A few years ago, Dutchman Henk Visscher sold all of his car dealerships. Last year, he opened a new museum, housing his own collection of classic cars and many others.
The museum’s theme is Vive la France, mainly in the form of Simca/Talbot, Peugeot and Citroën automobiles. And with fitting French music to boot, playing softly in the background.
The grand file of photos I took (what’s new?) is presented in chronological order, with the vehicles’ year of first registration as guideline. Pré-1980 today, post-1980 in part two. On y va!
1932 Citroën C4.
1955 Peugeot 203 Familiale.
1956 Peugeot 203 pickup.
1958 Peugeot 403 Familiale.
1958 Peugeot D4 panel van.
1961 Citroën Ami 6.
1962 Panhard PL 17 Tigre.
Three little rear-engined Simcas, representing the popular 1000-series, built from 1961 to 1978.
1962 Simca 1000 L.
1973 Simca 1000 Rallye 2.
1964 Peugeot 404.
1965 Panhard 24 CT.
1966 Simca 1501 GL Automatic.
1967 Citroën 2CV AZAM.
1967 Peugeot 204.
Rear-engined, 1969 Simca 1200 S.
1969 Simca 1501 Special.
1971 Citroën M35 with the Comotor (Citroën and NSU) rotary engine, one of the last ones built. Never mind the number 470, as Citroën skipped numbers, only 267 of these were made.
1971 Citroën SM, powered by Maserati.
Speaking of which, this 1973 Maserati Bora is sitting right next to the SM (note that Citroën owned Maserati from 1968 to 1974).
1973 Peugeot 304 Coupé S.
1974 Simca 1100 TI.
1974 Citroën Méhari.
1975 Peugeot 104.
1976 Simca 1100 ES with a three-speed semi-automatic transmission.
1977 Peugeot 504 Coupé V6.
1977 Peugeot 604 SL Automatic.
1978 Peugeot 304.
1978 Simca-Chrysler 2 Litres.
1979 Simca Horizon 1.3 GL.
1979 Simca 1308 GLS Swing. Simca did swing alright, i.e. from Chrysler to Peugeot.
Voilà, more recent Peugeots -and others- in part two.
Thank you Johanne, for sharing this excellent collection. Visscher, has great taste in popular French cars. Most long time CC readers, should be able to identify nearly ever car here, without the aid of your captions. The Ami gets ridiculed, but I like its style. Tough call, as to my favourite French maker. I’d likely go with Citroen, over Renault.
For North American readers, unusual to see the Simca Horizon’s bumpers so tight, to its bodywork. The wall art and music, are a nice addition. Quite inspiring, thanks!
The art and info on the walls are a good enough reason to (re)visit the museum. You’re fully focussed on the vehicles once inside, but there’s so much more to see and read.
It really adds to the character and ambience. Enlarged wall art is not cheap! Hundreds of dollars, to have one piece output. Even though they are indoors, adding a UV coating is wise, and adds to the cost. A popular look now, very much like Jay Leno’s Garage.
The Simca Horizon and 1308 got me thinking of an alternate universe scenario where Chrysler Corp. was more coherent than they actually were in the 1970’s. I wonder how a scenario in which that 1308 was put into production in North America before (or instead of) the Horizon in say about 1976 would have worked out? Sized a slight bit larger than the Horizon, big enough not to directly step on the Mitsubishi captive imports, and possibly source or license build their proven engines and transmissions to still keep them somewhat appeased while avoiding the Poissy units and their “coffee grinder” reputation. If that went well, the 3-box Solara would have been on-hand by 1980. A curious thought that seems far too radically forward thinking for chronically indifferent to utilizing their resources and connections-at-hand effectively 1973 Chrysler.
As I’ve said here before, the replacements for the Valiant/Dart should have been FWD, lighter, and more advanced than the Aspen/Volare. Closer, to an effort, like the 1308. And more Fairmont-like in lightness and efficiency of the design, though FWD. Offering sedan and wagon versions. Even though, the F-Body wagons, were the top selling wagons in the US in 1976. The Aspen/Volare did sell very well, the first two years. Until the Fairmont and Malibu showed up.
That being said, I strongly suspect build quality on a 1976-era American-made version of a French design, would have been potentially dreadful. Even more damaging perhaps, to Chrysler’s long term reputation in their vital bread and butter compact segment entries, than the Aspen/Volare.
The 1978 Omni/Horizon employed heavy use of robotics, in their construction. Likely, helping them have better build quality, than the Aspen/Volare. A 1976 domestic version of the 1308, using less robotics in construction, could easily have been Chrysler’s own version of the Chevrolet Citation and GM X-cars. A recall, and unreliability nightmare, for Mopar. Perhaps topping the bad reputation of the Aspen/Volare.
Point taken, although it is worth noting that two years later the Omnirizon twins effectively did follow that approach, and it (arguably?) went relatively well.
Keep in mind, by 1977, Chysler was painfully aware of the recall and reliability disaster the Aspen/Volare were. As the Omni/Horizon would be tooling up for production. Chysler simply could not allow the Omni/Horizon to be another public relations disaster, like the Aspen/Volare. Steps would have been taken, to make the L-Bodies better cars. Even though, the early Omni/Horizons, did have problems.
In 1976 I visited the UK with my mother and my brother. My aunt, who was living in Germany, met us in London. It was the American bi-centennial (4 July 1976) and my aunt go us tickets to see Bing Crosby who was playing the London Palladium. That was a great experience, but after my aunt went back to Germany the rest of us took the train to Edinburgh and then spent a week touring Scotland. As the car guy I got to arrange the rental and drive. I was expecting to get an Austin Princess, which was the successor to my first car, an Austin 1800, but instead they assigned us a Chrysler Alpine. I had no idea what it was, as it had just been introduced, but it was a rebadged Simca 1308. I really enjoyed driving it around the highlands. It was a comfortable and practical car for touring.
Simca did really well here in NL, especially in the seventies Simcas were very common cars, the 1308 included.
As an aside, the design of the Horizon was clearly inspired by the VW Golf, whereas the 1308 was very much inspired by the:
What caught my eye was the 1975 Peugeot 104 with the trailer hitch.
Let’s hope its a diesel with lots and lots of bottom end torque!!
Surprisingly, Peugeot did not do a diesel-powered 104 for the duration of the entire production run ending in 1988 (!).
….
Let’s hope its a diesel with lots and lots of bottom end torque!!
Let’s not forget that non-turbo diesels inherently make less torque than a comparable displacement gas engine:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-tech-why-gasoline-engines-intrinsically-make-more-torque-and-power-than-diesel-engines/
All of these cars were very much of their era, except the SM. Along with the DS/ID, Citroen had some incredibly timeless design.
Magnifique! So much to swoon over here. Love those two old Peugeot Familiales. I’ve never seen them in the flesh, as the 403 and 404 wagons sold here were all breaks (station wagons). Interesting how the best rear seat was the furthest one back; almost like a limousine with jump seats in the middle.
Not the 404 Familiale.
My father had one for a couple of years, it was great for our family (5 children). I remember my younger twin brother/sister always had to go in the back as rear bench was quite small, not really suitable for 2 adults whereas the middle row consisted of 2 big comfortable seats (room for 3). The rear bench was also a little higher up meaning the head room was less.
Those Panhards are so nice and rounded. Decades before the 90s jellybean machines came out.
How many museums and large collectors keep their cars in working order and exercised, which must require Jay Leno money and commitment? I noticed drip pans under a few of them. Etched in my memory is a sad and dead Model T at the Smithsonian.
The collection is remarkable for the fact that Msr Visscher seems to have different models of many models (older to newer Simca 1100’s, for eg), making it a true CC paradise. “A base Simca Horizon? Why yes, sir, as so often featured at places like Pebble Beach, and much sought-after.” I love it.
Best of all, it seems you can actually hire quite a number of these immaculate old bangers if you wish, so a static museum it isn’t.
(Must confess, Johannes, I saw this place a few weeks back via that drily humorous and daggy-car loving HubNut on Youtube, but I’m enjoying these stills pics for the details. I mean, check out the hilariously huge duck’s feet pedals on that Panhard PL17!)
So even if the French can’t make good diesel submarines – an in-joke, Aust recently spent $5billion to renege on a deal to buy them, it was largely political – they sure made the world’s most interesting mass-market cars for many, many years.
I love that the 104 is a sedan (I believe, but will defer to brighter brains) that these were replaced by the hatchback (unlike the Fiat 127 where sedan and hatchbacks existed nebeneinander after the latter’s introduction)
for non Euro readers, the 104 gained a shorter 3-dr counterpart whereas the 127 was 2 or 3dr fastbacked throughout
The Opel Kadett D also comes to mind. Perfect hatchback shape, yet also available as a ‘sedan’.
also, the cars look excellent, I assume they’re all in running condition; and that Simca 1100ES, I’m not sure we ever got that variation here in the UK, is it a semi-automatic (there appears to be diagram for the gear location on the knob)?
Yes, they’re in running condition. The license plates are valid, the doors were open (some of them even had the keys in them, as you can see). They are there to be enjoyed and to be driven.
What a treat, Dutch-sensei. I bumped into most of these in France over the summer (where I still am at the moment), but seeing museum-quality versions is always best. Love me a Panhard 24, but the weirdness of the M35 has to trump that. Merci beaucoup for the tour, and looking forward to part two!
What a great compilation of cars and photos!
As an aside, I think the Simca 1100 ES might properly be characterized as having a “semi-automatic” transmission. No?
I looked it up, you’re right! According to the info I found, it’s a 3-speed semi-automatic. Switching gears manually without a clutch pedal. Fixed!
Once upon a time during the early 1970s in Los Angeles, Citroen and BMW had regional offices in the same cluster of office buildings near my job. Some of the guys obviously knew each other, and would occasionally “test drive” their newest vehicles together on the nearby streets. Needless to say, they had a lot more fun at their jobs that I was having at mine.
It looks like a wonderful museum. The Peuget familiales are new to me and very appealing. I have seen some Citroen Traction Avant Familiales, but not any other brands. I spent some time in the Netherlands about 10 years ago, just before I retired, and I wish I had visited this museum. I am very intrigued by regular French automobiles like the ones pictured here. The Panhards are very special.
Mike, the museum just opened last year. About 10 years ago, the owner was in his mid-fifties and still had multiple car dealerships to run…
Now I have another reason to visit again. On my previous visits I did not have much time for sightseeing, but I was fortunate to be able to attend owner’s day at Burton Cars. Not much variety there, but lots of interesting Burtons and 2CVs.
Burton is still around: https://www.burtoncar.com/
The two Maserati engines for me, thankyouverymuch. And, of course, the cars they come gift-wrapped in. The Countach and various Ferraris got the press, but the Bora was better-looking.
When Maserati introduced the 3-liter V-6 powering the Merak and 2.7L–3L Citroen SM, the world thought it was a little gem. Had some camshaft-drive-chain problems. 187–220 hp for the Maser, 168–178 hp for the SM.
Twenty-ish years later, GM builds a similar V-6, the W-body 3.4L “Dual Twin Cam”. Makes about the same, or more horsepower–210 @ 5200 RPM while meeting CAFE and Emissions regulations, single exhaust and catalytic converter. Reliable as a stone. Owners snivel that it’s underpowered and cry when the “replace every 60K miles” timing belt fails at 80–100K, even though the engine is not prone to pistons hitting valves, unlike the MaserMotor.