Miguel Sánchez
Today's is one of those unexpected and little-known stories among all those that are cited in motorsports on the Iberian Peninsula. But let's go by parts. To begin with, the basis of the project in question was the popular SIMCA 1000. One of the models responsible for motorizing the new middle classes, which celebrated its sixtieth anniversary last 2021. Of course, his arrival in Spain had to be delayed until 1965. When Barreiros-Chrysler finally opened the assembly lines for its manufacture in Madrid. Something absolutely necessary for its massive penetration in the local market. Since at that time the import taxes applied to foreign vehicles could reach 100% of their original price.
That said, the second thing to keep in mind is that we're talking about a performance version of SIMCA 1000. And wow, the truth is that that can't be too surprising either. In the end, its own manufacturer promoted single-brand cups such as Desafío SIMCA. The place where these small utilities gave free rein to their nerve in the same way and manner that happened in the Renault Cup with the R8. And that's not all. Since the Simca 1000 was seen a lot on tracks and uphill races thanks to the Rallye/GT variant presented in 1970.
A very effective machine in the right hands, which came to yield 63CV in its most performance-oriented preparation that appeared in Spain. And 103 CV in the Rallye3 of 1977 emerged in France to be homologated in Group 1. In addition, in Spain the SIMCA 1000 was still a winning car even well into the eighties. Proof of this was the victory of Fermín Vélez in the Spanish Mountain Touring Car Championship in 1982 with its iconic SIMCA Rallye 2 Danone. And beware, because if all this were not enough, Abarth worked on the Simca 1000 creating a performance version as he had done with the FIAT 600.
Something that even led to a interesting GT derivative with a 1300cc engine and double overhead camshafts tuned by Mario Colucci himself with bodywork by Odoardo Beccari. Undoubtedly one of the most interesting sports offshoots of the SIMCA 1000, evidencing, along with all the others, how difficult it can be to be surprised by the performance developments of this model. Nevertheless, Despite these examples, there is a factor that very few expected.. The arrival of De Tomaso. Which is even more strange when you note that its upgrade to the SIMCA 1000 was produced specifically for the meager Spanish sports market. Where did all that come from?
ALEJANDRO DE TOMASO'S UNEXPECTED RELATIONSHIP WITH SPAIN
Before continuing with the article, we are going to reveal some information about its intrahistory. And it is that finding a SIMCA 1000 De Tomaso for sale has been impossible for us. In fact, we harbor our doubts about whether any unit will continue to exist today. It's more, we have never come across any at a fair or concentration. The only references have always been through specialized media. Like the time Andrés Ruiz told an anecdote about this car in his Sin Ambages ni Firuletes section of the Motor Clásico magazine or some other loose quote on the networks.
However, preparing an article on the SEAT 1400 Sports we review the recurring book on the figure of Pedro Serra written by Pablo Gimeno Valledor. Reference from which we were able to obtain more data for the understanding of the SIMCA 1000 De Tomaso, since curiously Serra was a shareholder in the consortium generated by the Argentine emigrated to Italy and the pilot Enrique Coma Cros. Main characters in Ibero Italiana de Carrocerías SA Founded in 1966 to be the representative of Ghia and De Tomaso in Spain from its office in Tuset street in Barcelona.
In any case, given Alejandro De Tomaso's brazen entrepreneurial instinct, the end of this company was not going to remain in the simple distribution of what came from Italy. Far from it, from the beginning they wanted to make their own range for Spain under the technical expertise of Coma Cros, who had accumulated quite a bit of experience at ENASA with the Pegaso Z-102. Thus, from the first moment the possibility of creating a model in the image and likeness of the By Tomaso Vallelunga. Small, light, aerodynamic and mid-engined. Something really innovative – it was one of the first production sports cars with the engine in the center, just after the Matra Djet – and in the case of Spain it would not go with the engine of the Ford Cortina, but with that of the SIMCA 1000 from Barreiros.
At this point, the business intricacies through which this adventure runs exceed the limits of this humble article. However, the truth is that Ibero Italiana de Carrocerías SA was very close to convincing Barreiros to mass-produce some 50 units per month. In fact, it is known that Eduardo Barrieros himself sent one of his managers to the Pininfarina headquarters to study the possibility of an attractive design like the one Bertone had done with the coupé derived from the French SIMCA 1000 in 1962.
Be that as it may, the truth is that Eduardo Barreiros was interested and took steps while he did not finish saying “yes”. In this way, in 1967 Ibero Italiana de Carrocerías gave up the project in what was an evident frustration. And it is that, after all, taking into account the success of the sports versions coming out of FASA and what was going to be the SIMCA Challenge itself It is not risky to think that the SIMCA 1000 De Tomaso could have been a well-selling model. However, Coma Cros and Alejandro De Tomaso still had one last word to say on the matter.
THE TOMASO SIMCA 1000 KIT
During those months in which Barreiros still seemed to be seriously interested, De Tomaso dedicated himself to developing an engine for the model starting from the original SIMCA 1000 block. In fact, he made quite a lot of effort in this regard. managing to extract 62 CV at 5.800 rpm with acceleration from 0 to 100 in 19 seconds and a maximum of 150 kilometers per hour. Not very spectacular figures for the long straights, but quite efficient when it comes to the most twisty or uphill sections. Especially if we take into account that the weight of the SIMCA 1000 De Tomaso was only 730 kilos.
With all this, the model was presented at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1967 at the same time that it had its debut in competition during the Ascent to Monserrat piloted by Coma Cros himself. In addition, the modifications included wider tires as well as the stiffening of the shock absorbers and a reduction in the height of about five centimeters. Without a doubt, the SIMCA 1000 De Tomaso was a most interesting car. Blessed by the emblem of the company that would manufacture the spectacular Mangusta on the front.
Now, beyond the technical praise, the only truth is that, without the means of Barreiros, it would never reach the series. For this reason, De Tomaso decided to sell his changes in kit form together with improved cylinder heads like Abarth did with the FIAT 600. In this way the work carried out had a commercial outlet, but only limited to 30 or 40 units. And it is that, as motorsports amply demonstrates, almost more important than having a good product is having a good commercial network. In the case of the De Tomaso kit for the SIMCA 1000, it was offered by some Barreiros dealers.
But the truth is that, beyond specialized competition workshops such as Simón Molist and Adolfo Vicente -Movi- in Barcelona, there were no specialized sales and assembly points. And that's not to mention advertising. Aspect in which Ibero Italiana de Carrocerías SA was very limited. That's the way it is, that kit passed as an anecdote in the history of the Spanish sports car market. Of course, it is possibly one of the best anecdotes of it. For our part, we would like to end this article by saying that if any of you know of the existence of any surviving unit, do not hesitate to contact us or any specialized media.
