CG 1000 sports car

Make	CG Automobiles
Years of production	1966 to 1969
Production total	30
Class	Sports car
Assembly plant	Brie-Comte-Robert
Fuel	petrol
Engine	944 cc  to 1,118 cc
Engine position	Rear
Maximum power	1000: 40 hp 1000 S: 49 hp
Transmission	Rear-wheel drive, 4 gears
Unloaded weight	from 600 to 640 kg
Maximum speed	1000: 160 km/h
Bodywork	Spider 2+2 (hard top on Sport 1000)
Length	4024mm
Length	1540mm
Wheelbase	2224mm

The CG 1000 are sports cars from the 1960s, manufactured by the French coachbuilder Chappe Frères et Gessalin (Automobiles CG) from May 1966 until 1969. 

History

The CG 1000 is sometimes referred to as the CG Sport 1000, CG Spider 1000 S, and CG Coupé 1000 S. Under the designation Spider 1000, the CG type A1000 made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1966. This particular 2+2 spider has an original body and a unique chassis integral, tubular reinforced platform.that incorporates the mechanical elements of the Simca 1000 coupé and is a rare car.

The chassis consists of a central beam connecting the front axle to the rear crossmember supporting the gearbox and the rear axle. This architecture has already been tested by Chappe and Gessalin during the construction of the Alpine A108. The chassis is reinforced by side boxes and a welded steel floor and extended at the rear by longitudinal members where the original Simca engine cross member is fixed.

The body is made entirely of polyester resin reinforced with fiberglass and moulded in several parts assembled on the chassis. It uses the windshield of the Simca 1000 coupe. The headlights are streamlined behind plastic globes and the car is equipped with moulded aluminium bumpers.

The mechanics borrowed from the Simca 1000 coupé is a Poissy type engine 4 cylinders in line with five bearings and 944 cc giving 40 horsepower, placed in rear overhang of the body. The gearbox, of the same origin, is four-speed and reverse. The model uses the brakes of the Simca 1000, that of the vehicles built thereafter borrow the four-disc brakes of the Simca 1000 coupé.The front suspension is independent, wishbones, transverse leafsprings lowerarms and telescopic dampers, at the rear independent, semi-trailing arms, coil springs and telescopic dampers.

PERFORMANCE

• Engine Capacity 57.60 cu in, 944 cu cm
• Fuel Consumption 42.8 mlimp gal, 35.6 mlUS gal, 6.6 1 x 100 km
• Max Speed 99.4 mph, 160 km/h
• power- weight ratio: 27.1 lb/hp, 12.3 kg/hp
• speed in top at 1,000 rpm: 15.8 mph, 25.4 km/h.

The particularly neat interior is made up of the frame of the Simca front seats and specific upholstery. Only the dashboard cap comes from the Simca 1000 coupe designed by Bertone. The instrumentation is very complete and the side windows are totally retractable in the doors.

Hoping to compete with the small English and Italian convertibles, the Spider 1000 received a mixed reception. However, the modest performances but the featherweight light of the car allows him to reach 160 km/but the similar price of a much more efficient Matra-Bonnet Djet. In response, a hard-top option then started to be with order on delivery of the car in two versions. This makes it possible to offer a CG spider with a removable hard top but without a hood, which is one of the most expensive elements to manufacture. Throughout the years more simplifications will be able lower the price of the car more.

For the 1968 models, three versions are offered for sale. The Spider 1000 becomes the Spider Convertible alongside the Spider with removable hard top and the Sport 1000. The latter is a stripped-down version with a more aggressive look. The hard top transforms it into a coup and the side windows are replaced by sliding windows. As a result, the door trim gives way to a large storage compartment crossed by a simple zipper acting directly on the opening mechanism of the latter. The seats are replaced by fiberglass buckets, which are much lighter and cheaper to produce. The dashboard is covered with a simple black paint, which will become that of all the following CGs. On the outside, the bumpers as well as the wheel covers disappear and, as an option, two long-range spotlights are integrated into the nose of the car.

Always with a view to performance, Chappe et Gessalin presents engine modifications carried out by the Aveyron-based tuner, Michel Tapie, making it possible to significantly increase the power. The Sport 1000, which was less expensive, gradually supplanted the Spider 1000, production of which was to cease in mid-1968. It was during this same year that Simca offered CG a new engine. A 1118 cc and 49 hp derived from the engine of the Simca 1100 which was equipped the Simca 1000 Special. The last CG type A1000 will therefore be Coupé 1000 S equipped with the engine of the Simca 1000 Special. They will quickly give way to the single 1200 S model launched at the same time as the 1000 Special engine.

The total production of the CG type A1000 is low, estimated at less than thirty copies.