Introduced in 1949, the Simca Sport 8 was based on the Simca 8 chassis and mechanical package. However, the Sport 8 was the recipient of some stunning styling and improved performance and achieved a degree of success in events such as the Mille Miglia. This example is going to require complete restoration, but its relative rarity would seem to justify the effort. Located in Long Beach, California, you will find the Simca listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set an opening bid of $17,500 in a No Reserve auction.

While the styling of the Simca 8 wasn’t anything special, the Sport 8 styling came directly from the pen of Pininfarina. The result was a stunning vehicle, available as either a Coupe or Cabriolet. The body of the Sport 8 is all aluminum, except for the steel doors. The body of this particular car seems to be in good condition, and in preparation for a restoration, a large amount of the trim and chrome has already been restored. The steel floor has some rust issues, but this should be fairly easy to address. The owner also states that this car was the 38th Sport 8 built, and the majority of the trim items are stamped and are numbers-matching.

The interior of the Sport 8 is dominated by an enormous 2-spoke chrome steering wheel. The 1950 model also featured a slightly unconventional dash, with the vast majority of the gauges mounted in the center. Once again, there is going to be some fairly comprehensive restoration work required, but as with the exterior, some items have already undergone the treatment. If the new owner is looking at performing a concourse restoration, then the seat upholstery and carpets are going to be the hardest items to get right. From the factory, the seats were finished in the unusual combination of suede, with a material called bombazine for the seat facings. Bombazine is a material that combines silk and wool for a luxurious feel and appearance. It is still available, but it will take a bit of careful detective work to be able to source material in the correct color.

The car comes with all of its original drive-train, but the engine and transmission aren’t currently installed. The 1,221cc alloy-head 4-cylinder engine produces 52hp, which is sent to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. The transmission of the Sport 8 takes some getting used to, because not only is it a column shift, but it only has synchromesh on the top two gears. You will need to be adept at double-clutching to get the best out of it. The owner doesn’t provide any information on the state of the engine and transmission, but it does appear that the engine might be original and untouched.

Restoring this 1950 Simca Sport 8 to its original state is going to be both easy and complicated. The car is not a particularly complex beast, but the devil will be in the detail if perfection is being sought. The rarity of the car would justify the effort, as there were only 280 examples of the Sport 8 Cabriolet built. Vehicle values can also be a great motivator, with a nice example selling in 2017 for $43,500. That would appear to make a restoration well worth the effort.