A slice of style from 1970s France
The 1970s was an innovative period for the coupé in France.
From the technical sophistication of the Citroën SM to a vibrant low-volume scene, there was plenty of joie de vivre in evidence for those who wanted a fastback with performance, looks and style.
Here’s our list of some of the most stylish French coupés from the 1970s, presented in alphabetical order.
3. ARC Narval
This sharp-nosed one-off was a tantalising glimpse of what could have been if ARC company boss Michel Faure had gone into road-car production, rather than focus on racing cars.
The Narval, French for the narwhal whale and used because of the car’s pointed front styling, made its debut in 1971 and was essentially a testbed for Faure’s ideas.
A mid-mounted and tuned 1300cc Gordini engine gave 140bhp, while the sole seat was centrally mounted for the driver, like in a racing car. The glassfibre body had a canopy top that also formed the windscreen.
Following successful tests of the Narval, Faure moved on to producing a long line of successful track-only racing cars.
4. BSH
Like many low-volume French cars of the period, the BSH used a Renault R8 Gordini engine and gearbox, because it allowed for an easy swap to a mid-engined format.
With 85bhp from this 1.3-litre, or 125bhp from a Renault 16 TS 1.6-litre motor, the BSH offered strong performance for keen club motorsport drivers.
To keep the price low, BSH followed Lotus’ example and offered its low-slung coupé in kit form.
Incidentally, the company name came from the surnames of its founders, François Benais and Max Saint-Hilaire. They then sold the project to Marland in 1971.
5. CG 1200S
Chappe et Gessalin was a coachbuilding firm dating back to the 1930s and it had been an early champion of glassfibre for bodywork in the 1950s.
This put it in good stead when it launched its first model, the 1000 Spider, in 1966. Using the abbreviated CG name, the company followed it with the 1200S in 1969 in open and coupé forms that lasted until 1972.
A Simca 1200S engine with 85bhp provided the power, while a lightweight version called the 548, which came in at just 548kg, was offered specifically for anyone looking to compete in motorsport.
A new 1300 model was added in 1972, but the company had ceased trading by 1974 despite its cars proving very able on track and in Tarmac rallying.
6. Citroën SM
Arguably the most glamorous coupé to come out of France in the 1970s, the Citroën SM was as mechanically sophisticated as it was sleek.
The Robert Opron-penned shape was like nothing else in its sector, and this unique approach was further cemented with the SM’s hydropneumatics for suspension, brakes and steering.
However, the SM was not just a show pony. Power came from a Maserati V6, which started as a 2.7-litre unit and was later increased to 3.0-litres.
Sadly, the SM was one of the first cars to be axed when Citroën was taken over by Peugeot. A total of 12,920 SMs were made by the time production finished in 1975.
7. Jidé
The company name came from the initials of its founder, Jacques Durand, who was already a stalwart of low-volume sports-car production in France, having designed the Atla, Sera, ACPA, Arista and Sovam by the time he launched his Jidé coupé in time for the start of the 1970s.
Similar in style and concept to the UK’s Davrian, the Jidé was very low and compact, keeping weight to a minimum in order to maximise performance from its Renault-sourced engines.
The car had some success in motorsport, but Durand sold up in 1974 having sold just shy of 100 cars.
8. Ligier JS2
Like Lotus in the UK, Ligier was rooted in motorsport and its JS2 was a road car very much intended to be used on track.
Also in the same vein as Lotus, the JS2 had a backbone chassis, but the French coupé’s was made of aluminium and power came from a heavier-hitting V6 engine.
The first JS2 built in 1971 used a Ford 2.6-litre V6, but this was swapped to a Maserati V6 procured through Citroën.
A substantial price-tag didn’t deter well-heeled buyers and the JS2 was also adapted for competition, with entries to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1972, ’73 and ’75.
However, JS2 production halted in 1974 after 114 of the original and seven of the revised Series 2 model had been built.
9. Manic GT
The Manic GT is a Canadian-built sports coupé that lasted from 1969 until 1971, but it qualifies here because it was made in French-speaking Québec.
Company boss Jacques About was born and educated in France, and he emigrated to Canada in 1955. He tried to convince Alpine to sell its A110 in Canada but that came to nothing, so he built his own car.
About based his Manic GT on the Renault 8 and 10, and the car was to be sold through Renault’s North American dealers.
Initial enthusiasm and an order for 1000 cars from a US distributor were scuppered by poor parts supply from Renault, so only 160 Manic GTs were made by the time the firm folded in 1971.
10. Marcadier Barzoi
Inspired by the success of Lotus, André Marcadier was determined to produce an affordable, capable sports car for club motorsport in France.
With a background in building bicycles, he knew how to make lightweight, strong chassis and his open sports cars of the 1960s were successful on track.
The first Barzoi followed as a closed coupé in 1967. A Mk2 model arrived in 1977 as a kit and used Simca 1000 components to complete its specification.
Around 50 of the Barzoi Mk2s were produced until it was phased out in 1983.
11. Marsonetto R25
Based in Lyon, Marsonetto was a coachbuilder that branched into car production in 1958.
The R25, the final car to come from the company, was developed on the same mechanical package as the earlier 1600 GT with Renault 16 TS power and front-wheel drive.
The handsome R25 offered four seats and good luggage space under the large glass hatch, which presaged the style of Renault’s own Fuego coupé that didn’t arrive until 1980.
12. Matra 530
Unusually for a small-scale production French coupé of the period, the Matra 530 used a Ford engine rather than one from Renault.
The 1.7-litre V4 motor only provided 73bhp, but this was compensated for with the Matra’s low weight and aerodynamic shape.
The steel chassis and glassfibre body followed small sports car norms, but the 530 bucked the trend by selling in good numbers. By the time production ceased in 1973, 9609 had been built in a six-year span.
13. Matra Bagheera
As an alternative to more traditional sporting coupés like the MGB GT or Triumph GT6, the Matra Bagheera was as innovative as it was different.
Its steel chassis was clothed in a pretty glassfibre body with de rigueur pop-up headlights. The engine was mid-mounted and there was three-abreast seating.
The engine was the least exciting bit of the Bagheera, the 1.3-litre motor lifted from the Simca 1100, but at least the S of 1975 gained a pokier 1.4-litre unit.
All Bagheeras were built with left-hand drive, but around 65 were converted to right-hand drive for the UK market.
14. Meyrignac Coupé
Denis Meyrignac’s eponymous Coupé made quite a splash on its debut at the 1977 Geneva show. Yet it then disappeared into obscurity for many years, fuelling rumours there was more than one car.
The one and only Merignac Coupé used an Alpine A110 as its base, complete with the A110’s chassis and engine.
Possibly because the Merignac was launched at the same time as the Alpine A310 V6, some thought the Coupé had a V6 engine and it was mentioned as an option.
However, it was discovered in Denis Merignac’s garage and resurrected for the 2016 Goodwood Revival in all its wedge-shaped glory, and still with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine.
15. Monica
Long before the current fashion for four-door coupés, the Monica aimed to offer spacious grand touring with the added practicality of rear doors.
It was the idea of Jean Tastevin, with input from Chris Lawrence, and was based on a tubular chassis with de Dion rear suspension.
The body was made from steel and hand-formed, which made it slow and expensive to produce. This goes a long way to explaining why only around 35 Monicas were made.
Power for the Monica came from a 5.6-litre Chrysler V8 engine, which was claimed to give a top speed of 150mph to make the French machine the fastest four-door car at that time.
The project was bought by Ligier and then Panther in the UK, but little else was done with the car.
16. Peugeot 204
Peugeot called its three-door version of the 204 a coupé, though it was possibly more of a hatchback.
Regardless of this, the 204 Coupé had a certain style and was much more affordable than many more sporting coupés of the period.
Introduced in 1966, the 204 Coupé lasted just into the 1970s, as it was axed from Peugeot’s range soon after the turn of the decade.
Pert Pininfarina styling helped the 204 Coupé’s appeal, even if the engines were the same as the stock saloon model’s.
17. Peugeot 304
Originally intended to sit between the 204 and 504 Coupés, the 304 ended up as the entry-point to Peugeot’s fastback range as the 204 version was dropped early in 1970.
The slightly bigger 304 Coupé was largely the same under the skin and its cabin was identical in size to the 204’s. However, the looks of the front and rear ends took on the style of the new 504 model.
The Coupé and its Cabriolet sister were the first 304 models to receive the 74bhp S engine in March 1972, and by August that year it was the only engine offered in the Coupé.
Production of the 304 Coupé ended in July 1975 after 60,186 cars had left the factory with this body.
19. Renault 15
Renault’s answer to the Ford Capri and Opel Manta was the 15, which was based on the platform from the 12.
That meant front-wheel drive, and a choice of 1.3- and 1.6-litre engines, as well as the option of an automatic gearbox in place of the usual manual transmission.
Sportier in its looks than the way it drove, the 15 was a decent GT car thanks to its reasonable rear-seat space and large boot.
Launched in 1971, it was dropped from UK price lists in 1975, but carried on elsewhere until 1979 and replacement by the Fuego in 1980.
20. Renault 17
A clever bit of body massaging by Renault turned the 15 into the 17 by dint of losing the long side rear windows in favour of quarterlights and plain metal panels.
Renault also gave the 17 a sportier flavour by only offering the larger 1.6-litre engine with 106bhp, along with disc brakes on all four wheels.
The 17 gained a five-speed manual gearbox in 1974 and was given the Gordini name in 1975, though this was dropped the following year when the new 98bhp 1.6-litre engine was fitted.
Like the 15, the 17 coupé lasted from 1971 to 1979 and was replaced by the Fuego as Renault’s sole coupé offering.
21. Scora
Many of the usual elements of a low-volume French sports coupé of the 1970s were present in the Scora.
It used a glassfibre body over a light tubular frame, with a mid-mounted Renault engine for power, and it was made by Jacques Durand who had previously created the Jidé.
What was different about the Scora was how much power was available from the 1.6- and 1.8-litre engines. The 1.6 gave a modest 108bhp, but if you opted for the 1.8, you could have 178 or 183bhp for vivid performance in the 610kg (1345lb) car, which made it popular for competition.
The Scora remained in production until 1992 when Durand sold up.
22. Simca 1200S
Developed from the Simca 1000 fastback first seen in 1963, the 1200S arrived in 1967 and used the 79bhp 1204cc four-cylinder engine to give a 107mph top speed in this pretty coupé.
Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, the 1200S should have sold in greater numbers than its total production of 14,741 by the time it went off sale in 1971.
Those who did buy the 1200S when new were treated to a car with all-round disc brakes and decent handling.
However, rust was a problem with the bodies that were built by Bertone in Italy and were sent by train to Simca’s factory in Poissy, France. Some were also completed by Chrysler Benelux at its plant in Rotterdam.