The Simca Alvorada was a stripped version of the

Simca Chambord The Simca Vedette is a large car, manufactured from 1954 to 1961 by French automaker Simca, at their factory in Poissy, France. The Vedette competed in France's large car market at a time when the economy was finally returning to growth, and en ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

, the first model to be built by Simca do Brasil. The Chambord, which was a direct copy of the French built

Simca Vedette The Simca Vedette is a large car, manufactured from 1954 to 1961 by French automaker Simca, at their factory in Poissy, France. The Vedette competed in France's large car market at a time when the economy was finally returning to growth, and enj ...

, had first left the production line in March 1959 and featured an engine, 3 speed gearbox with the shifter located on the steering column and was assembled with parts imported from France. It was a large

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

, manufactured until 1969 in different versions (including the Alvorada) and styled by the Brazilian subsidiary of French

automaker The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...

Simca Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simca bo ...

at their factory in

São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of . History The city was founded by João Ramalho in 1553 an ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Alvorada - a name with a vengeance

The Simca Alvorada was a radically stripped down version based on the posh

as a result of a demand by the Brazilian government of president Juscelino Kubitcheck that every car manufacturer must offer an affordable basic version within their range. The idea was to give as many Brazilians as possible the possibility to own a car. The concept of a stripped down version of the Simca Vedette had been previously attempted in Simca's home country France, with the

Simca Ariane The Simca Ariane is a large saloon car launched in April 1957 by the French automaker Simca and manufactured in the company's factory at Poissy until 1963. Origins The plant at Poissy had been built by Ford France between 1937 and 1940, but ...

. While this was welcome news for

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...

, for example, Simca do Brasil was not exactly pleased with the idea as the brand had established itself comfortably in the luxury car sector in a way that Simca back in Europe never managed. However, despite having no plans to launch a cheap car and with no other options left, Simca do Brasil decided reluctantly to create an entry level version of their successful Simca Chambord. The Simca Alvorada appeared in 1963 with just two colours as option (grey and a faded yellow), no chrome, no trimmings and a very simple interior. As a silent protest the car was named after the place the order to create this model came from: The Palácio da Alvorada, the presidential palace in the capital Brasilia.

Production figures

* 1963 - 1964 = 378 units

References

* "Automóveis Brasileiros" by author Enio Brandenburg, FBVA,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

–

Brasil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...

*"The Automobile in South America - The Origins (

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

)" by author Álvaro Casal Tatlock, FBVA, Rio de Janeiro – Brasil *"Automóveis de São Paulo" by author Malcolm Forest, FBVA, Rio de Janeiro – Brasil {{refend

External links

/ Simca Club Brazil
Alvorado Cars introduced in 1963