Even if it reaches the date of my birthday, in reality these days another anniversary: \u200b\u200b30 years ago my father bought the car that would been the flagship of the family for decades to follow, the Chrysler-Simca 1307 GLS.
I remember at the time seemed huge, long, spacious, a huge trunk. Despite the almost maniacal care of my father, after a few months showed the first dent on the edge of the bumper, the result of a small blow in the park during the summer villa of Domitian Bay in the beautiful Parco dei Lecci.
Then a few years after a dent on the hood, and then scratches and other damages are almost impossible to avoid the traffic and parking lots in Naples. The event
most 'shocking' car was blocked in the summer of 1986, always in Domizia Bay, which forced us to return on a wagon from Mondragone up at home to Portsmouth caused by disruption of component, that the only mechanism available was not able to repair.
In fact, the reliability of that car, perhaps as a result of this electrical problem, was not so marked, often was not in motion or thought of being stuck in the street, so we did not travel for long trips (also for other reasons) .
was aesthetically ugly, and almost a shame to go around when we were young (those rare times when my father lent!), But it was the only family car and had to endure.
Then in 1997, almost falling apart, and after almost 20 years of not very honorable service, he passed the other world, thanks to Uncle Renato Quaranta who gave us a car putting a bit 'better, his red Ford Escort, the second series of ... 1979! The Simca
obviously remains in the memory of the years of my childhood. Now I work for Fiat and change the car once a year ... does not seem true!
And the best part is that after 30 years, the circle closes: the Fiat bought the Chrysler, so maybe in the near future on my new machine will have the pentagonal emblem on the front!
PS: the Ford Escort lasted just over a year ... we passed a small Citroen AX used, but for us it was almost a generational leap in technology!
few historical notes on the machine: The Chrysler-Simca
1307 was the car's upper-middle class produced by Simca in 1976 and immediately elected Car of the Year. It was the first car to bear the double mark on the hood Simca-Chrysle r, and the pentagonal emblem as a logo. Created to replace the obsolete
Simca 1301/1501 of 60 years, the new media has several new features. The line, many teams, left the classic three-volume configuration to take one to two volumes with the tailgate (the solution adopted several years earlier by Renault), with plastic bumpers. Even from the technical point of view the car was up to date: front-wheel drive, independent suspension with torsion bars (the rear triangular arm) and braking systems of mixed type (with front discs). Little new, however, for the engines, although brilliant and parks in consumption, these engines were characterized by strong noise emitted tappets.
Finishes (with very stiff and hard plastics) were not much, but the competitive price promoted the success of the model.
The range of onset included the 1307 GLS powered by 1294cc 68cv d1 and 4-speed gearbox, the 1307 S with power increased to 82cv, and 1308 GT-powered by 1442cc 85cv d1. In 1978 also appeared the 1308 S with the same engine as the GT and a lower level of finish. In 1979 was launched the SX 1309, driven by an engine capacity increased a 1592cc (88cv) e finiture più curate.
Nel 1978 Peugeot rilevò la Chrysler Europe, divenendo così proprietaria anche dei marchi Talbot e Simca. In realtà il nome Simca venne dismesso e tutti i modelli vennero marchiati Talbot.
While the date of my birthday is arriving, in these days I would remind of another anniversary: 30 years ago my father bought the car that would have been the flagship of the family for decades to follow, the Chrysler-Simca 1307 GLS. I remember it seemed huge at the time, long, spacious, with a huge trunk.
Despite the almost maniacal care my father already had, a few months later the first hole on the edge of the bumper, the result of a small crash while parking the car in the villa’s garden during that summer in Baia Domizia, in the beautiful Parco dei Lecci.
Then a few years later another dent on the bonnet, and then scratches and other damages almost impossible to avoid in the traffic and car parks of Naples.
The most 'shocking' event was car blocking in the summer of 1986, always in Baia Domizia, which compelled us to return on a wagon from Mondragone up to the house in Portici, caused by disruption of an electronic engine component, that the only available mechanic was not able to repair.
In fact, the reliability of that car was not very high, perhaps as a result of that electrical problem, many times the engine wouldn’t turn on or you had to think you could remain stuck in the street, so we did not use to travel for long trips (also for other reasons).
It was aesthetically ugly, and almost a shame for us to go around when we were young (those rare times when my father lent it to us!), but it was the only family car and it had to endure.
Then in 1997, almost falling into pieces, and after almost 20 years of not very honored service, it went to 'the other world', thanks to uncle Renato Quaranta who gave us a 'better’ car: his red Ford Escort, second series, built in...1979!
The Simca obviously remains in the memory of the years of my childhood. Now I work for Fiat and change the car once a year ... I can’t believe it's true yet!
And the strange thing is that after 30 years, the circle closes itself: Fiat bought Chrysler Company, so maybe in the near future, on my new car I will have the pentagonal emblem on the front again!
PS: the Ford Escort lasted just over a year ... we passed to a small used Citroen AX, that for us it was almost a technological leap!
A few historical notes on the car:
The Simca 1307 was the name under which Chrysler Europe 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. The model was sold under a variety of names, including Simca 1308 and 1309 models (with larger engines), Chrysler Alpine (name used for the UK and New Zealand markets), Chrysler 150 (English market), Talbot 1510 / Talbot Alpine / Talbot 150 (a facelifted version launched by PSA after its takeover of Chrysler Europe) and Talbot Solara (the saloon version).
More upmarket models were designated 1308 (1508 in some markets) and 1309. 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, Opel Ascona (Vauxhall Cavalier) and Peugeot 305. The car was originally manufactured in Poissy in France and in Ryton in the United Kingdom 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.
In 1980 the car, which was now sold under the Talbot-brand, received a facelift. The new model was known as the Talbot 1510 (the Talbot Alpine name was used in the UK). A saloon version, called the Talbot Solara, was released that year, and produced alongside the hatchback version.
French manufacturing of 1510, Alpine and Solara, along with the smaller Horizon, ended in 1985. Supply of these models was limited and in 1986 production ceased, with the Talbot marque being shelved soon afterwards on all passenger vehicles.
Due to corrosion problems similar to Those of the Horizon, very Few Have Alpines SURVIVED.
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