Thread: So is this what the disco was based on originally

The Matra Rancho is a leisure activity vehicle created by the French engineering group Matra in cooperation with the automaker Simca to capitalize on the off-road trend started by the Range Rover, but provide the "off-road look" at a lower price. The Rancho was presented in 1977 and became a popular model, but this did not alleviate more general problems Chrysler (Simca's parent company) was having at that time. Chrysler finally sold its European arm to PSA in 1978, which decided to rebrand all former Chrysler models to Talbots starting 1979. Thus, the former "Matra-Simca Rancho" became the "Talbot Matra Rancho". Production of the Rancho continued until 1984 (although it remained on sale up to January 1985) and totalled 57,792 cars.[1]

Damn!! That thing is UG---LY!!!

well done discotdi - i commend you in you research

you picked up where i left off - in my distant memory i vaguely remembered it as a simca - but i spose before the great amalgamation, we could lose sight of the enormous contributions to motoring from talbot matra simca etc.......

(dad had a very cute simca? sedan in about 1960 with a 2 litre v8, what was it?)

GQ

That reminds me of the AU Falcon in that it is just as ugly. I think they said in their ad's for the AU that it was a two year design process, if that is so you'd think that at some point someone would have actually looked at it and said "Hey hang on fellas stop everything, this thing is BUTT UGLY" I wonder if that happened with this monstrosity, are the French embarressed as a nation, they should be.

G'day Quiggers

That lovely little Simca was the Vedette with the pre-war (WW11) Ford sidevalve V8 of 221 Cu Inch, 17 stud head, Simca was owned by Ford prior to WW11, they were a nice comfortable fast car, but the plastic interior trims of the day couldn't take the Australian sun
Simca had all but left the Aust motor scene by 1963.

cheers

Yeah uncle, twas a very pretty car - dad had it for a few years - and few of his mates had Simcas - the Aronde? looked a bit like an FC Holden?

Dad's Simca went in favour of a Fiat 2300 wagon - flash car in its day i vaguely remember....

They were into car racing and one of his mates raced a Simca - my early memories of Catalina at Katoomba....

GQ

Tail lights are curiously similar to Disco 1

the Simca strikes again......

Originally Posted by Quiggers

Tail lights are curiously similar to Disco 1

the Simca strikes again......

The Discoi tailights came out of Rover's parts bin (as did many RR and LR parts). They were used on some other vehicle - a van not seen in Australia, I think. We need one of our British lads to answer that.

Ron