Closing date July issue -> May 19
Talbot 1100 GLS (Simca 1100) 5-door (1981): heritage that moves for Roland
“Simca: Tailor-made perfection!” was the slogan of Simca Netherlands at the introduction of this spacious family car. Of course, the conclusion that the Simca was the best and most affordable car you could buy was perhaps a little biased, but to confirm this, reference was made to the judgment of eight expert automotive journalists regarding engine performance, comfort, and versatility. A French car magazine awarded the highest score for handling, fuel consumption, and range after a 4500-kilometer test. At that time, there were no fewer than 300 friendly dealers to successfully market the Simca. They guaranteed quality and service.
The history
In 1981, the car was purchased new by a man who was already 74 years old at the time. To him, the car was astonishingly versatile: an extra door, almost a small truck because you could fold down the backrest to create a cargo floor, or perhaps the chance to take a quick nap by reclining the front seat. This feisty mile-eater with a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour still proves that versatility today.
The last known owner was a perfectionist. Everything with the car is complete: booklets and even the original brochures have been preserved. The photos clearly show that the French “voiture” was cherished. Technically, it is in excellent order, with a smooth-shifting automatic transmission. So yes: “custom-made perfection”.
Why Talbot and not a Simca?
When PSA, Peugeot-CitroënWhen , took over Simca in the late 70s, they reverted to the historic name Talbot, a name change that ultimately proved unsuccessful. The license plate therefore reads: “Talbot-Type Simca 1100 GLS”.
Hobby car
The new owner of this genuine 5-door hatchback from the 80s can fully enjoy the passion for classics and share it with others. According to the submitter, this results in many thumbs-up, approving comments, and countless photo opportunities along the way. The wish of the last owner is therefore that the car be cherished, so that the history of Simca continues to live on for a very long time.
“The great adventure” can begin when you visit the website: www.canddautos.nl.
Cheerful, vibrant colors
You can see them not only in these photos, but also monthly in our magazine. Auto Motor KlassiekWe would like to entice you into a Subscription, so that you can enjoy the stories in the monthly magazine for enthusiasts of youngtimers, classics, and vintage cars on two or four wheels. You will find daily news on the website and extensive reports, food for the automotive heart, for 49,50 per year, in the magazine itself.
Talbot 1100 GLS: read more
For those who haven't finished reading about the Talbot 1100 GLS yet: these are logical follow-ups.
More photos follow below.
My First Car 1987.
My father worked for the PTT for years, and they drove these in the delivery van version there.
Later they got, among others: Renault, VW, Ford, etc., but my father always said the Simcas drove the very best..
I have owned this car for 23 years; I know the car inside and out.
That automatic transmission is what makes it special to me; most of them have long since disappeared or been wrecked. So I can understand why someone took good care of this one.
We used to have a Simca in the family, and there was always some fuss about it, especially the rust. But fair is fair, if one has been preserved like this, I do understand the charm.
In 1976, I had a new so-called “beautiful Elix” (LX) version, light yellow with new factory stripes on the flanks.
Nice little car with nice upholstery. After three damages that were not my fault, I traded it in.
My father also drove a Simca, the 1000, the 1100, and later a Talbot 1510. I often went along to garage (Henk) van Rijssen in Heerde, where I got a Saturday job at the age of 14, polishing cars and operating the pump.
When I was 18, Henk gave me a tip about a bronze-colored Simca 1100 Ti. At just 6 years old, it was already rusted through in several places, but it ran like a dream.
Back then, the roads were quiet in the evenings, and because I was proud of my first car and driver's license, I would just go for a drive after dinner for fun. I got caught by a speed camera on the A50 near Heerde at 138 km/h, and that photo is still hanging framed on the wall. Recently, I started driving French cars again; I recently have the “Citroen Bought the "BX from Lage Vuursche", a familiar story on Tintenet. Despite standing still for 10 years, it is virtually rust-free and super economical at 1:18,5, and I wasn't even looking for one.
Fond memories of the 4 Simca 1100s I owned, and of my time at Garage van Rijssen in Heerde.
Popular model in the early 70s. The engine sounded like it had clocked a million kilometers right from new, but it kept running.
My grandpa had one like that too... it was a gold-colored Simca 1100 Station Wagon... he used it to conduct his gas cylinder business in the neighborhood. They only drove to the coast when the weather was nice. And if it happened to rain... it was driven into the garage ASAP to dry! I inherited it, and when I had an accident with it, the costs for the other car were considerable... the entire trunk was wrecked, whereas with the Simca, only a leaky radiator...
Some photos
SIMCA is based on the "nom historique", Talbot is a brand of SIMCA with a rachetée….. the name of the cette voiture in France is the Simca 1100 and the use of the car radio is part of the car radio.
After the Simca 1000, my father bought an 1100—actually, I should say two—at Garage Roon in Schiedam. The first one was a total loss after a collision with a tram. He was trying to turn around on the Rotterdamsedijk in Schiedam but overlooked the tram. The first one was a beautiful green one; the second was yellow. After this, it was over with Simca; he opted for Ford.
Father bought one himself. And brand new at that!
Admittedly not the GLS, but an 1100 Special. The 1300cc engine was lively with its 75 horsepower under the hood. Shifting was manual with a 4-speed gearbox. Fred van der Vlugt's claim that he tried to imitate a diesel on a cold start makes no sense. It started and was simply quiet.
The color of the fine car was white. The comfort was amazing. However, it had a 'minor flaw'. Something was vibrating in the dashboard. And that little sound was truly maddening. The garage just couldn't find it. And so Father decided to conduct the search himself. Well, it turned out to have been put together haphazardly. After carefully dismantling the dashboard, we arrived at the heating radiator. It turned out there was a small cable lying on it, happily bouncing and vibrating on that radiator.
The insulation was almost through. The wire was neatly insulated and just as neatly secured in the place where it belonged. Other potentially vibrating parts were also tightened a bit more. And then it was time to reassemble the dashboard, paying extra attention to any potential vibrations or 'cracking' of parts. The result was impressive. Nothing vibrated anymore, and the car was a joy to drive. I have fond memories of that fine Simca 1100 Special.
Driveed it with pleasure for years, later in the Talbot version as a station wagon (Tourist).
Nice and simple and no fuss.
It's a shame they were prone to rust.
What a nice, quirky little car. My uncle used to have a TI, good memories of it!
That 1100 was quite ahead of its time with that fifth door and flat load floor. Only that top speed of 100 km/h sounds very modest, but as a hobby car, that naturally doesn't matter much.
According to Autoweek, the top speed is 152 km/h.
I also thought it was strange when I read that his top speed was 100 km/h.
Thank you for the additional information.
I will never forget the reaction of automotive journalist Fred van der Vlugt during the so-called cold start: This is the first petrol engine that attempts to imitate the sound of a diesel. Otherwise, a fine survivor, because oh boy were those things extremely prone to rust!
That was certainly a survivor; things could rot really badly, I know from experience at the time.
Quite a few sections inserted during that time…
Pushrod block never broke…
It's certainly not a race car, but 100 km/h is really meager; it should be 152, and a large tailgate is also quite a bit more than just an extra door.
I thought 100 km/h was weird too, indeed.
Thanks for the information.
You really don't come across them like that very often anymore, certainly not with all that paperwork on top of it.
And it just so happened that I was the proud wife of the owner. The seats were amazing, we took lovely rides together, and saw a lot of Overijssel and Friesland.