DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

Mick and Kev Ward are Simca fanatics who have so many cars between them that it is difficult to graduate from mechanical repairs to primping and polishing, but that doesn't stop them from enjoying their cars to the full.

If you’ve got this magazine in your hands and you’re perusing this feature, then it’s fairly reasonable to assume that you like cars. Well, you are in good company because I like them too. In fact, I’ve made a career out of liking them. I even enjoy them in my spare time as I have a Type R Civic in which I hoon around a track whenever time allows. I am after all a selfconfessed petrolhead, but cars have not yet reached the point of taking over my life. Of course I keep bits for the Civic I think

I might need and I have run out of storage room for spare wheels and tyres, but there’s a distinct separation between the space for the car and the home.

For some people, however, that separation can be a little – fuzzy. Take Mick and Kev Ward for example, two regular guys with a modest interest in the French car brand Simca. I say 'modest' as something of an understatement because I’m sure neither of them will be remotely upset if I was to label them as being close to obsessive. They are after all considered gurus in all things Simca. For those of you who may not have noticed the marque over the years, Simca was a leading exponent of rearengined car development from the 1960s until the late 1970s. The manufacturer was highly successful with front- engined cars too, and the Simca 1307 and Horizon won the coveted European Car of the Year in 1976 and 1979 respectively. And don’t say you’ve never heard of them, as they were badged Chrysler Alpine and Talbot Horizon here at home.

However, the company was best known for their little boxy 1000 GL rear- engined models that were often the best-selling cars in France, and it was these that took Mick and Kev’s fancy. The boys had long been fans of all things rear- engined, and Mick had entered a KarmannGhia into some grass track events while Kev was using a Simca 1000 for oval racing. Pretty soon they were jointly getting to grips with building,

It is safe to say that they are both serial offenders when it comes to owning these little French machines

transplanting and generally fettling Simcas for competition.

After getting a little older but not necessarily any slower or wiser, the two brothers stepped away from competition, but kept up their involvement in being hands- on with the now-ageing brand. It is safe to say that they are both serial offenders when it comes to owning these little French machines – they have had somewhere in the region of 40 cars between them over the years, sometimes passing ownership back and forth. Mick still has seven cars scattered around his garden, while Kev has four. The mix is still eclectic and includes a pick-up, a couple of track cars, Bagheeras and Matras, but we will look at just two for now.

Let’s start by taking a look at Mick’s 1100, the dark blue car in our pictures. In 2014, after needing to convalesce following an illness, Mick realised that he didn’t possess a working roadgoing Simca, something that was unheard of for him. Kev came to the rescue by releasing a front- engined 1100 GLX from his herd for Mick to use. The GLX had already passed through several members of the Simca Owners Club, a club of which both men are an integral part, and had never really run as well as it should. So before it came to Mick, Kev had transplanted a 1442cc lump into it complete with twin DCNF carbs and a Kent Hart 2 camshaft, thus creating something akin to the Ti version that was sold in Spain, a model which sadly never saw action in the UK. Most Simcas run a 4mm x 98mm PCD wheel, which is the same as many Alfas, Fiats and Lancias, and that allows owners to furnish their Simca with something a little more exotic when it comes to wheels from the multitude of rusting and decaying Italian machinery. Mick’s 1100/1442 is now shod with a set of Lancia Dedra rims.

This model Simca had more than its fair share of vulnerable areas in which rust can take hold, and although the car has

already had a pair of wings somewhere in its past, chasing rot and windscreen leaks can be an ongoing mission. If you need to identify what that familiar French car smell is, it’s probably damp carpets! Work on this car is still pretty much ongoing and, as you can see by the photos, Mick has been chasing some electrical issues. The car may look a little untidy and forlorn to some, but that’s not to say it isn’t loved. Mick would dearly like to give it a spruce up and a shiny paint job, but the cosmetic side of things will have to wait as there is always much to do with the rest of the fleet. Besides, the GLX is now a solid and sturdy little thing under the skin and more than capable in its current state. I for one can confirm that this unassuming little car has a fair bit of pep, as I was taken to the town centre location gripping onto the passenger seat. All I can say is: don’t be fooled by appearances.

Moving on to Kevin and his light blue 1200 Coupé presents us with quite a rare car. This pretty little rear- engined coupé penned by Bertone’s recruit Giorgetto Giugiaro was a far cry from the popular but boxy little Simca 1000 from which it was derived. Originally with 944cc and then later with 1204cc to make it the 1200S, it was and is quite an opulent car to be in. With a dash full of instruments and a lower, laid-back seating position compared to its humble stablemate, it is certainly a departure from the car from which it was spun.

This particular one is a right-hand drive conversion, and like Mick's GXL had been around a couple of members of the club before falling into

Kev’s hands. A lot of work had already been done, including that RHD conversion which was carried out at dealer level, and quite a bit of remedial welding thereafter.

'After getting the car, I realised that the professional work that had been done wasn’t that professional,' Kev tells me. 'The dealer conversion to right-hand drive wasn’t the best and it’s a bit untidy, while whoever did the rust repairs missed a lot from behind the dash. The whole interior had to come out to fix that.' The engine was also found to be excessively worn, so Kev rummaged about in his stock at home to find a much healthier 1294cc short engine and a Rallye 2 camshaft. This was all mated up with the original gearbox and renovated Solex twin carbs. These were later swapped for a pair of Weber DCOE carbs as the Solexes were troublesome. An OMP 4-into-1 exhaust manifold finished off the performance package.

Kev's attention then turned

to the wiring and cooling. The extended loom made when converting the car from LHD to RHD had not used the same coloured wires for the new connections, which caused a real headache when chasing faults. The cooling too needed work as the core of the original front-mounted radiator just fell apart. Thankfully a local company came up trumps and was able to rebuild it. Pretty much restored, the car was then painted by Kev’s fair hand in a delightful French Blue. As

Kev says: 'I was fed up waiting for the paint shop to get their act together, so I bought a compressor and had a go myself.' To be fair it’s a pretty good job for a first attempt.

Getting to grips with your chosen steed takes time and dedication for anybody. The more time you spend with your car, the more you get to know about it and how things come apart, and importantly how it all goes back together again. In comparison, these boys have got to grips with an entire manufacturer’s range! Different models, engines, when they were made, even where they were made and for how long – between them they have an absolute wealth of knowledge. And it is knowledge they are more than happy to share. Not only are they hands- on with their machines, but they are both instrumental in creating and running the very popular Simca Talbot Owners’ Club and a regular newsletter called L’ Aronde. In those pages you will find history lessons, members’ stories and of course helpful hints and tips from none other than Kev and Mick themselves. (Check the club out at

These boys really do live and breathe all things Simca, and their homes are testaments to that fact. Now, I’ve only visited Mick’s humble abode so I can't speak for the amount of space dedicated to Kev’s Matra, Bagheera and Coupé collection along with all the relevant spares and other projects, but here at Mick’s

place, I don’t think he’ll mind if I say that the cars are pretty much taking over. Every inch of available space outside in the yard is taken up with one Simca or another. Some are shells, some complete cars and others somewhere in between. Naturally, I thought he must be looking after and working on some of them for other people, but it turns out they’re all his.

'I’ve got far too much to do on my stuff to be getting involved with anyone else's,' he says, 'although I’ll always help with any questions anyone has.' Stepping into the house I find that each room I pass has something Simca related in it. It could be a trophy from a race or a scale model, or simply a newly found component. If he was ever to appear on Through the Keyhole, Mick's house would be a dead giveaway. I even get a brief look inside the garage which is festooned with countless bits and pieces from floor to ceiling, enough I’d have thought to make several complete cars. Kev has to admit that his place isn’t that far behind, and it is no wonder that they often advertise in their own newsletter that they have bits to sell.

Returning to the cars, both are full of compromises and adaptations to keep them on the road where they belong. They might not have the same engines or gearboxes or carbs as the factory intended, but the thing about the Simca range is the plethora of bits and pieces that can cross from one model to another. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re both one- off hybrids either, because somewhere in Europe at one time or another a model will have been made for a short time that possessed pretty much what the boys have ended up building for themselves. Whether that has been intentional, I’m not sure, but what I am sure of is that these guys know what goes with what, and if it doesn’t quite fit, it’ll be made to fit with some careful adaptation.

Of course, neither machine could be considered concours and some would even suggest they have a considerable way to go before even being considered finished, but that really isn’t the point. The cars themselves are unusual, perhaps ever so slightly a little rough around the edges and a tad eccentric, but that describes Mick and Kev too! And that’s what makes them wonderful to be around – you couldn’t find a more helpful and knowledgeable pair of blokes anywhere. Pop a pint in front of them, ask them about oval racing and drop into the conversation you have a fondness for old Matra Ranchos and you’ll be friends for life.