Simca Chambord (Brazilian model)
The Simca Chambord was the first ever car to be built by Simca's factory in Brazil. The first car, an authorized reproduction of the French built Simca Vedette, left the production line in March 1959. It featured the customary 84 hp (63 kW) engine, 3 speed gearbox with the shifter located on the steering column and was assembled from parts imported from France.
Throughout 1960 Simca do Brasil gradually swapped to parts produced by local OEM parts suppliers. In 1961 the Chambord featured an improved engine with 90 hp (67 kW) and 15% more torque, a slightly shorter differential and 98% of the parts were already of Brazilian production. A special version, called the Tufão (whirlwind) featured some additional luxury items in its interior.
42,910 units of the Chambord were built up to 1966 and the engine performance gradually rose to 120 hp (89 kW). These more powerful Chambords had an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 14.3 seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph).
In November 1966 Simca introduced the Esplanada at the Salão do Automóvel, Brazil's sole motor show, as a replacement for the Chambord.