Chambre d‘Ambre

Simca or Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carosserie Automobile was a French car company that initially manufactured Fiat models under license from 1934. After the Second World War, production was gradually switched to the company’s own, self-designed vehicles. After Ford decided to sell its French plant in Poissy in 1954, Simca took over the factory and turned it into the most modern car factory in Europe by 1957. Simca thus rose to become the third largest car manufacturer in France after Citroën and Renault. In 1959, Simca bought the struggling manufacturer Talbot-Lago and a year earlier the American Chrysler Group acquired a 15% stake in Simca. Chrysler increased its share in Simca until it had 100% of the voting shares in 1971. In 1978, Peugeot took over the helm, named all Simca models Talbot and stopped production in 1986. In 1967, the extremely innovative 1100 model was launched with front-wheel drive, transversely mounted engine, tailgate and folding rear seat. The car, which was brilliant for its time, anticipated the concept of the first VW Golf, seven years before the Golf – voilà c’est ça – that’s how it’s done. The Simca 1100 was built as a hatchback and station wagon until 1981 and as a box van until 1985. Although this model was produced over 2 million times and was also a great success in Germany, the German Simca Club only knows of 21 examples left in our country. In this sense, such a car is a far greater rarity today than a Mercedes gullwing. A true automotive cultural asset.

We got this Simca 1100 ES two years ago from a customer who had bought a well-preserved, very early Citroën CX at the Retro Classic in Stuttgart in 2015. However, this CX was only available as a pair with the Simca 1100. That is how this Citroën enthusiast came into possession of the Simca by accident. The car was first registered to a woman on June 10, 1976 in Milan; the original purchase contract from 1976 is still available. The woman moved in 1985, but the car remained in her hands until 2014. In 2014, the car was taken over by a classic car dealer in Milan, and in 2015 it was finally offered at the Retro Classic in Stuttgart. Our customer had all the damage from standing repaired and the car had a new clutch. He only drove the car now and again with his temporary license plates, so it still has the Italian papers. These papers show that the vehicle had only been driven 50,168 kilometers by 2022. In 2022, we sold the car to a customer in Saarland whose father once had a car just like it. But the Simca was also driven here with red license plates, so again not registered. Since then, only 65 km have been driven in the car, so the current mileage is 50,233. Recently, this gentleman from Saarland fell in love with and bought a Simca 1501 GLS Tourisme that we had on offer. In the course of April, we will deliver the Simca 1501 to the customer in Saarland and then collect the 1100 and be allowed to sell it again. The vehicle is largely in its original condition and the interior looks almost like a one-year-old car. The interior with the thickly padded armchairs in orange-red and color-coordinated steering wheel, dashboard, door panels and headliner reminds us of the lost Amber Room of the Berlin Palace. So we called the cool Simca the Amber Room or Chambre d’Ambre.

Our Économie offer for €10,600 refers to the tested, fully roadworthy vehicle without MOT. The standard offer for €13,300 also includes a major inspection, new tires, a new MOT and a MOT report. The Suprême offer for €16,200 also includes partial painting of the right doors, as they have some scratches, as well as cavity and underbody preservation. We would be happy to send you a detailed list of the offers.

The vehicle is not currently in Berlin.