Topic: Behold the Simca Aronde!
So I picked up the Simca yesterday and brought it home, much to the delight of my neighbors. It's a 1960 Aronde "Grand Large" coupé with a fire-breathing 1300cc pushrod four, four on the tree, four-wheel drum brakes, factory front and rear sway bars, and leaf and coil springs in the rear. It's got only 35,000 miles on the clock, and it hasn't run in 37 years. I think it's worthy of a place in the pantheon of the very worst crapcans.
Without further ado, some pics:
Pillarless hardtop style!
The battery appears to be nearly as large as the engine. Relocating it may change the weight distribution drastically.
Glass master cylinder reservoir (empty) and four-circuit fuse panel.
"Interesting" wiper setup.
Interior is actually in decent shape.
Body is in surprisingly good shape for a 50-year-old French car. This is probably the worst damage.
Dammit! Now the battery warranty is voided!
How thoughtful--the original owner left the original brake shoes in the trunk. Taste the asbestos!
Yellow(?!?!?) ground wire attached to body with a glorified alligator clip--even 40 years ago, this car was destined for Lemons.
No mice in here. That's a plus, then.
I wonder what the treadwear rating is on this sucker?
My favorite pic. A little scrubbing with Simple Green reveals proof that Simca's engineers (or at least the marketing men) had a sense of humor.
Edit: Sorry I linked to the thumbnails. Larger pics are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/smackela if that sort of thing excites you.