Simca

In the early 1950s, Henri Pigozzi was looking to expand the Simca company, which was enjoying much success at the time, thanks to the popular Aronde. At the same time, Ford was seeking to divest itself of its French subsidiary, which had a factory in Poissy, close to Paris, where it had been manufacturing a large car called the Ford Vedette. Pigozzi decided to take over the entire factory, along with the rights to the cars manufactured there. The acquisition took place in July 1954, just when Ford was poised to launch the second generation Vedette. As with the Aronde, Simca marketed different trim levels of the Vedette under different model names. The basic version was called the Trianon, the mid-level the Versailles and the top of the range the Régence. In some markets, the Vedette range was still marketed under the Ford brand until 1956, including the Netherlands and Germany.

In 1958, the Vedettes were given new names and a new, elongated body with a more ornate front end and large tailfins, making the cars even more American-looking than before. The Versailles was replaced by the  Beaulieu and the Régence by the Chambord, while the estate retained the Marly name. The previous Vedette nevertheless continued in production but it lost its V8 2.4-litre engine. In April 1957, fitted with the 1,290 cc Aronde engine, the old body now clothed a new model in the Simca range, the Simca Ariane.