Ford Comète

The Ford Comète, later known as the Simca Comète, was a car built between 1951 and 1954 in France by Ford SAF. It was intended as the luxury model of the range, with bodywork built by Facel, the firm that later made the better known Facel Vega cars, on the mechanical underpinnings of the Ford Vedette and a shortened wheelbase. The original engine was a 2.2 litre French designed V8 with a four speed manual gearbox. In October 1952 the engine grew from 2,158 cc to 2,355 cc and claimed power rose from 68 to 80 hp, lifting claimed top speed from 130 to 145 km/h. A Monte-Carlo model arrived in 1954 with the 3.9 litre truck V8, but its high price and heavy French tax rating hurt sales. Ford SAF was sold to Simca during 1954 and the Monte-Carlo stayed on sale until July 1955.