SIMCA Océane – 1960

Lot 7
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Estimation :
30000 - 50000 EUR
SIMCA Océane – 1960
Serial number : 1755144 The Simca brand, initially Fiat France, was created by Henri PIGOZZI, who succeeded in making it a brand rivaling Peugeot and Citroën. The master stroke is to absorb Ford France in 1954 and develop luxury cars inspired by the USA. Next to the 8-cylinder Versailles and others, inspired by the Thunderbird, Pigozzi had the Océane and the "Plein Ciel" coupe made to sell to the most beautiful women in Paris, as he put it. He promotes this cabriolet by presenting it at the Galeries Lafayette on the theme: "Women and the car" with the film stars Brigitte Bardot and Jean Seberg, the car is on the front page of the major magazines. The Océane revolutionizes with its panoramic windshield, its fluid line; it results from the association with Daninos, since the Océane is manufactured in the FACEL VEGA factory in Nanterre and not in Poissy; thus the Océane is the illustration of French luxury, as desired by PIGOZZI and DANINOS. Unfortunately the commercial success did not follow, too expensive, the Océane will be produced only to 1200 copies from 1957 to 1962. It has undergone various aesthetic and mechanical evolutions with the Flash Special 57hp engine, then the Rush Super 62hp engine which equips our car. The Océane convertible is a car designed for pleasure and easy to drive for a classic woman, it is not a spartan sports car. Few such convertibles have come down to us, most of them destroyed or abandoned in a state of wreckage; the car presented here comes from an estate in the region, if it has been looked after, it has not been driven for two years and needs a slight overhaul. It had been acquired 14 years ago by our collector, for summer outings in the Lot and the Tarn. The registration document established in 2007 is marked Talbot (Simca having become Talbot)! The legend associates this car with Brigitte Bardot; which cannot be proved, BB having made photos for the promotion at the request of PIGOZZI, but certainly with a similar Océane if not this one, we cannot affirm it. Like the French convertibles of the 50s and 60s, very rare and especially in good condition, the Océane has a rising value in France and worldwide.
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