering firm created a crossover
derivation engineered named Matra Rancho
.
In 1968, production was already strong with 138,242 vehicles made; it reached its peak in 1973, with nearly 300,000 Simca 1100s rolling off the assembly line. However, production fell rapidly through 1977, when over 142,000 1100s were made; the following year just half that number (72,695) were made, and numbers dwindled to below 20,000 in 1981, though production continued through to 1985.
The Simca 1100 was produced in different places; in Sweden, local production was handled by Phillipsons, on the same assembly lines that made Mercedes-Benz cars, and also in Madrid (Spain) at the former Barreiros Diesel factory. Curiously, Spanish-built 1100's were marketed as Simca 1200 and the TI version had an 85 PS 1442 cc engine.
A total of 2.2 million cars were produced. The replacement for the 1100, the C2 project, would become the (Simca) Talbot Horizon, and would be a runaway success in the United States, where it sold as the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. The 1100 would also be the basis for the Matra Rancho, an early crossover which had serious 4x4 looks but a Simca 1100 basis.
Range:
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
built from 1967 to 1982 by Chrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe
Chrysler Europe was a division of the Chrysler Corporation that operated between 1967 and 1979.-Formation:In the 1960s, Chrysler sought to become a world producer of automobiles. The company had never had much success outside North America, contrasting with Ford's worldwide reach and General...
's division Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
. It was replaced by the (Simca) Talbot Horizon.
The 1100 was the result of "Project 928", started in 1962, finalized by engineers Philippe Grundeler and Charles Scales. The design was a result of Simca's market research in the early 1960s, which showed the increasing popularity of front wheel drive cars that provided better space utilization and comfort to small cars. In Spring 1962, Simca targeted a 1966-67 launch of a new range of front wheel drive cars with sedans, wagons, and light commercial vehicles to be included, all fitting into France's 6CV tax class - between the Simca Mille and Simca 1300. Both transverse and front/back engines were tested, and in 1963, the transverse-engine design was approved. The Simca 1100 was one of the first designs outside Fiat to feature a transverse engine with an end-on gearbox and unequal length driveshafts (now near-universal amongst small cars), a possible result of Fiat influence as a major shareholder.
In 1963, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
took a controlling interest in Simca, approving the project in 1964, with a production target of summer 1967. The short timetable included developing a new transmission, and using a larger version of the rear engined rear wheel drive Simca Mille (Simca 1000
Simca 1000
The Simca 1000 was a small, rear-engined, four-door saloon manufactured by the French automaker Simca from 1961 to 1978.-The launch:The car was inexpensive and, at the time of launch, quite modern, with a brand-new inline-4 watercooled engine of 944cc...
) engine, displacing 1118 cc (the Mille used a 1.0 liter engine, the 1500 a 1.5 liter engine).
When first shown on Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and the Paris Auto Show in 1967, the 1100 was advanced in design, featuring a hatchback with folding rear seats, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, an independent front (double wishbone) and rear (trailing arm) suspension using Chrysler-style torsion bars (though Chrysler itself only used them up front), and a full range of controls. Numerous permutations were available, with a manual, automatic, and semi-automatic transmission. The engine was slanted to allow for a lower hood; and the engine, gearbox, and suspension were carried on a subframe to allow the unibody to be relatively unstressed. In American fashion, the body was welded to the frame, not bolted. The 1100 was reportedly studied closely by Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
when the latter company was designing its Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
, after making rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive vehicles.
The 1100 was (along with the pricier Renault 16
Renault 16
The Renault 16 is a hatchback produced by French automaker Renault between 1965 and 1980 in Le Havre, France. The reviewer in the May 1965 edition of the English "Motoring Illustrated" said: "The Renault Sixteen can thus be described as a large family car but one that is neither a four door saloon...
& Austin Maxi
Austin Maxi
The Austin Maxi was a medium sized 5-door hatchback car from British Leyland for the 1970s. It was the first British five speed five-door hatchback.-History:...
), one of the first hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
designs, with a folding rear seat, and in three and five-door variations. Different equipment levels were defined by LS, GL, GLS and "Special" tags. Three and five door station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
s were also included in the range.
The car was fitted with Simca Type 315
Simca Type 315
The Simca Type 315, commonly known as the Simca 1100 engine, was a four-cylinder OHV engine developed by Simca for use in its superminis and economy cars...
petrol OHV
Overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
engines with 944, 1118, and 1294 cc variants, depending on year and market. A "stroked" 1118 cc engine displacing 1.2 litres was introduced in 1971 to the UK market as the Simca 1204. It was also sold in the USA in limited quantities.
The 1100 had a four speed manual gearbox and room for five people. There was also a three-speed semi-automatic gearbox that required manual shifting but used an electronically activated clutch. The 1100s transmission configuration was revolutionary in that it was transverse and axial with the engine giving the "engine on one side, transmission on the other" layout copied on almost all hot hatches and front wheel drive vehicles throughout the world ever since. In France, the 1100 was very successful, achieving best-seller status, but it was less competitive in non-European export markets. In the UK, while recognised as an innovative and capable car, its poor record of body corrosion and top end engine wear counted against it. The engine could be very 'tappety'.
Three LCV
Light commercial vehicle
Light commercial vehicles is a commercial carrier vehicles with a Gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. The formal term within the European Union is Light commercial vehicles. Vehicles which qualify in this category are pickup trucks, vans and 3 wheelers all commercially based goods or...
versions with van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
, pick-up truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
and High Top Van bodystyles where called Simca VF2, and were sold from 1973 to 1985, three years after the 1100 had been removed from the market. In the United Kingdom, these models assumed the Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
nameplate after 1976 and Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...
in 1979. In 1974, the sporty TI appeared with the 1294 engine (82 PS), at the time when the car also saw a cosmetic redesign. Based on the 1100 chassis, the Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
engineering firm created a crossover
Crossover SUV
A crossover SUV is a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, in highly variable degrees, features of a sport utility vehicle with features from a passenger vehicle, especially those of a station wagon or hatchback.Using the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles, the crossover...
derivation engineered named Matra Rancho
Matra Rancho
The Matra Rancho was a leisure activity vehicle created by the French engineering group Matra in cooperation with the automaker Simca to capitalize on the off-road trend, started by the Range Rover, by providing the "off-road look" at a lower price....
.
In 1968, production was already strong with 138,242 vehicles made; it reached its peak in 1973, with nearly 300,000 Simca 1100s rolling off the assembly line. However, production fell rapidly through 1977, when over 142,000 1100s were made; the following year just half that number (72,695) were made, and numbers dwindled to below 20,000 in 1981, though production continued through to 1985.
The Simca 1100 was produced in different places; in Sweden, local production was handled by Phillipsons, on the same assembly lines that made Mercedes-Benz cars, and also in Madrid (Spain) at the former Barreiros Diesel factory. Curiously, Spanish-built 1100's were marketed as Simca 1200 and the TI version had an 85 PS 1442 cc engine.
A total of 2.2 million cars were produced. The replacement for the 1100, the C2 project, would become the (Simca) Talbot Horizon, and would be a runaway success in the United States, where it sold as the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. The 1100 would also be the basis for the Matra Rancho, an early crossover which had serious 4x4 looks but a Simca 1100 basis.
Range:
- 944 cc - 45 PS (33 kW)
- 1118 cc - 50/52/60 PS (37/38/44 kW)
- 1204 cc - 59 PS (43 kW)
- 1294 cc - 62/75 PS (46/55 kW)
- 1442 cc - 83 PS (61 kW)