The Simca 1300 and Simca 1500 were large family cars built at Poissy from 1963 to 1966, sharing one body with either a 1.3-litre or a 1.5-litre engine. They replaced the long-running Simca Aronde and were modernised in 1966 as the 1301 and 1501.
Simca 1300/1500 at a glance
| Production | 1963–1966 |
|---|---|
| Bodies | four-door saloon; estate from 1964 (1500) and 1965 (1300) |
| Engines | 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre four-cylinders |
| 1300 grille | nine horizontal and three vertical bars |
| 1500 grille | eleven horizontal bars |
| Gearbox | column shift for left-hand drive, floor shift for right-hand drive |
| Estate tailgate | split, with the rear window winding down into the lower half |
| 1500 GL estate | load floor converts into a picnic table on four folding legs |
| 1500 Familial | two facing child seats in the load area and a roof luggage rack |
| 1500 GLA | automatic, at first in metallic brown only |
| Carpets | deep red in every car |
| Replaced by | Simca 1301/1501, October 1966 |
This article is based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Simca 1300/1500.
History of the Simca 1300/1500
Replacing the Aronde
The 1300 and 1500 were essentially the same car with 1.3-litre or 1.5-litre engines, hence the names. Apart from the engines and standard equipment the two were largely identical, with small styling differences such as the grille and bumpers: the 1300 had nine horizontal and three vertical bars, while the 1500 had eleven horizontal bars only. The range replaced the popular, long-running Simca Aronde and was at first available only as a four-door saloon, but in 1964 the 1500 gained an estate and the 1300 followed in 1965.
The estates
The estate versions had some unusual features. All had split tailgates: the rear window wound down into the lower part, which could then be folded down, so the load area could be reached without opening the whole tailgate. The penalty was that a rear window heater could never be fitted to an estate. In the 1500 GL the load floor, which doubled as the cover for the spare wheel stowed flat beneath it, could be lifted out and, thanks to four folding legs, turned into a picnic table. A 1500 Familial version carried two child seats facing each other in the load compartment and a luggage rack on the roof.
Quirks
Left-hand-drive cars came with a column gear shift, but right-hand-drive versions were converted to a floor shift, and the conversion produced a mirrored gate in which first and second were closer to the driver and third and fourth farther to the left. The 1500 GLA, initially the only model with automatic transmission, was at first offered only in metallic brown, whatever the buyer wanted, and the interior carpets were deep red regardless of the exterior colour.
On screen
The 1300 and 1500 appear throughout Jacques Tati’s film Playtime, where the director used the same cars in dark and grey colours as a visual cue for the uniformity of modern life in his fictional Paris. The range was modernised in October 1966, when the 1301 and 1501 took over the same engines and mechanical parts with facelifted bodies.
Design and features
- One car, two engines: the 1300 and 1500 differed mainly in engine size and trim.
- Split tailgate: the estate’s rear window wound down into the lower half, which folded flat.
- Picnic table: the 1500 GL estate’s load floor had four folding legs.
- Family version: the 1500 Familial had two facing child seats and a roof rack.
Simca 1300/1500 versions
- 1300 saloon (1963): 1.3-litre engine, four doors.
- 1500 saloon (1963): 1.5-litre engine and a different grille.
- 1500 estate (1964): the first estate in the range, with the split tailgate.
- 1300 estate (1965): the smaller-engined estate.
- 1500 Familial: estate with two facing child seats and a roof luggage rack.
- 1500 GLA: automatic transmission, at first in metallic brown only.
The 1300 and 1500 replaced the Simca Aronde and were replaced in 1966 by the Simca 1301/1501, which in turn gave way to the Simca 1307/1308. More cars are in the Simca collection.
Sources
- Simca 1300/1500, English Wikipedia: engines, grilles, estates, gearbox, film appearance
