Simca Aronde.
The Simca 9 Aronde landed on French routes in October 1951, the company's first design to incorporate a monocoque body structure. The first version, as shown below, was produced between 1951 and 1955 before making way for the updated Aronde 90A.
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The Aronde features a front-mounted, rear-wheel-drive, four-cylinder engine of 1221cc in size, with independent suspension at the front. Initially available as a four-door saloon only, other variants such as an estate-car, a van, and the "commerciale semi-vitree" which was a cross between the two, were also quick to appear. A pickup was also offered. Coachbuilder Facel created a coupe, later replaced by the Grand Large. Another coachbuilder, Figoni, had designs on producing a convertible version but it proved impossible to produce a body of sufficient rigidity so never made it into production. In 1953 a back-to-basics model was introduced, the Quotidienne, which did without much of the exterior trim of the original model, its occupants having to don coats and gloves thanks to the removal of the heater as standard equipment.
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Judging by the registration of the Aronde shown above, it was registered in Paris, France. Quite what's going on I can't be sure. However it would seem reasonable to suggest that there had recently been an incident involving the Simca and a motorcycle/sidecar combination that's also in view. A gendarme appears to be making notes based on a conversation being held with a gent in a dark jacket, perhaps the Aronde's driver.
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