CarBrandLogos archive · Simca · 1937

SimcaSimca 8

The car that carried Simca from assembler to France's rising manufacturer.

Photo: Modified version of original by Berthold Werner (Cropping, brightness adjustment · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Simca history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Simca 8, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

If the little 5 established Simca, the 8 made it profitable. Introduced in 1937 and based on the Fiat 508C Balilla 1100, it was a modern car for its moment: unitary construction, independent front suspension, a 1,089 cc four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on the upper ratios, and enough space for a French family.

Simca Simca 8 · Arnaud 25 · Public domain

Design and engineering

It returned quickly after the war, when France's Pons Plan restricted which manufacturers could build what, and Simca's mid-size car found itself well placed in a market starved of vehicles. The engine grew to 1,221 cc, an estate joined the saloons, coupes and cabriolets from 1948, and the elegant Simca 8 Sport, styled by Pinin Farina and bodied in France by Facel, gave the range a halo well above its station.

Simca8 1200 cropped · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

Production ran to 1951, when the Aronde replaced it with a design Simca had drawn itself. By then the company was large enough to buy Ford's French operation and its Poissy plant.

Simca Simca 8 · Niels de Wit from Lunteren, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1937–1951

Engine

1,089&nbsp

Body

2-door saloon

Technical specification

The Simca 8, in detail.

Production: 1937–1951
Class: Large family car (D)
Body style: 2-door saloon; 4-door saloon; 2-door coupé; 2-door cabriolet; 3-door estate (from 1948)
Layout: FR layout
Engine: 1,089 cc Straight-four engine; I4 ; 1,221 cc I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual with synchromesh on top 2 ratios
Assembly: France: Nanterre
Manufacturer: Simca