1951 Simca 8 SPORT Coupé

High quality old restoration Elegant configuration Sought-after Facel Métallon bodywork Belgian registration title Chassis n° 905.280 At the end of the war, small cars were welcome to put France back on wheels. The competition was tough and, to stand out, Simca wanted to move upmarket and offer more luxurious cars. Seduced by the proposal of Stabilimenti Farina, which made a very elegant and slim coupe on the chassis of the Fiat 1100 S (identical to that of the Simca 8), the president of Simca France, Henri Théodore Pigozzi, ordered one and presented it in 1948 at the Paris Motor Show under the name Simca 8 Sport. Wishing to produce a series of cars derived from this prototype, he bought the rights from Farina. Facel Métallon, later to build the Facel Véga, was commissioned to produce the bodywork and assemble the car on a Simca 8 chassis. The production starts in March 1949, and two versions, a coupe and a cabriolet, are available. Pre-production cars were entered in the Monte Carlo Rally in January 1950, were they obtained great success, finishing 4th and 5th overall. Under the hood, the 1,200 cc 8 was increased to 50 hp by boosting the compression ratio, adding larger intake valves and adjusting the timing differently. In addition to its 135 km/h top speed, the Simca 8 Sport distinguishes itself from the competition by its elegant design and is also a great success in concours d’elegance. It quickly underwent a number of changes: in December 1950, its two-piece windscreen was replaced by a curved one-piece windscreen on the coupé version, and at the end of 1951, it was given a more aggressive front end with a V-shaped three-piece grille. Its production stops in April 1952 and is replaced by the Simca 9 Sport, which uses the same mechanics and the same base as the Simca Aronde, but with a completely new body. In the end, the Simca 8 Sport was produced in 5165 units, all versions included. Put on the road in 1951, our example is in very good condition. It has been completely restored in the early 2000’s by the Tisserand workshop, Facel Vega specialist, for 23 000 € (invoice attached to the file). The bodywork was redone, the upholstery restored, and the engine replaced by a more powerful Rush. This very elegant Simca Sport, which has not been driven much since its complete restoration, is presented today with a beautiful black paint, slightly patinated, associated with a superb red leather interior with matching carpets. This very elegant color scheme and the high-quality restoration of this sublime Simca will seduce enthusiasts, or lovers of beautiful «custom body» French cars. It is rare to find a Simca Sport in such a beautiful condition on the market.