Haute couture coupé: the stylish charms of the Simca 8

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Yes, it’s probably a colourised photograph and taken only just before the War, but we couldn’t resist showing this delightful picture, which we think, surely, must have been taken for a women’s magazine?

The woman seems to be the centre of attention here, and so she should be, being so elegantly attired, as we are told in a dress by Hermès. The handbag, hat and gloves are likely from that same Parisian couturier, but we are not ladies' fashion experts. What about the car, then? Being French, it must be Simca—a Fiat built under licence—and we believe it to be an 8 coupé of 1938 or '39.

Launched in October, 1938, the 8 coupé was closely related to the Fiat 508C, a big brother to the famous Topolino, Simca's two-seat version had just a little more style, with a free-flowing shape and a spare wheel neatly fashioned into the smoothly-sculpted rear end. Tuner Amédée Gordini applied his magic to a few of them, some of which raced at Montlhéry, but the tiny coupé really seemed more suitable for the fashionable ladies of downtown Paris and the Bois de Boulogne.

Unlike Simca, Hermès is still in business and has in fact been involved with a number of limited-edition cars recently, all of them being supposedly "coachbuilt" by the Hermès Sur-Mesure division: the bespoke programme that will customise your car, private jet, et cetera… “Go discreet but strong and don’t overdo it,” said spokesman Axel de Beaufort recently. We’re not really sure that he followed his own advice, looking at the McLaren Speedtail, Bugatti Chiron and Pagani Huayra that Beaufort and his team have presented. We’d go for the humble Simca anytime.

Words: Jeroen Booij
Picture: source unknown

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