Simca 5
Encyclopedia
The Simca 5 is a small Franco-Italian passenger car designed by Fiat
engineers at Turin
. It was produced and sold in France by Simca
. It was virtually identical to the Fiat 500 Topolino on which it was based, but was first presented, at the company's new Nanterre
plant, three months ahead of the Fiat equivalent on 10 March 1936. Production was delayed, however, by a wave of strikes that accompanied the June 1936 electoral victory of Léon Blum
's Popular Front
government.
Advanced features boasted by the Simca 5 included independent front suspension, a four speed gear box, hydraulically controlled drum brakes on all four wheels and a twelve volt electrical system.
The car also offered exceptional fuel economy: in a test it managed to travel 110 kilometers on just 5 litres of fuel.
The car was intended for sale on the domestic market for less than 10,000 French Francs, an aspiration that would be overtaken by a decline in the currency's value that gathered pace in the second half of the 1930s. The manufacturer boasted at the time of its launch of being ahead of the plans across the Rhine: this was a reference to the already rumoured launch of the Volkswagen Beetle which would appear only in 1938.
Production of the Simca 5 was slowed down (but did not ever cease entirely) by the war and the period of German
occupation in the early 1940s, but resumed in 1946. 46,472 of the cars had been produced by the time the car was delisted by Simca in 1949. By now it had been replaced on the company's production lines by the similar but partially reskinned and slightly more powerful Simca 6
.
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
engineers at Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. It was produced and sold in France by Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
. It was virtually identical to the Fiat 500 Topolino on which it was based, but was first presented, at the company's new Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
plant, three months ahead of the Fiat equivalent on 10 March 1936. Production was delayed, however, by a wave of strikes that accompanied the June 1936 electoral victory of Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
's Popular Front
Popular Front (France)
The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the French Communist Party , the French Section of the Workers' International and the Radical and Socialist Party, during the interwar period...
government.
Advanced features boasted by the Simca 5 included independent front suspension, a four speed gear box, hydraulically controlled drum brakes on all four wheels and a twelve volt electrical system.
The car also offered exceptional fuel economy: in a test it managed to travel 110 kilometers on just 5 litres of fuel.
The car was intended for sale on the domestic market for less than 10,000 French Francs, an aspiration that would be overtaken by a decline in the currency's value that gathered pace in the second half of the 1930s. The manufacturer boasted at the time of its launch of being ahead of the plans across the Rhine: this was a reference to the already rumoured launch of the Volkswagen Beetle which would appear only in 1938.
Production of the Simca 5 was slowed down (but did not ever cease entirely) by the war and the period of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation in the early 1940s, but resumed in 1946. 46,472 of the cars had been produced by the time the car was delisted by Simca in 1949. By now it had been replaced on the company's production lines by the similar but partially reskinned and slightly more powerful Simca 6
Simca 6
The Simca 6 is a small budget priced passenger car produced and sold in France by Simca between 1947 and 1950. Simca had been established as a French subsidiary of Fiat and the Simca 6 was developed from the Simca 5 which itself had been a version of Fiat’s Topolino badged and manufactured in...
.
- This entry is based on a translation of the French Wikipedia corresponding entry