When Ford abandoned the French market in 1954, Simca bought Ford’s assembly plant in that country, and this apparently enabled Simca to build Ford-designed V-8s. The last French Ford model was the Vedette, and Simca continued to build that model, with some slight alterations.
It wasn’t the “Adrone”, but rather, the Aronde that Simca sold in the '50s & '60s. This explains Simca’s model lineup during that period:
Aronde body+ Aronde engine= the Simca Aronde model
Ford Vedette body+Simca Aronde engine= the Simca Ariane model
Ford Vedette boody+Ford V-8 engine=the Simca Vedette model
IIRC, the only version of the Isetta that was sold in The US was made by BMW, but several car companies sold their own versions of the death-trap* Isetta in Italy, France, Brazil, and possibly one or two more countries.
The design originated with the Iso company, in Italy (later the maker of the Iso Grifo sports car), but the other companies built their own variations into the original design, including BMW’s use of one of their existing motorcycle engines.
*Besides the obvious problem of the front-opening door, it took an Isetta 30 seconds to reach 50 mph.
Yes in that era my bride to be and I looked at the maverick and ford ltd in anticipation of the good life ahead. Reality hit and kept the 59 Pontiac, paid for, and later on the 68 dart and corvair. Dreams are fun though.
