'72 SIMCA 1000GLS

Ah yes, the R8 Gordini. The car that led Chrysler/SIMCA to launch the Rallye versions of the SIMCA 1000. In the early '70s Renault were going front wheel drive and the R8 & 10 were on their way out. Simca saw the gap in the market for sporty versions of a cheap rear engined saloon. .. Hence the 50ish bhp Rally, 60bhp Rallye 1, 82bhp Rallye 2 and 103bhp Rallye 3 up to '78...when new owners Peugeot killed off the rear engined SIMCAs. Here's my ex 'Youngtimer Trophy' racecar in action with its original German owner at Hockenheim in 2005. There's an R8 Gordini in there along with the orange SIMCA racer. Other Photo is me with the racer at Chesterfield Motorfest August 2019 on our SIMCA Club UK stand by the Town Hall. Will have the 1000 Rallye 2 and Brother Kev's 1200S Bertone coupe among the cars on display in the market place tomorrow.

Intend to get back to this during this lockdown. It's too cold for work on the pickup which is in bits on the drive. Have checked all the info I have on SIMCA clutches and have now confirmed I'd fitted an earlier type centre plate that is too thick for the original cover assembly to release. So it's a case of making room in the garage to remove the engine again. The one that was in wasn't worn out at just 19000 miles but I fitted the new plate just to be 'safe'.... so much for that!!

Mark-1602 I've got a SIMCA pickup as well as this. There's a thread on here on the rebuild of that '84 SIMCA-Talbot 1100 pickup. Yes, the rear turrets were the rust trap of the century.
I've raced the rear engined SIMCAS in various classic saloon circuit race series and the big arched wings are from one i raced in sprints & hillclimbs and 'classic Thunder' circuit racing. Engine wise, the 1118cc engine in this turned out low 50s bhp on the original single Solex carb. It's only done 19,000 miles, so, for the time being I'm sticking with bolt on mods... The 40DCOE Weber and the 4 branch exhaust which should push things well into the 60s. For real power I've already got a factory spec SIMCA 1000 Rallye 2,which came with a 1294 engine on twin twin choke sidedraught Solex 35PHH carbs giving 82 bhp and the orange ex 'Youngtimer trophy' racer (in photos above) that turns out 130bhp on twin 40DCOES and wild cam etc... sheer fun!!!
The interior was black including the headlining (as on the 'Rallye' models) and I have a couple of old corbeau bucket seats for it. May also replace the strip speedo dash with one I have from a SIMCA 1000 Rallye with the round instruments (photo of that type of dash in my Rallye 2).
In the latest issue of 'Practical Performance Car' mag. January 2021 there's a 7 page article and loads of photos on my years of racing SIMCAS.

Finally sorted things out in garage so I can get the engine out to do the clutch and finish the bodywork on the O/S.

zeb glad you enjoyed reminiscing about SIMCAs. We (my brother and I) got into them in the early '80s basically because they were so cheap then. Yes rust was always a problem but no worse than the rotten Triumphs and Fords we'd been into before. My pickup is off the road at present for a bit more welding. When I take the cars to shows/trackdays young lads ask me where they can get one from?? Answer is, most have either rotted away or are with folk like us who aren't parting with them... or go on the Continent where, particularly the 1000 Rallye models go for big money, attracting a serious 'scene tax'. There's a video taken from the passenger seat of the orange Rallye 2 racecar going up Shelsley Walsh Hill at Retro Rides Gathering 2016. will look it out..

Excellent!!