page_title: Simca 8
section_title: Market reaction
hierarchical_section_title: Simca 8 / Market reaction
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Simca 8 immat Paris
context_page_description: The Simca 8 is a small family car built by Simca and sold in France between November 1937 and 1951, available as a saloon, coupé or cabriolet. It was a rebadged Fiat 508C "nuova Balilla" made at Fiat's Simca plant in Nanterre, France.
context_section_description: The Simca 8 won plaudits for its lively temperament and excellent fuel economy.   The four ratios on the new gear box were chosen so that even when cruising at 110 km/h (68 mph) fuel consumption remained reasonable, and set to permit good progress along country roads and reasonable acceleration even in hilly areas.   The car also came with unusually precise steering and efficient hydraulically controlled brakes that did not overheat.
  Commentators nevertheless noted that the engine was noisy when working hard, the (semaphore style) direction indicators were fragile, and the ambitiously sophisticated front suspension also proved fragile when confronted with France's rural roads, many of which were still unpaved.   The gear box could be disagreeable when changing down across the gate from third speed to second, and the car was only just large enough for four people, with only a small storage area for luggage, located in a hard to get at position behind the back seat and without any external access.
caption: Simca 8 4-door saloon
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