This week we have a wonderful new picture sent to us by Travis of a sign advertising Chrysler Valiant Dodge Simca in High St, Thornbury.
I saw this sign in Thornbury and thought I would pass it on. It has been exposed last week after a building was demolished for more apartments.
It’s on the side of an old mechanics but I’m not sure if it was for that building or the land that is being demolished. By the look of it the demolished land could of been large enough for a dealership.
After trying to work out the age of the sign, I got in contact with a Simca car club, which is one of the car brand thats being advertised. They were a wealth of knowledge and have pin-pointed the date between 1962 and 1964.
This is there email telling me how the got to that precise date.
Although the Simca was sold (in small numbers) in Australia since 1948, it was only after Chrysler gained control of Simca in 1958 and began assembly of the Simca cars in South Australia did they sell in big numbers. It is a fact that the Simca saved Chrysler Australia in the late 1950’s early ’60 when they had only the large Chrysler Royal and a limited number of the American imported Dodge to sell in a market that was aspiring to the smaller cars.
The Simca was built by Chrysler Australia from 1958 to 1964. The Dodge was marketed in Australia until 1972 when it was replaced by the ”Chrysler by Chrysler”. As the Valiant was not introduced until 1962 we can safely say the wall was not painted before that date and as the Simca was discontinued in 1964 I would say the wall was not painted after that date ……………. to me the wall was painted in the two year period 1962 – 1964.
The address is 648 High st Thornbury, Victoria | Map
