Tag Archives: simca

Matra-Simca Bagheera

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1979 Matra-Simca Bagheera X

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Bicester, U.K. | September 23, 2023

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Here is a forgotten sports car. Matra, who did not build many cars under their own name (but when they did, they were weird), teamed up with semi-established-but-fading automaker Simca to launch the Bagheera in 1973. The car was marketed as the Matra-Simca Bagheera until 1980, at which time Chrysler Europe failed and was taken over by PSA. It was then sold as the Talbot-Matra Bagheera in 1980.

Various sub-models were offered, including the 1977-1980 “X”. This specified a 1.4-liter inline-four that was good for 90 horsepower. Like all Bagheeras, and the follow-up Murena, the car features three-across bucket seating. Which is really weird.

Just 1,440 examples of the X (and Jubile, combined) were produced. It’s a right-hand-drive car (one of 57 converted aftermarket) and wasn’t initially registered until 1982. The car was restored between 2014 and 2020. It now has an estimate of $15,000-$21,000. Click here for more info.

Simca Plein Ciel

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1960 Simca Aronde Plein Ciel

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 27, 2023

Photo – Osenat

The Simca Aronde was the company’s first original design and featured unibody construction. It was produced across three series between 1951 and 1964. The 90A Aronde was built between 1955 and 1958.

During that time, a number of special versions were produced, including the Plein Ciel with two-seat coupe bodywork by Facel. Power is from a 1.3-liter inline-four rated at 48 horsepower. Top speed was a claimed 83 mph.

This car is finished in white with a black roof over a red interior. It’s one of about 11,500 produced and carries an estimate of $19,000-$24,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Osenat July 2023, $22,324.

Abarth-Simca 1300 GT Coupe

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1963 Abarth-Simca 1300 GT Coupe by Sibona & Basano

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Castellet, France | November 19, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Abarth used cars from many different manufacturers as base cars for their wild creations. In this case, the base car is a Simca 1000, which was a small, rear-engined sedan produced by the French marque between 1961 and 1978.

Confusingly, there were Simca-Abarth variants of the 1000, which were really just hot sedans. What we have here is an Abarth-Simca. It’s a GT car that Simca wanted Abarth to build that they could take racing.

It’s got a Simca 1000 floor pan, an Abarth-tuned 1.3-liter twin-cam inline-four, and a Simca 1000 four-speed manual gearbox. The cars were eventually homologated for FIA competition, and they were successful in European road racing events.

This car was sold new in Italy, where it was campaigned successfully. From there, it has kind of a complicated ownership history, and frankly it’s too late in the day for me to make much sense of it. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here. The pre-sale estimate is $405,000-$500,000.

Update: Sold $311,399.

Matra MS670

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1972 Matra-Simca MS670

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 5, 2021

Photo – Artcurial

Matra, the French car company, had been giving prototype racing a go since the mid-1960s. They struck gold in the early 1970s with the MS670, which would win at Le Mans in 1972, and again in ’73 and ’74 in MS670B/C forms respectively. It was a monster. And this chassis is the actual 1972 Le Mans winner.

This was the first MS670 produced, and it was one of four cars entered at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s powered by a 416-horsepower, 3.0-liter V12. It was driven to victory by Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill.

The car has been the property of Matra since new, residing in their museum since 1976. It has been restored, and there was some kind of court judgment about the car in 2020 that is forcing it to be sold, which is kind of a shame. But perhaps someone with the $5,000,000-$9,200,000 it’s going to take to buy it will also have the resources to demonstrate it. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $6,907,200.

Simca Sport

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1950 Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet by Facel

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | October 27, 2019

Photo – Artcurial

Simca’s two-door model range is a bit confusing, especially cars built around 1950. The Simca 8 was new in 1937 and was re-introduced after the war, with production continuing through 1951. It was a rebadged Fiat 508C, and it was Simca’s bread and butter.

Company president Henri Pigozzi had Pininfarina mock up a coupe version of the 8, which was popular. It went on sale as the Simca Sport in 1950. Later, in 1952, an updated version called the Simca 9 Sport went on sale and was built alongside the Sport, which was also referred to as the 8 Sport. Right.

This Facel-bodied cabriolet is powered by a 1.2-liter inline-four capable of 50 horsepower. The car had a single owner from new until the early 2000s. It should now bring between $38,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $32,210.

March 2019 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We pick up in March at Mecum’s Phoenix sale. They took to the desert a few months after everyone else and managed to move this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T/ Hemi Convertible for $1,430,000.

Photo – Mecum

The 1910 Kenmore we featured sold for $23,100, while previously-featured sales consisted of this Delage which also sold for $23,100, the Ford EX concept truck at $99,000, and the #2 overall seller, this Duesenberg Rollston Sedan. No-sales included the Chrysler ST Special and the Apollo 3500 GT. Click here for complete results.

Next up we have a sale from Aguttes in Paris. The Salmson we featured didn’t sell (perhaps it was the scandalous model name), though this swoopy 1935 Fiat 508 CS Balilla Aerodinamica managed to squeeze $225,620 out of someone in the audience. Final results can be found here.

Photo – Aguttes

Onward now to H&H Classics’ sale at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. The Bristol 406 we featured sold for $44,045, and the 1939 Imperial brought $14,681. The top sale was $579,934 for this barn find-condition 1936 Bentley 4.5-Litre Vanden Plas Tourer. More results are located here.

Photo – H&H Classics

Now we hop back across the channel for Osenat’s March sale, where the top overall sellers were two of our feature cars: the Gardner-Serpollet at $282,946 and the early Delahaye at $175,157. We’ll award Most Interesting to this 1951 Simca 8 Sport that could’ve been yours for $33,684.

The D’Yrsan three-wheeler sold for $58,610. Complete results can be found here.

We wrap up in Ft. Lauderdale with RM Sotheby’s where this 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari sold for $3,080,000.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Our feature cars all found new homes, with the Stutz Blackhawk leading the way at $55,000. The Lotus Esprit was next, selling for $50,600, and both the Biscuter and Goggomobil microcars sold, at $4,675 and $20,350 respectively.

Feature cars from auctions past included this Packard Clipper station wagon that sold for $56,100 and this Mochet microcar for $7,590. Click here for final results.

Four Racers from Artcurial

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Four Racers from Artcurial

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 9, 2018

1949 Simca 8 Barquette by Motto

Photo – Artcurial

The Simca 8 was a family car built by Simca in France between 1937 and 1951. It was offered in a variety of body styles and two engines were offered, one before 1949 and a slightly larger one after 1949. This 1949 car originally featured a race-prepped version of the earlier, 1.1-liter straight-four.

It was originally a road car, but was transformed into a racing barquette by a racing driver in 1950. The body was built in aluminium by Motto, an Italian coachbuilder. Once race-ready, the owner promptly registered it for the road! It was entered for the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans but never showed up, though it did compete in some other French sports car races in the early 1950s.

Discovered again after 2000, it was restored and the engine was redone and enlarged to 1.2-liters. It’s just destined for the historic circuit with its new owner. It’ll likely bring between $275,000-$335,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

1930 Chenard et Walcker 1500 Type Y8 Tank

Photo – Artcurial

Here’s my pick of these four. The Chenard & Walcker Y8 was introduced at the 1927 Paris Motor Show and was built through 1930. It’s powered by a 1.5-liter straight-four and it’s called a “Tank.” Chenard & Walcker were famous for their tanks, which were kind of squared off yet aerodynamic cars that were mainly destined for the track. Bugatti also built some racing “tanks” around this era as well.

This is a two-seat convertible and it probably doesn’t have racing history, but plenty Chenard tanks saw track action. It’s been in collections for decades and is largely original. No one knows how many of these were built, but there aren’t that many around. This one should bring between $85,000-$160,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $94,913.

1963 Rene Bonnet Aerodjet LM6

Photo – Artcurial

When Rene Bonnet left Deutsch-Bonnet in 1961, he set up shop building cars under his own name. His first new model was the Djet and what we have here is a racing version of the road car. It’s powered by a Renault-Gordini 1.1-liter straight-four and the body is fiberglass.

This car was raced at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bruno Basini and Robert Bouharde behind the wheel. It finished the race, but did not complete the minimum distance, ultimately resulting in an official “Not Classified” result, but more realistically they were 14th.

The current owner bought the car in 1989 and it was restored, with a 1.3-liter Gordini striaght-four installed in place of the original. Only three of these longtail LM6 Aerodjets were built and this is the nicest, most original one left. It should sell for between $300,000-$425,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

1956 Riffard-Renault Tank Record

Photo – Artcurial

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: this looks like one of those tin toys that kids played with in the 1950s. In reality, it started life as as one of two custom-built Guépard race cars that were built in 1952 and 1953. Both competed in a race in 1954 and this one crashed.

The owner took it and while repairing it, decided to turn it into a World Speed Record car. Designed by Marcel Riffard, it’s a sleek, Renault-powered streamliner with a body by Heuliez. The engine is a 750cc four-cylinder and it’s unknown if it ever attempted any records, but it did do a speed run in 1998 after decades in a private collection. It’s a unique car and should bring between $18,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $70,090.

Simca Barquette by Motto

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1949 Simca 8 Barquette by Motto

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 9, 2018

Photo – Artcurial

The Simca 8 was a family car built by Simca in France between 1937 and 1951. It was offered in a variety of body styles and two engines were offered, one before 1949 and a slightly larger one after 1949. This 1949 car originally featured a race-prepped version of the earlier, 1.1-liter straight-four.

It was originally a road car, but was transformed into a racing barquette by a racing driver in 1950. The body was built in aluminium by Motto, an Italian coachbuilder. Once race-ready, the owner promptly registered it for the road! It was entered for the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans but never showed up, though it did compete in some other French sports car races in the early 1950s.

Discovered again after 2000, it was restored and the engine was redone and enlarged to 1.2-liters. It’s just destined for the historic circuit with its new owner. It’ll likely bring between $275,000-$335,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Bonhams Monaco 2021, $201,083.

Osenat, June 17, 2012, Sale Highlights

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Osenat’s recent sale had a number of unique – at least to those of us not in France – cars that sold. Unfortunately, the D.B. Le Mans we featured, didn’t. However, the other D.B. in the sale did. It’s a 1960 D.B. Type HBR 5 and it brought $28,000.

Top sale went to this 1960 Maserati 3500 GT Spider Vignale – in all it’s wondrous Photoshopped glory. It sold for $303,000 – about three times more than the next highest-selling car.

Other interesting sales included a 1926 Hispano-Suiza T49 (below) for $38,000 and a 1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Record for $76,500 (second below).

This 1954 Panhard Dyna Junior convertible really popped in this shade of gold. I can’t tell if it’s attractive or hideous, but it certainly grabbed my attention. It was one of two Dyna Juniors that sold. This one for $19,000 and one in blue for $20,000.

And finally, one car I found quite pretty was this 1962 Simca Plein Ciel – which was the hardtop coupe version of the Simca Aronde. It sold for a touch under $23,000. For complete results, click here.

1962 Mobile Propane Tank

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1962 Simca 1000 Butagaz

Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | July 7, 2012

This attractive vehicle is not your standard Simca 1000. This car… or truck… or advertising vehicle was built for the Tour de France. It has nothing to do with cycling, but it actually drove the course ahead of the competitors as a roving advertisement for the French butane and propane distributor Butagaz – who had seven of these built by French coachbuilder Rotrou in 1962. It’s designed to look like a propane tank and there are even speakers built into the body so you can blast whatever propaganda you wish (Butagaz played their slogan while driving around).

The base car underneath is a 1962 Simca 1000. The rear-engined layout of the Simca 1000 was favorable for this conversion for two reasons as it helped offset the weight of the driver’s compartment and allowed for the driver’s compartment in general, which is very far forward and very low. These cars came standard with straight-four engines ranging from 800cc to 1.3-liters.

If you’re in to advertising (either mobile or otherwise), this all-original propane tank on wheels can be yours for somewhere in the neighborhood of $25,000-$50,000. Think of the looks you could get driving it around. For more information click here. And for more from Artcurial at Le Mans, click here.

Update: Sold $30,346.