[Kelly]

Hey guys...Was just reading the 'cars left in sweden' post, and somebody mentioned a bit about challengers being built at the SIMCA plant! What!? Someone fill me in on this one please! I have never heard about that. If Chrysler would have challengers built in France to Dodge (no pun intended) tax laws, why would they even bother with sending cars from Hamtramck over to that part of the world?

[Christer]

Robbert has written about this topic. I have no idea if what he writes is true or not though.....

See: http://challenger.mpoli.fi/forum/viewto ... =4897#4897

[fbernard]

It's pretty much unknown why some cars were assembled here.

Some were imported first (like my convertible, which was built at Hamtramck on January 15th), and it seems some were assembled later.

There may be all kinds of reasons for this, maybe to allow more cars on the market without formal homologation paperwork and crash tests (French laws allowed 15 cars imported and sold without crash tests, maybe there was a loophole allowing more cars if they were built locally).

Maybe Chrysler really wanted to start production in Europe (since Simca belonged to 'Ma Mopar) and this was a test of sorts.

All th information we have is the sales register, and it's not always accurate (a second order in mid-1970 is labelled as 'cancelled', but several of the car VINs from that order were delivered and sold in France).

[dave-r]

I don't think they were assembled as such. They were just not totally complete. They were shipped with the lights missing for example. So that Euro spec stuff could be fitted. Because they were not completed cars Simca put their own chassis numbers on which used the existing numbers stamped on the engine/trans etc. This is why the VIN on these cars is short.

[Kelly]

I remember Greg Bulingher mentioning that the French Hemi Cuda Convertible had a wierd build sheet code for euro-spec lights...I remember in MCG reading about a '71 cuda that had CLEAR park/turn signal lenses that had mopar part numbers on it (it was a euro car too).
Another off the wall subject...Anybody know what the option code for the "yellowjacket" package on the Diamante was?

[dave-r]

Anybody know what the option code for the "yellowjacket" package on the Diamante was?

Eh? It was a concept car. As far as I know concept cars don't come as an optional package.

It was optioned as a hemi convertible. In fact it was the first one made.

[Kelly]

Yeah, thats what I thought too, but it had a four-character code for the yellowjacket package...It was a photocopy of a build sheet or a window sticker, I think...Its been a few years since I seen it...
later
kelly

[Alaskan_TA]

fbernard, do you have copies of those sales orders? if so, I would love to see them.

Thanks,
Barry

[fbernard]

fbernard, do you have copies of those sales orders? if so, I would love to see them.

Thanks,
Barry

No such thing as sales orders available. The only paperwork that still exists is the importation registry, which lists VINs, order numbers, dates, and sometimes the name of the client or dealership.

This registry is held by Peugeot (part of the Simca Archives - Simca was bought by Peugeot when Chrysler left Europe and sold it). Two of my club members subscribed to the Peugeot old car club just to be able to see this registry. Took them quite some time, too. These papers are not publicly available, and Pëugeot doesn't allow pictures for the time being. It takes some time and a lot of work to convince the people who now hold these papers that they're actually valuable to us.