The Simca 1100 was built from 1967 to 1982. It was the first front wheel drive car manufactured by Simca.
The design of the car was very advanced, featuring a hatchback with folding rear seats, disc brakes, independent front and rear suspension by torsion bars and rack and pinion steering. The body was welded to the frame rather than bolted.
The cars were equipped with Simca Type 315 overhead valve engines with 944 (45 PS / 33 kW), 1118 (50/52/60 PS / 37/38/44 kW), and 1294 (62/75 PS / 46/55 kW) cc, depending on year and market. A stroked 1118 cc engine displacing 1.2 litres was introduced to the UK market in 1971 and in limited quantities also sold in the USA.
The Simca 1100 had a four speed manual gearbox and there was also a three speed semi-automatic gearbox available which required manual shifting but had an electronically activated clutch.
The Simca 1100 had room for 5 people and three and five door hatchbacks, three door estate car and a van were offered.
In France the Simca 1100 was very successful but didn’t sell to well in non-European export markets.
The Simca was introduced to the American market in 1969 as Simca 1204 and was available as LS or GLS trim, hatchback, or estate for less than $2,000. Air conditioning and the three speed automatic gearbox were optional. It was not a success and Simca withdrew from the American market in 1972.
SIMCA (Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carosserie Automobile) was founded in 1934 by Henri Théodore Pigozzi.
In 1935 the company started producing FIAT cars under license. First the Fiat 500 Topolino which was sold under the name of Simca 5 in France. Untill 1950 the Simca 8 and the Simca 6 followed. Under German occupation during WW2 SIMCA amongst others had to produce parts for the NSU-Kettenkrad, a small military vehicle.
In 1954 SIMCA bought Ford’s French branch and it became the most modern car factory in Europe. With 15 percent of shares Ford became a shareholder of Simca.
The former Ford models Vedette and Comète became Simca Vedette and Simca Comète Monte Carlo. One year later the production of the Simca Comète Monte Carlo came to an end but the Simca Vedette was produced until 1961, in Brazil even until the end of the 1960s.
In 1951 the Simca Aronde was first sold followed by the Simca Ariane in 1957. In 1961 the Simca 1000 was produced and from 1963 on the 1300/1500 series. The Simca 1100 built in 1967 was the first model with front engine and front wheel drive.
In 1958 Chrysler bought the 15 percent shares held by Ford and in 1959 Simca bought the French Talbot-Lago company. In 1971 Chrysler owned almost 100 percent of the Simca shares mostly by purchasing them from FIAT. The company now was officially called Chrysler France but the brand name Simca was still used.
In 1978 Simca was sold to Peugeot S.A. which still built the models until 1986 under the brand name Talbot. The last Simca design was the Talbot Arizona which was sold as the Peugeot 309.
The Aronde, the Simca 1000 and the front engined 1100 compact car were the most popular pre-Chrysler models.
The VETERAMA is Europe’s biggest marketplace for vintage and classic cars and motorcycles.
The Spring VETERAMA in Ludwigshafen will be held on 17 + 18 April, 2010 and on 24 + 25 April, 2010 (motorcycles only).
On the VETERAMA visitors will not only find spare parts, accessories, tools and literature, but also entire vehicles. Among insiders the fair is well known for its affordable prices.
On the show arena visitors can present their classic car and let it be rated by the public.
No matter whether you are looking for spare part for your veteran motor bike or if you are looking for a high-powered racing cycle, on the Spring VETERAMA you can find all.
You can easily get to the VETERAMA by car via motorway (Autobahn). In Ludwigshafen just follow the signs.
Opening hours:
Saturday: 08:30 am – 18:00 pm
Sunday: 08:30 am – 16:00 pm
Entrance fees:
Daily ticket: 8.00 € (only on Saturday or Sunday), 5.00 € reduced price, only available with adequate document (student ID etc.) or on Sunday after 2 pm
Family ticket: 10.00 € (only on Sunday) parents with two children up to 15 years
Insider ticket: 20.00 € (valid for three days: Fri/Sat/Sun) Please note that only the insider ticket allows you to visit the exhibition on Friday.
This is the last part of my car parts dictionary. If there is something missing you’d need to know, feel free to get in touch. I might be able to help.
The Bobby-Car™ was first produced in 1972 in Fürth and Burghaslach by the BIG Company.
The toy car was designed for children around the age of two and has four wheels. The children can sit on it like on a motorcycle and by swinging the legs move the car. The name “Bobby-Car” is protected of course.
After the death of Ernst A. Bettag , the inventor of the Bobby-Car, the Simba Dickie Group bought the company and is still producing Bobby-Cars. Today several accessories such as light running tyres or trailers are available. Originally the car was only produced in red but now is available also in different colours as well as in different models like police cars or tow trucks. Even special editions were produced that resembled well known German cars produced by Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Volkswagen.
As the body of the Bobby-Car is strong enough to carry an adult even races like soap box derbies are held. Because of the high speed the axles of course have to be modified and to increase the weight the bodies of the car are filled with concrete. The speed record was set on 28 April 2003 by Mario Fischer of the Bobby-Car Club Coburg who achieved a speed of 108.2 km/h.
Today lovers of Bobby-Cars even supply the cars with engines. The bodies of the cars will be set on a solid frame and small engines of for example power saws are used. The small toy cars have a top speed of about 85 km/h.
The Wartburg Sport 313/1 was built on the basis of the Wartburg 311 in the East German VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach (AWE) car factory.
The car was presented on the Automobile Show in Leipzig in spring 1957.
The sports car had a hardtop made of steel panel, and an optional softtop. Even though the wheelbase was the same as of the Wartburg 311, the bonnet was much longer, which meant that the passenger compartment had to be smaller. The front and rear of the car were designs made in Eisenach and the body was produced there for a few months. From 1958 on the body shells then were produced at the VEB Karosserie-Werk Dresden.
The chassis was hardly changed but the engine of course was modified. It had two downdraft airflow carbs and a higher compression. It had a pump circulated cooling. So the Wartburg Sport had 50 hp instead of 37 hp and a top speed of 140 km/h. Because of the pretty high weight the car wasn’t very sporty though. But it was one of the fastest cars in East Germany at that time. Of course the brakes were improved too. In 1959 the gearbox of all Wartburg cars gained synchromesh for the 2nd to the 4th gear.
The car had leather seats and the wooden instrument panel was covered with leather too. The instruments were the same as in the Wartburg 311, only the speedo got a new scale up to 160 km/h. The steering wheel was specially designed for the Wartburg Sport and was made of ivory-coloured plastic with a horn ring.
From 1957 to 1960 4 prototypes and 469 cars were manufactured and 143 of them were exported, 8 even to the USA where one car was presented on the New York Auto Show in 1958.
From 23 to 25 April, 2010 there will be a Classic Car Weekend in the Dutch isle of Ameland.
The event begins on Friday with the registration and on Saturday there will be a classic car contest, but also enough time for coffee and lunch. The tour ends at about 3 pm in Nes where the participants are welcomed with music and drinks.
In the evening there will be a buffet with music and the winner of the contest will be announced.
On Sunday there is no program but you will have time to enjoy beautiful Ameland. You can go on a cycle tour or just walk on the sandy beaches.
You can take part in the Classic Car Weekend if you are the owner of a classic car built between 1948 and 1977.
Unfortunately the number of participants is limited so that no more drivers can participate this year. But you are of course welcome to watch the event. If you send your name and address to info@vvvameland.nl you will get next year’s registration form in January 2011.
The Alfa Romeo 1900, designed by Orazio Satta, was produced from 1950 to 1959. During the first 4 years more units were built than of all Alfa Romeo cars in the previous years.
The car was introduced to the public in the 1950 Paris Motor Show and was the first car produced by Alfa Romeo on an assembly line. It was Alfa Romeo’s first car without separate chassis.
For the car a new 1884 cc, 90 bhp, 4 cylinder twin cam engine was designed and it was available as 2-door and 4-door model.
It was not only a spacious family car but also a sports car. The slogan it was sold with was: “The family car that wins races.” In 1951 the Alfa Romeo 1900 C with a short wheelbase of 2,500 mm (98.4 in) was introduced. In the very same year also the 1900 TI with a more powerful 100 bhp (75 kW; 101 PS) engine was introduced. It was equipped with a double carb and had bigger valves and had a higher compression ratio. In 1953 the Alfa Romeo 1900 Super and the 1900 TI Super with 1975 cc engines were sold. The TI Super was equipped with two double carburetors and a 115 bhp (86 kW; 117 PS) engine. It had a 4-speed manual transmission and a 5-speed manual for the Super Sprint introduced in the same year. The chassis was built in a way that allowed coachbuilders to rebody it. One of them was the Zagato.
From 1950 to 1959 in the company’s Milan plant 21,304 units were built, 17,390 of them were saloon cars.
Specifications:
Manufacturer – Alfa Romeo
Body styles – sedan, spider, coupe
Engines – 1.9 L, 2.0 L
Wheelbase – 2,630 mm (103.5 in), 2,500 mm (98.4 in)
From 1948 to 1953 the Australian automaker General Motors-Holden’s Ltd (GMH) produced the Holden 48/215 also known as Holden FX.
The design of the car based on a post WW2 design by Chevrolet which was rejected because it was thought of to be too small for the American market. Development on the car began in 1944 when the government asked car manufacturers to submit proposals for an Australian car.
And the Holden became the nation’s first mass produced car. Even though it was far from luxurious, it became a real success and the people loved the Australian car made for Australians.
The car only had a single rear light and no turn indicators as security wasn’t much thought of at that time and with so few cars on the roads. But it had a locking petrol cap and was available in four colours: Convoy Grey, Seine Blue, Gawler Cream and Black. The car had a 6-cylinder engine with 2160 cc and 60 bhp and a three-speed manual.
It had a top speed of 80.4 mph (129km/h). From 1948 to 1953 120,402 cars were produced.
Further specifications:
Length – 172.0 in (4.370 metres)
Width – 66.9 in (1.702 metres)
Height – 61.8 in (1.568 metres)
Kerb weight – 2230lb (1012kg)
Brakes – front and rear: Hydraulic 9 inch (229 mm) drums
This is a list of classic car museums in Germany that might be of interest for you:
Motorrad-Museum in Augustusburg – Schloss (Palace), Saxony: Here you can see a collection of classic DKW and MZ motorcycles. On October 3, 2010 there will be a vintage car meeting. www.die-sehenswerten-drei.de
August Horch Museum in Zwickau, Saxony: The museum is the place where August Horch had his car factory for decades. Here the Horch, later the Audi and the East German Trabant were produced. www.horch-museum.de
Autostadt Wolfsburg in Wolfsburg, Lower-Saxony: In the Autostadt you do not only see new Volkswagen cars but classic cars too. This is a place for lovers of old and new cars. www.autostadt.de
Feuerwehr- und Technikmuseum in Eisenhüttenstadt, Brandenburg: Firefighting from the 16th to the 20th century, with old fire engines and tools, is what you can see here. www.museen-brandenburg.de
Fahrzeugmuseum Suhl in Suhl, Thuringia: Here you can see the legendary “Greifzu” racing car. And you can learn about the long vehicle manufacturing tradition of the town. www.fahrzeug-museum-suhl.de
Auto- und Technik-Museum in Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg: Here you can not only see the old Concorde but also classic cars from different countries, racing cars, vintage race cars, and much more. A visit will really be worth it. www.technik-museum.de
Porsche-Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Baden-Württemberg: Here you can see 80 Porsche cars and learn about the history of Porsche car manufacturing. www.porsche.com
Deutsches Museum in Munich, Bavaria: In the Verkehrszentrum (traffic centre) local branch of Deutsches Museum, you can see lots of vintage cars, motorcycles, and more. Also see the main museum and the Oberschleissheim airfield. www.deusches-museum.de
