Simca 1307

Simca 1307

Simca 1307 GLS
Overview
Manufacturer Chrysler Europe / PSA
Also called Simca 1308 / 1309
Chrysler Alpine
Chrysler 150
Simca-Talbot 1510
Dodge Alpine (Colombia)
Simca-Talbot Solara
Production 1975-1986
Assembly Poissy, France
Ryton-on-Dunsmore, United Kingdom
Madrid, Spain
Designer Roy Axe
Body and chassis
Class Large family car (D)
Layout FF layout
Related Simca 1100
Simca Horizon
Powertrain
Engine 1.3 L Type 315 ohv I4
1.5 L Type 315 ohv I4
1.6 L Type 315 ohv I4
Transmission 4 speed manual all-synchromesh[1]
5-speed manual
Automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase 102.5 in (2,604 mm)[1]
Length 167 in (4,242 mm)[1]
Width 66 in (1,676 mm)[1]
Curb weight 2,314 lb (1,050 kg)[1]
Chronology
Predecessor Simca 1301 / 1501
Successor Peugeot 405

The Simca 1307 was the name under which Simca launched its new large family car in July 1975.

A modern, front-wheel drive hatchback, it was one of the first such cars in that class, along with the Volkswagen Passat, and became the 1976 European Car of the Year.[2] It had been in development since 1972.[3]

The model was sold under a variety of names, including Simca 1308 and 1309 models (with larger engines), Chrysler Alpine (UK,[4] Ireland and New Zealand), Dodge Alpine (Colombia), Chrysler 150 (Spanish market), and later Talbot 1510 / Talbot Alpine / Talbot 150 (a facelifted version launched by PSA after its takeover of Chrysler Europe) and Talbot Solara (the saloon version).

History

Originally the car was powered by 1294 cc and 1442 cc versions of the "Poissy engine" with electronic ignition and a four-speed gearbox. From launch it was available in three trim levels: GL, S and GT. Equipment levels were high, with the later GLS version featuring central door locking and electric windows, accessories that up until then had only generally featured in larger more upmarket cars. Having won the Car of the Year award, it was initially a success both at home and in the export. Production levels shot up from a daily 400 at introduction in September 1975 to 850 in December of that year, to 1100 a day in late 1976.[5] The 1307 (7 CV) had the smaller engine, while the 1308 (8 CV) received the larger version. Unlike the other models, the more sporting 1307S received twin Weber carburettors in continental European markets to provide a more powerful and revvy engine while remaining in a lower tax category. In the UK, the 1307S has the same single Solex carburettor as the GL.[6]

More upmarket models were designated 1308 (1508 in some markets) and 1309. All of the models replaced the Simca 1301/1501 range in France, while on the British market it was sold alongside the ageing Hillman Hunter, a rear-wheel drive range of saloons and estates which would continue until 1979. This type of car was generally more popular in Britain in 1975, with the best selling cars in this sector being the Ford Cortina and Morris Marina. The Chrysler Alpine was first sold in Britain in January 1976, going on sale just after the similar-sized Vauxhall Cavalier, a rear-wheel drive saloon which went on to consistently outsell it.

Finnish-built Talbot 1510, facelifted version with new headlights

Styled by Roy Axe, the Simca 1307, along with the recently introduced Volkswagen Passat, was one of several full-size European family hatchback inspired by the Renault 16 that had defined the sector back in 1965. In the 1970s the most popular mid-size cars in Europe were still traditional sedans like Ford Taunus (Ford Cortina in Britain), Opel Ascona (Vauxhall Cavalier) and Morris Marina. The car was originally manufactured in Poissy in France, in Ryton in the United Kingdom, from 1977 in Villaverde in Barreiros, subsidiary of Chrysler Europe in Spain, and assembled from CKD kits by Todd Motors (later Mitsubishi Motors NZ) in New Zealand between 1977 and about 1983. Between 1979 and 1985 the car was also built by Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki factory in Finland and assembled in Colombia as Dodge Alpine between 1978 and 1982 at the Chrysler Colmotores in Bogotá.[7]

In New Zealand, Chrysler, Talbot, Alpine and 1510 badges were used on the car during its lifetime, though it was officially in price lists as an Alpine, following the UK convention. In 1982 the car was facelifted and renamed SX there.

Facelift and Solara

For 1980 the car, which was now sold under the Talbot-brand, received an extensive facelift. The new model, shown at the Frankfurt Show, was known as the Talbot 1510 (the Talbot Alpine name was used in the UK).[8] It received new front and rear lights and new top of the range SX featured alloy wheels, cruise control, headlamp wash/wipe, power steering and trip computer. Automatic transmission and a 5-speed gearbox also became available. A four-door saloon version, called the Talbot Solara, was released in the same year, with either 1.3 or 1.6 engines, and was produced alongside the hatchback version. Trim levels were similar to the Alpine. It effectively took over from the Hunter, axed a year earlier, as the four-door large family saloon in the range. In the Benelux countries, a well-equipped "Ultra" special edition with metallic paint, alloy wheels, and velour interior, appeared in December 1983.[9]

Talbot Solara SX, rear view

French manufacturing of 1510, Alpine and Solara, along with the smaller Horizon, ended in 1985. In the United Kingdom the last cars were rebadged as the Rapier and Minx which were badged depending on trim level rather than body style. The names were sourced from the corporate ancestor of Chrysler Europe, the Rootes Group, having been used on the Sunbeam Rapier and Hillman Minx. Supply of these models was limited and in 1986 production ceased, with the Talbot marque being shelved soon afterwards on all passenger vehicles. By this stage, Peugeot was developing a new large family saloon - the Peugeot 405 - to compete with the latest offerings from Ford, General Motors and Austin Rover, which would be launched the following year.

Whilst exceptionally popular in France the Chrysler Alpine did not fulfill its potential in the UK. Due to corrosion problems similar to those of the Horizon few Alpines have survived in the UK; according to the June 2009 issue of Practical Classics, only 15 remain in the country.

A body of the Simca 1307 was a direct inspiration for the design of Russian Moskvitch Aleko (1986–2001)[10]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chrysler's new Alpine". Autocar. Vol. 143 (nbr 4107). 26 July 1975. pp. 20–23.
  2. Chrysler Alpine: remembering the most unlikely Car of the Year, The Daily Telegraph, 9 April 2016
  3. "Development of the Chrysler - Talbot Alpine cars". Rootes-chrysler.co.uk. 1976-04-02. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
  4. Wheels of misfortune: the rise and fall of the British motor industry, Jonathan Wood, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988, page 215
  5. Thevenet, Jean-Paul, ed. (January 1977). "30 jours d'automobile" [30 days of the automobile]. L'Automobile (in French) (Neuilly, France: Societé des Editions Techniques et Touristiques de France) (367): 4.
  6. Armstrong, Douglas (December 1975). "International Exchange". SA Motor (Cape Town, South Africa: Scott Publications): 18–19.
  7. Importaciones de automóviles y camperos: documento para Consejo Directivo de Comercio Exterior, INCOMEX, Instituto Colombiano de Comercio Exterior, 1982, page 20
  8. Automotive News, Crain Automotive Group, 1980, page 4
  9. de Jong, Nico, ed. (1983-12-24). "Autokrant" [Car Gazette]. Autovisie (in Dutch) (Hilversum, Netherlands: Folio Groep B.V.) 28 (26): 14.
  10. The East European motor industry: prospects & developments, Economist Intelligence Unit, 1989, page 46

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Simca 1307/1308.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Talbot Solara.
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