Anybody know about Simca and Fiat?

[hayesbd]

I know that the Simca 1000 is closely related to the Fiat 850, but does anyone know generally what parts would interchange? There is an opportunity for a nice Simca project, but I wonder about whether parts would be impossible to get or perhaps there was enough Fiat DNA in 1965?

Thanks,
Brian

[rridge]

Simca got its start in the 1930's as the French distributor of Fiats and gradually moved into assembly and production. After WWII Simca was merged with Ford France and briefly produced sedans powered by small flathead Ford V8's as well as sedans that more closely resembled their Fiat counterparts.

The Simca 1000 is a wholly French design but Simca did use Fiat engineering support. For many years gearboxes were harvested from U.S. junkyards for use in Fiat 850's because they interchanged and the Simca gearbox was considered stronger.

Chrysler bought Simca in the 1960's and quickly drove it into the ground in the U.S. market much the way the current FCA organization is doing with current Fiat products here. Spares were always out of stock and competent service was seldom found. Currently there is no U.S. club or support network. However the brand remained quite popular in Europe through the 1970's and most parts are likely still available there.

[TwinFast]

As told before the classic Simca 1000 was a French design but after few month and huge success, Simca asked the Carrozzeria Bertone to design a small coupe ... the result was a beautiful Simca 1000 Coupé and 1200 S Coupé.

The design of Giovanni Bertone is simply gorgeous !

[hayesbd]

Thanks for the feedback. As I mentioned, there is an opportunity for a pretty good example to fix up, but we may pass on it, especially if there is no real part/enthusiast support in the US. If it had parts in common with 850s, then maybe that would have been a bit different.

My dad and I rebuilt a front wheel drive Simca 1204 (engine, transmission differential, body work, etc.) in the late 70's and this was the car that my younger sister and I drove in high school. If you think the electrical system in Fiats is a weak point, try one of these! It had a total of 4 fuses - after the electrical fire, I ended up rewiring most of the circuits and making a new fuse box.