The Chrysler 2 liter is the story of the car that lacked personality and never found its place on the market.
Simca (Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile) was a French car brand. It all started in 1934, the first cars were mostly license-produced models from Fiat. After the war, earlier models were continued. It was not until 1951 that Aronde arrived, which was the first self-developed model. Aronde was an immediate sales success. Another important step forward was the takeover of Ford's factory in France. Now Simca got larger passenger cars into the range. The models were formerly Ford Vedette which changed their name to Simca. A small stern engine car (Simca 1000) was introduced in 1962. It became very popular and was in production until 1978. The Aronde was replaced by the 1300/1500 in 1963 and the series was produced with upgrades until 1976. The new trend of transverse engine, Simca followed up with the 1100 in 1968. The Simca 1307/1308 (a completely new model) was named car of the year in 1976. In 1970, the factory changed its name to Chrysler France and the cars were profiled with Chrysler's logo. To confuse customers, the cars were marketed as Chrysler, Simca and Talbot.
More of everything
The Chrysler 2 liter was launched in 1973 as a top model. It was a further development of the model series 160/180 which came on the market in 1970. On this model there was more equipment and luxury than on the more affordable 160/180 models. With this model, Chrysler wanted to reach European car buyers with high demands and expectations for their new car. Here was everything that many would expect from a European luxury car. Automatic transmission was standard along with many other details that would tempt those looking for a well-equipped car. The factory put a nice and luxurious interior in this top model. The seats were either upholstered in leather or velor. The doors were upholstered in the same exclusive fabric as the seats. On the instrument panel there was both a tachometer and plenty of warning lights. The factory believed that luxury and engine power should be good selling points.
But this was not enough to tempt those who were going to buy a car. The 2 liter model went out of production in France already in 1976, but a limited production continued in Spain for a few years.
Facts Chrysler 2 liter
Length: 453 cm
Width: 173 cm
Height: 144 cm
Top speed: 170 km/h
Engine: 1981 ccm, 110 hp
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Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.
