Simca · 1967–1985

Simca 1100 Simca 1200

The Simca 1100 is a series of French compact family cars – mainly C-segment hatchbacks, but also a compact wagon and popular delivery vans – built for over 15 years by French car-maker Simca, from 1967 through 1982/1985. There was even a very early 'hot hatchback', and a family cross-over: the Matra Simca Rancho. The hatchbacks were replaced by the Simca-Talbot Horizon. The 1967 Simca 1100 series was historically significant for combining numerous modern design features – in affordable cars with numerous available engines. The 1100 series were among the first unibody family hatchbacks and compact estates to integrate a transversely mounted engine and front-wheel drive with all-around, modern independent suspension with anti-roll bars (double wishbones up front, and rear semi-trailing arms), disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and folding rear seats for maximum space utilisation and practicality. The front-wheel drive Simca 1100 hatchback range, introduced in 1967 was a top seller across Europe, and was said to have influenced Volkswagen to replace its range of rear-engined and rear-drive air-cooled vehicles with a front-engined, front-drive, water cooled cars, leading to the Mk 1 VW Polo, Golf and Passat series. At just under four metres in length (3.94 m (12.9 ft)), the Simca 1100 set the blueprint for European and Japanese C-segment hatchbacks, defining most of their core design traits from then on.

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Generations & variants