The
Simca Alvorada was a stripped version of the Simca Chambord, the first model to be built by
Simca do BrasilSimca do Brasil was a subsidiary of the now defunct French automaker Simca and started out in the late 1950s assembling the Simca Vedette imported in kit form from France and selling it in three versions, the Chambord, Présidence and Rallye...
.
The Chambord, which was a direct copy of the French built
Simca VedetteThe Simca Vedette is a large car, manufactured from 1954 to 1961 by the French automaker Simca, at their factory in Poissy, France. It was marketed with different model names according to trim and equipment levels...
, had first left the production line in March 1959 and featured an engine, 3 speed gearbox with the shifter located on the steering column and was assembled with parts imported from France. It was a large
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, manufactured until 1969 in different versions (including the Alvorada) and styled by the Brazilian subsidiary of French
automakerThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. In 2008, more than 70 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide....
SimcaSimca was a French automaker and marque, founded in 1934 by Henri Théodore Pigozzi . Simca was originally affiliated with Fiat, but later, after a period of independence, when Simca bought Ford's French branch, became increasingly controlled by the Chrysler Group, in 1970 becoming a part of...
at their factory in
São Bernardo do CampoSão Bernardo do Campo is a municipality located in the Greater São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo in Brazil.-History:...
,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
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The Simca Alvorada was a radically stripped down version based on the posh Simca Chambord as a result of a demand by the Brazilian government of president
Juscelino KubitcheckJuscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira was a prominent Brazilian politician who was President of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. He was born in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, and died in 1976...
that every car manufacturer must offer an affordable basic version within their range.
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The
Simca Alvorada was a stripped version of the Simca Chambord, the first model to be built by
Simca do BrasilSimca do Brasil was a subsidiary of the now defunct French automaker Simca and started out in the late 1950s assembling the Simca Vedette imported in kit form from France and selling it in three versions, the Chambord, Présidence and Rallye...
.
The Chambord, which was a direct copy of the French built
Simca VedetteThe Simca Vedette is a large car, manufactured from 1954 to 1961 by the French automaker Simca, at their factory in Poissy, France. It was marketed with different model names according to trim and equipment levels...
, had first left the production line in March 1959 and featured an engine, 3 speed gearbox with the shifter located on the steering column and was assembled with parts imported from France. It was a large
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, manufactured until 1969 in different versions (including the Alvorada) and styled by the Brazilian subsidiary of French
automakerThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. In 2008, more than 70 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide....
SimcaSimca was a French automaker and marque, founded in 1934 by Henri Théodore Pigozzi . Simca was originally affiliated with Fiat, but later, after a period of independence, when Simca bought Ford's French branch, became increasingly controlled by the Chrysler Group, in 1970 becoming a part of...
at their factory in
São Bernardo do CampoSão Bernardo do Campo is a municipality located in the Greater São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo in Brazil.-History:...
,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Alvorada - a name with a vengeance
The Simca Alvorada was a radically stripped down version based on the posh Simca Chambord as a result of a demand by the Brazilian government of president
Juscelino KubitcheckJuscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira was a prominent Brazilian politician who was President of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. He was born in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, and died in 1976...
that every car manufacturer must offer an affordable basic version within their range. The idea was to give as many Brazilians as possible the possibility to own a car.
While this was welcome news for
VolkswagenThe Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft , also known as Volkswagen Group or as VW, is an automobile manufacturer and mobility organisation based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany and is the pioneer brand within the Volkswagen Group, which contains the car brands Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd.,...
, for example, Simca do Brasil was not exactly pleased with the idea as the brand had established itself comfortably in the luxury car sector in a way that Simca back in Europe never managed. However, despite having no plans to launch a cheap car and with no other options left, Simca do Brasil decided reluctantly to create an entry level version of their successful Simca Chambord.
The Simca Alvorada appeared in 1963 with just two colours as option (grey and a faded yellow), no chrome, no trimmings and a very simple interior. As a silent protest the car was named after the place the order to create this model came from: The
Palácio da AlvoradaThe Palácio da Alvorada is the official residence of the President of Brazil. The palace was designed, along with the rest of the city of Brasília, by Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1958...
, the presidential palace in the capital
BrasiliaBrasília is the capital of Brazil. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the fourth largest city in Brazil, ahead of Belo Horizonte...
.