Simca Aronde Plein Ciel: the sky is the limit

By Martin Buckley

| 6 Jan 2026

Classic & Sports Car – Simca Aronde Plein Ciel: the sky is the limit

Some cars are fine three-course meals, giving gastronomic, physical and even spiritual sustenance at every sitting.

Others are stylish little entrées or canapés: a pleasure to look at, very tasty and they go down a treat, but in the end they are hors d’oeuvres – insubstantial and forgettable.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel, styled and built by Facel Vega, is a superb example of the latter.

That is not to denigrate this beautiful little car, but rather to put it in context.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel is a coupé, but an expansive glass area floods the cabin with light

Here is a perfect coming together of French and American sensibilities in a tiny luxury 2+2 coupé that was built purely and simply to look chic for a few seasons of glamour.

As a snapshot of a time and place in French automotive history, it melts perfectly on the tongue – or at least it does once you understand the reasoning behind it.

Few people today remember Simca. Headed by Turin-born Henri Théodore Pigozzi, it had emerged in 1934 building Fiats under licence in France.

The achingly pretty Aronde Plein Ciel raised Simca’s profile – and its charm remains undiminished

With the 1951 Aronde, however, it had begun to show its ability to manufacture cars with their own particular feel.

They still tended to shadow, at least technically, what was going on in Turin, but in the case of the Aronde, the French had produced something better.

In the domestic marketplace, Simcas of the 1950s and ’60s bridged the divide between the stolid worthiness of Peugeot and the technological sophistication of Citroën, with vigorous, deceptively simple and mechanically conventional but otherwise well resolved front-engined, rear-drive cars that offered a modish charm and a great deal of variety.

‘These were useful, profile-raising glamour cars for Simca, but, at a price twice that of an Aronde saloon, they were never big sellers’

They were also well made and dependable, imaginatively marketed and hugely popular.

More than a million Arondes were sold in the model’s original form, making Simca France’s largest privately owned car maker at the time.

The number of Aronde variants and sub-variants makes the head spin, but for the purposes of this account we can say that the Aronde (it’s French for ‘swallow’, as in the bird) was the first original Simca design, and its first unibody car.

The model was built in three generations, spanning 1951-’64, and to the tune of 1.4m examples: saloons, hardtop coupés, cabriolets, station wagons, pick-ups and vans.

The Simca’s doors demand care because there is no rubber buffer between them and the three-quarter window glass

The initial 100,000 had been sold by 1953 and, even hobbled by import duty, Simcas were well received in the UK, thanks to their credibility being boosted by a variety of successful and publicity-generating record runs.

The story of the 1957-’62 Plein Ciel coupé and Oceane convertible begins with the 1948 Simca Sport, based on the little Simca 8 but with a mildly tuned engine.

Pigozzi had shipped an 8 to Turin in 1948 to be rebodied by Stabilimenti Farina (a smaller coachbuilding firm, run by the nephews of Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina) in a cabriolet shape that was committed to paper by the prolific Giovanni Michelotti.

Gianni Agnelli of Fiat encouraged his friends Jean Daninos of Facel and Pigozzi to join forces on the project.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel makes 57bhp from its ‘Flash Spécial’ pushrod ‘four’

Facel-Métallon at Amboise would press the bonnets and wings for the Sport, which was produced as a coupé and a convertible, in aluminium and build up the rest of the body out of a mixture of steel and alloy fabrications for the door pillars, sills and scuttle.

All of this would take place on a Simca chassis that had been modified to accept the special coachwork.

The cars were entirely assembled, painted, equipped and finished by Facel at its Colombes and Dreux facilities before being delivered to Simca at Nanterre.

The Sport was improved gradually over the years to keep pace mechanically with Simca’s mainstream saloons.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s undeniably pretty lines give it a big-car look, despite its dimensions

It received the 1221cc engine of the new Simca 8 in 1949, tuned to produce 49bhp, and with it a stiffened chassis; a one-piece ’screen for the coupé was available from April 1950.

Although it was never meant to be anything more than a stylish gadabout for the boulevard, the Sport did achieve some competition success, winning its class and third overall in the 1951 Rallye Monte-Carlo.

It became the Simca 9 from April 1952, when it at last gained the uprated engine of the Aronde and, in coupé form, it was now a monocoque.

At this point, the convertible was dropped – Facel was having trouble making the unitary body stiff enough to go topless.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s circular speedometer houses other dials and gauges

In 1953 a ‘new-look’ version of the Simca Sport was announced, with debonair styling that gave it considerable visual appeal.

Pigozzi was particularly keen on this aspect of the car’s marketing, and talked of selling them to “the most beautiful women in Paris”.

Indeed, for publicity purposes, he gave his cars to starlets such as Brigitte Bardot – among others – in which to bomb around town.

The smooth, rounded styling of the 1953 Simca Sport was strongly reminiscent of the yet-to-be-seen Facel Vega.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s elegant glovebox script

It was slow and expensive, but most buyers didn’t mind – Simca was aware of its shortcomings and, to redress the balance, the model was renamed the Coupe de Ville in October 1954, reducing the price and simplifying the specification at the same time.

The Weekend convertible version joined the Coupe de Ville in 1955 but was destined to be short-lived, replaced in 1957 by the Oceane (convertible) and Plein Ciel (‘Open Sky’ coupé), with sharper body lines and Facel Vega-like wraparound windscreens.

These were useful, profile-raising glamour cars for Simca: much cheaper than the Citroën DS Décapotable, the Ocean convertible was one of the very few French-built open-top cars on the market at the time.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s tailfins suggest some inspiration from across the Atlantic

At a price twice that of a basic Aronde saloon, these semi-coachbuilt Simcas were never big sellers. A few came to the UK, but at £1519 in 1958 they were not flying out of the showrooms.

They were built at the rate of eight to 10 cars per day and, including earlier models, total Facel Simca production was 20,196.

I’ve seen a figure of 11,560 Oceane/Plein Ciels built, which feels about right.

Technically they kept pace with the Aronde in 90A and F60 form, gaining progressively more powerful engines, although the trim on later versions was simplified to keep prices down.

‘There is something very un-French about the firm springs and resilient damping, yet it doesn’t ride uncomfortably’

The first cars had the 57bhp version of the 1288cc ‘Flash Spécial’ pushrod engine, with five main bearings, from 1960, but always with a column change and synchromesh on second, third and top gears.

There was a revised front grille in 1959, and the ‘Rush Super M’ engine fitted to later cars got its 70bhp mainly from an increased compression ratio that came with rapidly improving petrol.

Julie Lambert has owned her delightful black Aronde Plein Ciel for 34 years.

It is presented in a condition worthy of a Pebble Beach-eligible Ferrari, and even our usually unfazed snapper, Max, is instantly taken with it.

Julie Lambert’s passion has led to the superb renovation of this rare Simca Aronde Plein Ciel

“I saw the Simca advertised quite near me in a normal car dealership in Havant,” says Julie.

“I had grown up with two brothers who are into cars, and they looked at it with me.

“It was gunmetal grey, but originally black, and in my mind I always wanted to put it back to the original colour.”

It has been restored (for the second time) for about four years now. Julie adds: “Bells Auto Service in Hampshire did the body – they do a lot of Triumph Stags – and did a lovely job; my brother’s company did the rest of it.”

Owner Julie spent years tracking down parts for her rare Simca

Julie would like to fit a new exhaust system and replace the missing chrome trim that goes around the bonnet’s edge.

“I’ve found a Simca radio,” she says, “and some Robergel bolt-on wire wheels, but they need rechroming.

“It wasn’t too bad when I bought it. The sills had gone, and it was leaking around the ’screen – you couldn’t get the rubber seals back then. The rear ’screen was as bad as the front, too.

“We rebuilt the engine with new pistons and it’s now got a higher top in the gearbox for motorway use. I drove it around for a few years while it was gunmetal, and it was very reliable.

“It’s a 1958 car, although we found a carpet in it that’s dated November 1957.”

The Simca’s column shifter sits behind the large steering wheel

In Julie’s opinion, the 1957 and ’58 cars are the prettiest: “In 1959 they changed the grille and gave it bigger bumpers and put on a ‘Simca’ rather than ‘Aronde’ badge. They even changed the shape of the windscreen.”

The smart and beautifully proportioned Plein Ciel looks even better in the metal than it does in photographs: part Facel Vega, part Ford Thunderbird, but with a compact, well-groomed feel of its own that can only have cut an impressive dash on the streets of late-1950s/early-’60s Paris.

It does not give the impression of being a small car, and the long tail houses a large boot.

The Simca Aronde’s wide seats have backrest adjustment

The domed canopy is almost all glass, so you can see the reasoning behind the ‘Open Sky’ nomenclature.

The dog-leg wraparound on the ’screen looks perfect for a knee-capping, but you have to be even more careful not to slam the doors because there is no rubber buffer between the door and three-quarter window glass.

The seats are quite substantial, almost like something out of a Rover of the period, and have backrest adjustment – a rare thing even on many more expensive cars at the time.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s drum brakes provide excellent stopping power

The highly styled dashboard sweeps in a long curve between the doors with just a solitary circular speedometer housing the various main-beam/charging lights, and fuel and temperature gauges.

It is simple yet manages not to look austere.

The large steering wheel has a vulnerable-looking half-ring horn (town and country horns were standard), along with chromed spokes and a red rim to match the interior trim.

Most of the important electrical functions are on column switches.

This Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s engine has had new pistons

At normal speeds, the steering is not heavy and it feels firmly accurate without being nervous, only really loading up on tight, slow corners.

Even on its crossply tyres you are not conscious of having to keep the Simca on the straight and narrow, but Julie is thinking in terms of period radials at some point.

The engine is quiet at low speeds, but you can sense that it only has four cylinders once it is pulling freely in the well-plotted ratios via the column shift.

First is low and ‘crash’, but the rest are silent in a wide, slightly stiff gate to which it is easy to attune.

The Simca Aronde Plein Ciel’s lavish headlining

The clutch is forgivingly soft and, like all the other pedals, comfortably placed.

The generously sized drum brakes are excellent in response and balance, and there is something very un-French about the Simca’s firm springs and resilient damping – yet, somehow, it doesn’t ride uncomfortably.

Given that even the tail-lights are special to the car, what about parts? “I keep meaning to join the Facel club,” says Julie, “but Dick Husband is still about in the UK, supplying Simca parts, and I was lucky that everything on the car was right when I bought it.”

No classic was ever doted on like this Simca. “It is always garaged, it never goes out in the rain, and I hardly ever let her out of my sight,” Julie admits.

“I’m thinking of going to France on an event, but I don’t want to leave the car unattended in the car park!”

Images: Max Edleston

Jean Daninos on Henri Pigozzi

French designer Jean Daninos and Simca’s Henri Pigozzi joined forces to create the Simca Aronde Plein Ciel

Jean Daninos of Facel, later to find fame as the creator of Facel Vega, once described Pigozzi thus: “Very dynamic and very authoritarian, with plenty of talent.

“Chairs used to fly about in his office! We got on very well together. I was on good terms with Gianni Agnelli also, but Pigozzi was the man in France: he was intelligent and with a clear vision, very clear.”

Daninos found Pigozzi to be “a difficult guy” at times, but rated him as “fast, and a good manager”.

It was Agnelli, one of the clients for the Cresta (the Facel-bodied MkVI Bentleys), that brought Facel and Simca together. Daninos recalled: “He called me and said why didn’t I make this sports Simca with Pigozzi? So I said ‘all right’.

“Sometime later I was in the yard at the factory at Colombes when Pigozzi arrived and said, ‘I understand Gianni told you I was coming.’ I said: ‘Yes – I’ve been expecting you for about three months!’

“Sometimes we would meet up in a nightclub,” Daninos went on. “He was always out on the town with young girls.

“He was difficult, Pigozzi, but nice. We used to go skiing together in St Moritz.”

The financial relationship between the two firms was not always smooth, either: “We had a lot of trouble getting paid by Simca. Pigozzi didn’t want to pay his bills.”

Factfile

Simca Aronde Plein Ciel

Sold/number built 1957-’62/11,560
Construction steel monocoque
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, ohv 1288cc ‘four’, single Solex carburettor
Max power 57bhp @ 4800rpm
Max torque n/a
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, coil springs; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering worm and roller
Brakes drums
Length 13ft 8in (41660mm)
Width 5ft 2in (1575mm)
Height 4ft 5in (1346mm)
Wheelbase 8ft ¼in (2445mm)
Weight 2425lb (1100kg)
0-60mph 20 secs
Top speed 87mph
Mpg 27
Price new £1500
Price now £25,000+*