SOVAM 1100 VS
Car of the Day #274: 1966 SOVAM 1100 VS – Long-lived sports coupé
I don't know about you, but when I'm shopping for a sports car, I’d prefer if the other vehicles produced by the company are made for mail delivery, street vendors, and to be used as airport utility trucks.
But that's exactly the case in 1965 if you were shopping for a Société des Véhicules André Morin (SOVAM) sports car.
(If I have to mention where SOVAM sports cars were built, don’t worry, stick around and you’ll earn a sixth sense for spotting nice, French, things.)
Years ago, a reader of mine named Martin sent me a straight-to-the-point question, “Have you done a COTD on the SOVAM?”
Now with fully revised information and a fresh coat of paint over fiberglass, here we are again.
early SOVAM coupés • source(s) below
French entrepreneur André Morin continued his father's coachbuilding venture, creating custom van bodies for mobile stores and delivery services. From his start in 1930, by the early ’60s Morin had enough cash to develop his own sports car, the 850 S.
It was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1965, and demand convinced Morin to produce the car.
Based around Renault 4 mechanicals, with a fiberglass targa-top'd body and laid-down Renault Floride / Caravelle windshield, the car was long, low, and mean…even if early versions had drum brakes, a 3-speed manual transmission, and 850cc of Renault Dauphine-derived power!
It was inexpensive, though, at 9990 francs, and attracted quite a few buyers.
To SOVAM’s credit, series production cars were continuously updated, and in only a few months the larger (and breathed-on) 1100cc Renault Caravelle engine was installed, creating the SOVAM 1100 VS.
As fate would have it, the company’s best-selling model.
With uprated disc brakes and a four-speed transmission, the 570 kg (1256 lbs) car was spritely enough, hitting 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 13 seconds. Price…at 12,960 francs it compared well to the Renault Floride / Caravelle at 11,500 francs, and the Matra Djet at 16,900 francs.
In 1966, SOVAM sent a female crew to the Paris-Calcutta-Paris rally, with Maité Patoux leading the charge.
Sadly, however, the car quickly lost its shine with its enthusiast buyers, and production was beginning to slow down. I generally pick one model out of a range to do a full story on (or at least for the title!) so the 1300 GS is the last, and fastest iteration.
It's easy enough to spot the 1300 GS: rectangular headlights and strakes behind the side windows • source(s) below
Powered by a 1300cc engine from the Renault R8 Gordini, along with a five-speed manual transmission, the car was stretched to accommodate a (small) pair of rear seats, and the targa roof was nixed in favour of a fastback.
Top speed? 195 km/h (121 mph.) Decent!
For 1967, the now base 1100 S model was priced at 14,800 francs. The new 1300 GS, at 21,500 francs, ended up being more expensive than the Renault R8 Gordini, and in the same ballpark as a Renault-Alpine A110! Tough crowd.
Only five of the 1300 GS were made, and the company stopped producing cars in 1968, switching instead to airport equipment and conversion trucks — yeah, you can find SOVAM airport service vehicles to this day.
Story continues below sources…
