Miguel Sánchez
Today, the large numbers hardly leave room for the existence of small manufacturers. However, during the fifties it was still common to find independent sports trainers. Of course, based on popular models produced by massive brands. Brands with which, often, a stable relationship could be maintained in terms of supplies. Thus, Jean Rédélé chose Renault as a supplier of chassis and mechanics even before founding Alpine in 1955. In fact, the collaboration between both companies was so close that, in 1973, the diamond house finally ended up absorbing the sports manufacturer. A story very similar to the one carried out in Italy by Abarth and FIAT.
And it is that, not in vain, this type of synergies were very profitable for both parties. Let's see. For one thing, independent tuners filled the need for engines and other parts that they couldn't make themselves. Extremely expensive parts in their design and production, whose existence it was only possible thanks to complex logistics supported by the world of big finance. And on the other, the general brands outsourced the development and manufacture of small sports cars with which to feed their image in the races. That is to say, while the smaller part made clear the necessary supply of parts, the large one improved its brand image without hardly having to spend money on expensive competition departments.
A rather clever formula that, in the case of France, was also followed by SIMCA. Not only supporting the teams that used the SIMCA 8 as the basis for their barquettes, but also working with Abarth in order to present sports derivatives of the SIMCA 1000. Thus, one might think that Citroën participated in this phenomenon as well. However, it was not. In fact, Until the XNUMXs, the brand hardly showed official interest in manufacturing performance versions of its touring models.. Even less to enter the competition. Thus, when the young engineer Guy Mismaque presented his Squal in 1960, he did not get any reaction in the chevron mark. Another setback in the long history of this peculiar – and light – French sports car.
GUY MISMAQUE AND PAUL GUITTON, A CASUAL ENCOUNTER
When Mismaque visited the Paris Salon in 1956, he was barely a kid. In fact, he had not yet completed his military service or finished his engineering studies. However, he was perfectly clear how he wanted to make his own sports car. Small, light, with a tubular chassis, fiberglass bodywork and a not necessarily expensive engine. Something, by the way, very much in line with Colin Chapman and other small British manufacturers. Covered in the rise of fiberglass and the supply of engines by Coventry and Ford.
At this point, Mismaque's confidence in his approaches led him to strike up a conversation with Paul Guitton. Designer of Brissonneau et Lotz, he was in that room presenting a small convertible based on the Renault 4CV. First automobile part of that railway company which, at the same time, would end up assembling the Renault Floride/Caravelle and even manufacturing the bodywork for the Opel GT. Engaged in a lively exchange of ideas, Mismaque and Guitton struck up a friendship and an interest in seeing where the new sports car idea would end up.
On this basis, although Mismaque passed through Algeria -probably fulfilling his military service- and Guitton even traveled to Australia for work, they did not stop maintaining an active correspondence in which they shared ideas related to the project. A project that was progressing at a good pace, having for 1958 both elaborate plans and a 1:10 scale model of what was going to be the Coupe Sport Mismaque. In addition, its design evolved to become increasingly compact and lightweight. All this under aerodynamic lines tuned with more intuition than hours in the wind tunnel.
FINANCING PROBLEMS ARRIVE
Unfortunately, we have not been able to access all the correspondence between the two designers. However, we do know that at times it was on the table to make a rigid bodywork that was only practicable in the partition that was to close the passenger compartment. Yet another among the many innovative details that orbited the Coupe Sport Mismaque. Finished off with rear wings inspired by those of Franco Scaglione's Alfa Romeo BAT. Surely not very effective when it comes to downforce. But they are notoriously useful at high speeds, directing the airflow to move the center of pressure back, thus improving stability.
And well, speaking of speed obviously we have to talk about the engine. In this sense, Mismaque resorted to the popular 2CV as a mechanical base for its creation. And there was no more. After all, the ingenuity of the project was not matched by minimally solvent financing. Namely, behind Mismaque there was no one. It was a completely individual initiative, coming from a young man with no serious contacts in the automobile industry. Of course, far from wanting to produce a simple workshop whim, this designer seriously contemplated the idea of marketing.
Something really risky, because it did not even have a suitable workshop for mass production. In any case, taking the engine, transmission, steering, brakes and parts of the suspension from the 2CV 425, Mismaque finally had its first complete design in 1959. At this point, contacted the fiberglass specialist Jean-Pierre Gouiran. A man who, over time, made the bodywork for the interesting CD-GRAC for Le Mans 1965. However, although at last everything seems to materialize, the financial problems reappear. What's more, Mismaque can't pay Gouiran for the job, so he keeps the body of what was to be the first Coupe Sport. In fact, to this day it is not known if that unit was finally completed behind the back of its creator.
THE SQUAL AND FLIRTING WITH SIMCA
For 1960 the Coupe Sport Mismaque project seems to be dead. However, that same year the designer himself managed to independently complete the first unit of the same. Which, in a precious gesture of gratitude, he gives to his friend Guitton who has helped him so much with his correspondence for four years. In addition, when the project finally materializes, he realizes something truly interesting. And it is that, while on the drawing board I thought that the car would deliver about 350 kilos on the scale, it finally marked only 306. Leaving aside the low power of the 425cc engine -12CV is what it yielded in the Citroën technical sheet-, we are talking about a vehicle with nerve thanks to being a true featherweight.
Thus, Guitton had a plausible idea thanks to his contacts in SIMCA. Why not present the project to the brand as a sports car thanks to which to stand up to the 1957 Lotus Elite? At the end of the day, with a mechanic to match, we would be talking about a very refined model. Based on a tubular chassis, bodywork in fiberglass, visually striking and also much lighter than the already concise Lotus with its 503 kilos. At this point, in 1960 the possibility of incorporating SIMCA Aronde engines was worked on. Thanks to them, we would have seen a somewhat less powerful model than the Lotus but much lighter.
However, a massive brand like SIMCA was not interested in covering small market niches. What's more, at that time all his attention was focused on the imminent launch of the SIMCA 1000. In this way, Mismaque saw the possibilities of mass-producing his model definitively moving away. Now renamed Squal in reference to the flowing squalor shape featured by his bodywork. Shorter and obviously much lower than that of a 2CV. From here on, the data on the different evolutions of the model become increasingly confusing. In fact, it is not even very well known how many units were finally assembled, although most sources point to four.
What we do know is that in 1961, together with Germain Lambert - a historic French mechanic who came to assemble his own short-run models - he completed a unit with a Simca engine and suspension. Surely the best known by fans of the history of Mismaque. Since it has been seen in many concentrations wearing its French blue covered by a longitudinal white stripe. Also, thanks to the Californian event The Quail, this design has come back to the fore after presenting the restoration of a unit lost for decades. Undoubtedly an excellent enhancement for what is possibly one of the most interesting independent designs in the entire history of French motoring.
Photographs: Unai Ona
