Simca 1000

The 1000 is the rear-engined four-door saloon that Simca built from 1961 to 1978. It started from one of Fiat's design studies, used a water-cooled four-cylinder "Poissy" engine in the tail and grew from a modest family car into the Rallye series that built its motorsport reputation. Almost 2 million were sold.

In short

• Production from 27 July 1961; unveiled at the Paris Motor Show on 10 October 1961; built until 1978.
• Almost 2 million sold; 154,282 in 1962 alone, and more than 100,000 a year until 1974.
• Rear-mounted inline four from 777 cc (23 kW, 31 PS) to 1,294 cc (76 kW, 103 PS in the 1978 Rallye 3).
• Assembled in Poissy, Villaverde (Spain), Bogotá, Arica (Chile) and Casablanca.

Simca 1000 at a glance

From a Fiat study to Poissy

The design came from Fiat. Henri Pigozzi chose one of six clay models from Fiat's "Project 122", which studied a more distinct four-door successor for its small cars. Mario Revelli de Beaumont, Simca's head of styling, worked with Felice Mario Boano from 1959 to 1961 to bring the car to production; the infobox credits Boano as the designer. Poissy, where the car was built, also housed Simca's styling centre.

The engine sat at the rear and the fuel tank behind the rear seat, giving a weight distribution of 35 % front and 65 % rear.

Engines from 777 to 1,294 cc

The first engine was a 944 cc water-cooled four, part of the Poissy family, rated at 33 kW (45 PS) in 1962. It reached 37 kW (50 PS) in 1963 and 40 kW (54 PS) in the 1966 GLA. In October 1968 the Sim'4 brought a small 777 cc version for the French 4 CV tax class, with 23 kW (31 PS) DIN, raised to 24 kW (33 PS) a year later. For 1969 the 1,118 cc engine of the Simca 1100 arrived with 37 kW (50 PS), and 39 kW (53 PS) in 1970.

The standard gearbox was a four-speed manual with synchromesh on all forward gears. A three-speed semi-automatic developed by Ferodo was offered as an option.

Versions and prices in francs

The 1977 1005 and 1006 versions had rectangular headlamps. A Simca 1000 Coupé, later the 1200 S Coupé with a 1,204 cc engine, used the same platform.

The Rallye cars

The tuner Abarth offered modified versions early on, among them the Simca-Abarth 1150 rated at 40 kW (55 PS). Simca then created its own Rallye line. The first 1000 Rallye of 1970 used the 1,118 cc engine; the Spanish-market 1000 Rallye GT followed in spring 1971 with 54 kW (74 PS SAE). The Rallye 1 of 1972 had the 1,294 cc engine with 44 kW (60 PS), and the Rallye 2 of 1973 gave 60 kW (82 PS). The Rallye 3 of 1978 reached 76 kW (103 PS); only about 1,000 Rallye 3s were built.

The Rallye line helped the model's motorsport reputation, and Sim'4 bodies later became a popular base for Rallye replicas built by enthusiasts. With 76 kW in a body weighing about 730 kg in standard form, a Rallye 3 approaches 100 kW per tonne; the power-to-weight calculator shows the effect of each version's engine.

Sales, rivals and production abroad

The 1000 sold in large numbers from the start: 154,282 in 1962, its first full year. The class leader in France that year was still the Renault Dauphine with 266,767 sales, a rivalry that runs through the history of Renault. Annual sales of the Simca stayed above 100,000 until 1974, then fell to 49,190 in 1977 and 12,893 in 1978.

Production spread abroad. In Spain, Barreiros Diesel began building the car in late 1965, and the business became Chrysler España in 1970; Spanish production ended in May 1977. Chrysler Colmotores built the car in Colombia from 1969 to 1977, and further assembly took place in Arica, Chile, and Casablanca, Morocco. The car was also a familiar sight in Paris as a taxi after 50 entered service in November 1961.

End of production and the 1000 today

Production ended in 1978 without a direct replacement in the English Wikipedia account. By then the larger front-wheel-drive Simca 1100 had been, for a time, the best-selling car in France. The Simca 1307 had been voted European Car of the Year for 1976, and the Horizon, which arrived in 1978 as the replacement for the Simca 1100, won the same title for 1979. The 1000 lasted 17 years and almost 2 million cars, and a 1988 song by the Spanish band Los Inhumanos still referred to it.

When looking at a 1000 today:

• Version: the Rallye 1, 2 and 3 are the most sought-after; many Rallye-looking cars began as a Sim'4 or a standard 1000.
• Engine: four sizes were used, 777, 944, 1,118 and 1,294 cc, so check which one the car has and which it was built with.
• Gearbox: cars with the Ferodo semi-automatic are less common than manuals.
• Origin: cars were built in France, Spain, Colombia, Chile and Morocco; the build plant is part of the history.

Other small saloons of the decade are in the 1960s classics section.

Photo gallery