The SIMCA Concept was designed by Virgil Exner Jr. for his Master's thesis at Notre Dame. It made its debut in Road & Track magazine in the April 1959 issue.
With the help of Dual-Ghia engineer Paul Fargo, the SIMCA Concept was built on a 1950 Fiat chassis and used Simca mechanical pieces. The car was given a streamlined, finned fiberglass body fabricated by Exner, Jr. himself at the Dual-Ghia assembly plant. The car was shown by Simca to the public at the Paris International Motor Show in 1959 before being sold to a Chrysler dealer and, in 1965, was bought by Exner associate Beau Hickory. While in Hickory's care, the car was given the panoramic Opel windscreen and central cockpit arch. Hickory later sold the car, but in 1985, Mr. Hickory found the Simca Special in a state of neglect. He re-purchased the car, which by then was powered by a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder Datsun B210 engine, and began work on its restoration. The Simca Special has had a well-publicized life, being featured in Motor Trend, Vanity Fair, Men's Health, and Self among others.
In early 2005, the car was offered for sale at auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bidding reached $185,000 but was not enough to satisfy the reserve. In 2007, it returned to auction, this time on the east coast at the Kruse auction in Hershey, where it sold for $550,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.
By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2012
1957 Simca One Roadster Concept Vehicle Profiles
Recent Vehicle Additions
Related Automotive News
Barrett-Jackson to Auction Three Ford-powered Vehicles for Charity Including 'Bronco 66' First Edition, First Production 2022 Shelby GT500KR
Barrett-Jackson, The Worlds Greatest Collector Car Auctions, will continue to raise funds and awareness for charities across the country with the sale of three Ford-powered vehicles during the companys 50th anniversary celebration at WestWorld of Scottsdale,...
Offered without reserve at Worldwide's Auburn Auction, the trademark, licensing and manufacturing rights to the Cord Automobile
One of the most iconic names in American automotive history could be yours!
Offered without reserve at Worldwides Auburn Auction, the trademark, licensing and manufacturing rights to the Cord Automobile
Auburn, Indiana. May 15, 2019....
1964 Nurburgring 1000 Kilometers: Survive for One Last Victory
During the late 1950s, Richie Ginther would begin a relationship with John von Neumann and this partnership would result in one of the most dominant periods of American sportscar racing in which Ginther and Porsche would be virtually unbeatable. Nearly...
Corvette Shines in the Big Apple
All-new Corvette Stingray comes to New York City 60 years to the day after Motorama debut
2013-01-16 Sixty years ago tomorrow, spectators lined New York Citys posh Park Avenue, waiting to get a glimpse of the ground-breaking Chevrolet...
Carroll Shelby, Ford Family for More Than Half a Century
Carroll Shelby was a member of the Ford family for the better part of 60 years, producing stunning performance vehicles from concepts to production models.
He once said his energy and passion for performance products were always strongest when he was...