1972 Simca 1501 Estate

[Edomatic]

Felt sorry for this on Ebay about a year ago and now feel sorry for myself! Was in a container for 32 years with loads of stuff stored on top of it... looks rough and it is! But mostly surface rust and dents except the front wings which are the Simcas big failing....
Tidy inside after it was cleaned, engine is seized but have a gasket kit for it and poured oil/diesel down the bores to try and free it but will strip it down one of the days... Love the drop down tailgate and the cover over the spare wheel can be removed and has legs under it to use as a picnic table! Beat that Range Rover!

If anyone has a set of Simca wings in their garage that they want to sell just let me know! Cheers!
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[Mitch]

Used to ride in one of those as a kid, in that colour. Loved that tailgate & winding rear window. Don't remember the table tho!

And that 'Special' badge on the dash, special indeed. Thanks for posting & enjoy getting it in shape.

Love the drop down tailgate and the cover over the spare wheel can be removed and has legs under it to use as a picnic table! Beat that Range Rover!

[Edomatic]

Hi Mitch,
Yes the table is a bit of a gimmick, quite heavy to haul out and use, so probably not get used much... I like the dash in it, sporty intentions...along with the spots in the front grille.
Nice that you have memories of one, these cars are almost extinct, even in France. The Simca 1100 rear engine jobs are popular for rallying.... nobody seems interested in the family car part of the Simca range.
Cheers.

[Lightweight_911]

Haven't seen one of those for years !

Reminded me (I'd forgotten all about it) that I had a Simca 1204 (hatchback) briefly back in the mid '70's ...

[Edomatic]

Hi Andy,

Yes poor old Simca cars were nearly as common as a Ford or BL offering... but now basically extinct... that is why I bought it, felt sorry for it.

Would love a Simca Bertone Coupe, great alternative to a 911!

[MikeB]

Originally registered in Co. Armagh, if that's the original reg

[23e Heure]

My mum had one of these as her runabout from '82 to '84.
Had an 8track installed with Car Stevens Tea For The Tillerman jammed in it.
Coincidentally enough I got all nostalgic only a few weeks ago and started looking at these on eBay etc. Didn't see any examples in anything other than dustbin condition though!

[Edomatic]

Hi Mike, Yes that is the original reg on the car... Came from Norn Ireland.... last taxed in 1979.

You were doing well to find any for sale James... as you say most are just scrap... this one slightly better! no 8 track in mine though!

[Edomatic]

As a follow on to my Simca above, I have ended up with another one! When I got the RHD featured above, I started looking at ads etc... finding out more about Simca and also looking for parts and I found an ad for a Simca being sold in Delft, Holland on Auto Scout back in July last year. I pass through Holland on my way to Kazakhstan where I work at present, so decided to get in touch and have a look. It belonged to a nice Dutch couple and they had it 6 years. They bought it off a guy who had purchased it in Portugal and drove it back to Holland. Now they were selling as had a child and the car was not suitable.
Although looking tidy enough in the photos, when I went to see it, the paint was really flat and dull and it was running poorly with lots of pinking. But the underside was incredibly sound due to its life in Portugal, as were the front wings and most rust prone areas. The tailgate is the only panel that had a bit of tinworm. The interior was also very tidy as was the chrome. It also had a Dutch MOT (APK)

I took it for a drive and although idling well, pinked like crazy when trying to get up to speed. I was not sure about it and with the hassle of getting it home to Ireland, gave an offer and my email, in case they wanted to accept. Fast forward to Xmas and I got an email from them accepting my offer. Ooops! So in January I went to collect it on my way back from Kaz. I had asked them if they knew a garage where i could get it serviced prior to getting on the ferry, so they went one better and took it to their local mechanic a few days before I arrived and he checked it over and sorted the timing.

So I met them on a dull January in Delft and they took me to the garage to see the car.


Ronald the mechanic was still working on it,

So we left him to it and went to get the export papers sorted. As I was taking the car back to Ireland, in Holland you have to deregister the car, get export papers and put temp export plates on it that allow you 14 days to get it out of holland if you take it by road. So after a bit of running around between various goverment places we had to hand back the old black plates and had new white export ones made. you can also get temp export insurance and breakdown cover, so all in it cost about 130 euros to do all that. I then dropped into a DIY place Praxxis and bought some get you home tools and bits like cable ties and tape etc. We then went back to the garage to get the plates fitted.

So with the plates fitted and Ronald done, I asked how much I owed him and he just said a handshake will do! So fair play to him! There were a few nice classics in the garage too,


So with my tools and clothes loaded and paperwork done it was time to hit the ferry. I was doing Hook Van Holland to Harwich on the night ferry and then going across the UK to Holyhead to Dublin and take another night ferry, giving me all day to do 300 plus miles.
So here I am ready for the drive to the ferry at the Hook.

will continue the saga.....

[Edomatic]

I filled the tank and did the short 20 mile drive to the Hook ferry. all was going well and the Simca was driving pretty good, no radio in it, so just listen to the engine. heater was pretty good and thinking this might be OK. I did have to wait long for the ferry and was not busy, so soon was guided aboard. As i parked it on the deck, one of the attendents came over and said I was leaking petrol! So I had a look under the engine and it was pouring petrol around the mechanical pump area. I opened the bonnet and could see the pipes were connected to the pump and the top was secure, i felt under the pump and it was dry, the deck hand meanwhile was putting down absorbant mats to soak it and said it might be OK, I said that the tank was full and i think will need to get off the boat as it was a bad leak. I got under the car again to see where it was coming from and gave the fuel lines under the car a tug and sure enough it was the return line from the tank to the pump (three pipes on the pump) that was leaking. it was joined to a small section of pipe that was still attached to the pump and this had detached. So I got a srewdriver and jammed it up the pipe to stop the flow. This allowed me to get cable ties and rejoin the pipes and make a good joint. Phew! The leak was stopped thankfully and could stay on the ferry. This was the only fault i had on the car the whole way home and it drove great after that. So smelling of petrol I went to the cabin to shower.

With TV and internet it was not a bad crossing and slept good too. early morning arrived at Harwich and the Simca started easy and no leaks! arrived at the customs area and that was fun! lots of questions and confusion... an Irish guy working in Kaz, driving a dutch car back to Ireland... after lots of head scratching they let me go on my way.
it was a dark and rainy morning in England and the drive to Colchester was miserable. but as i headed up towards Birmingham it cleared nicely and turned into a decent day.

I stopped quite a few times at service halts to check the fuel line and also general checks on the car, but all was going well except the fuel gauge which decided to stop working.

I had a good break at Birmingham for lunch and realised I was doing good time so could make the 9pm ferry from Birkenhead in Liverpool to Dublin easily and get a good sleep on that ferry as a longer crossing than Holyhead.
So I arrived there after 7pm and bought my ticket and waited to board.

ready to get on board

This is a ferry more for frieght and truckers, but you get a cabin and dinner and breakfast as part of the deal, so not bad. no TV or internet here though!
This time there was no drama boarding and the Simca got a lot of attention.
I arrived in Dublin at 7am and no one at customs and headed home which is another 150 miles. I swung into Jon Miller on the way to see my yellow 911 and progress on it. going well.


Finally got home around noon time. so it was an adventure!
I have since gave it a good clean up and compounding, it still needs a paint job, but came out a lot better!

In process of getting Irish plates on it, but I am now back in Kaz so that will have to wait a bit longer.
So that is my LHD Simca...

[johnM]

Great story Eddie. Nothing better than a road trip and what an adventure in an old un-known car.

Kind regards.

[Edomatic]

Thanks John,
was not going to bother getting another Simca, as I do not need the first one either, but then said why not. The drive home could be fun. it turned out to be a very civilsed car to drive and kept up easily with traffic on the motorway. liked to cruise at 65 mph... i was suprised how much attention it got. thought most would write it off as a Lada estate and poke fun at it, but it got lots of favourable comments. would make a great tow/support car for a rally 911 or better again, an Alpine.