Simca

The Simca 1307, 1308 and 1309 arrived in 1975 as modern replacements for the 1301/1501 range. Styled in Britain by Roy Axe and engineered by Simca in France, they combined front-wheel drive with a practical five-door hatchback body and quickly earned the 1976 European Car of the Year title. The 1307 used a 1,294 cc engine, while the 1308 and 1309 featured larger and more powerful units, with equipment levels ranging from relatively simple to notably luxurious. Strong early sales made the range an important success for Chrysler Europe. After PSA took over Chrysler’s European operations, the cars were facelifted and renamed Talbot 1510/Alpine, while the four-door Solara saloon was added. Production continued until 1986.