Description
A superbly preserved and maintained 1968 Simca 1200 S Coupé Bertone; a very rare car indeed, only 14, 000 units were produced between 1967 and 1971, of which only a few hundred living examples remain in the register. The Simca 1200 S is a classic 2+2 coupé designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, where its bodywork was also assembled and shipped from Turin to the Simca factory in Poissy, France. The car was powered by a powerful 1204 cm3 longitudinal rear-wheel drive engine with twin Solex C35 twin barrel carburettors, producing 85 bhp at 6, 000 rpm, which, combined with a weight of less than 900 kg, enabled it to reach 175 km/ h, which was within the reach of very few cars of the time, such as the Lancia Fulvia 1300S, the Alpine A110-1300 or the Alfa Romeo GT Junior.
The interior, designed by Paolo Martin (Pininfarina), is very sporty and elegant, with a dashboard featuring three large wooden Jaeger clocks, and even in early units like this one with the solid wood and aluminium steering wheel. The car is also fitted with a Becker Europa car radio and beautiful Cromodora magnesium wheels, model CD26 designed for this car. The car was registered in Zurich by a Spanish emigrant in Switzerland, who brought it back to Spain in 1977. It has subsequently had two owners and myself since 2016. The car is completely original, it has only been repainted (in its original colour), the engine and gearbox are original ("matching numbers") and the upholstery is original.
The woodwork on the dashboard and steering wheel has been restored (using the same type of wood as the original) by hand by a cabinetmaker, the magnesium wheels decontaminated and sealed, the engine (cylinder head, valves, seats) adapted for unleaded petrol, fitted with electronic ignition, an OMP manifold, and the electrical system redone, plus the many other exhaustive maintenance jobs on a 57-year-old car, which I've been keeping track of for 31 years, with tens of thousands of euros invested.
Everything in the car works perfectly, it can make journeys without any problems, and it has in fact been used several times in recent years for regularity tests of classic cars. This is a very striking car because of its beautiful design, its rarity, its condition and its spectacular sound, an absolutely exclusive classic car in magnificent condition.
