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Talbot Tagora Presidence

Saturday 15 June 2013
The Talbot Tagora is an executive car developed by Chrysler Europe and produced by Peugeot Société Anonyme (PSA). The Tagora was marketed under the Talbot marque after PSA took over Chrysler's European operations in 1979. PSA presented the first production vehicle in 1980 and launched it commercially in 1981. The Tagora fell short of sales expectations, described as a "showroom flop" just a year after launch, and PSA cancelled the model only two years later. Fewer than 20,000 Tagora models were ever built, all of them at the former Simca factory in Poissy, near Paris, France. Despite its reputation as a "duffer", the car has acquired a cult following.
Chrysler Europe began development of the Tagora in 1976, under the code name C9, with the goal of replacing the unsuccessful Chrysler 180 series. Following the same development pattern as with the Horizon and Alpine models, the responsibility for the Tagora's technical development remained in France, while the styling was devised at Chrysler's design centre in the United Kingdom. An early proposal for the name of the car was "Simca 2000".
The original C9 prototype was a modern-styled saloon with a low beltline and large interior dimensions made possible by the long-wheelbase. The British design team initially proposed some stylistic features inspired by the Citroën SM, including a front glass panel between the headlights to accommodate the number plate, round front wheelarches and rear spats. However, Chrysler management in the United States deemed these features too extravagant, so the design of the C9 became more conventional: front and rear wheelarches were squared off and the spats lost, and the license plate was placed on the front bumper as on most cars. To better balance the tall silhouette, the beltline was raised. Over the course of development, the C9 also lost its vertical taillights in favour of more "fashionable" horizontal ones.
Following the renaming of Chrysler Europe's models to the Talbot marque, the C9 was christened the Talbot Tagora, and the first batch of cars rolled out of the former Simca plant in Poissy in 1980. The same year, PSA presented the Tagora at the Salon de l'Automobile in Paris. Following a hands-on demonstration of the model to the press in Morocco in March 1981, the car went on sale in France in April and in the United Kingdom in May. The British billboard advertising campaign boasted "The new Talbot Tagora. Luxury and performance redefined."
The Tagora was priced to overlap with high-end Peugeot 505 and low-end Citroën CX models, while slotting in beneath the Peugeot 604. Its pricing was also comparable to the Renault 20/30 and Ford Granada. The Tagora was in the 20,000–30,000 Deutschmark bracket in Germany. The initial production run in 1981 (combined with some pre-production runs from 1980) was only one quarter of Chrysler's initial projections. Sales proved insufficient even for this production level, and production continued to sharply decline throughout 1982 and 1983, prompting PSA to cancel the model altogether. By the time the Tagora was discontinued, only about 20,000 had been built; by comparison, over 116,000 Peugeot 505s and 74,000 Citroën CXs were made in 1981 alone.

Technical data:
- engine: V6
- capacity: 2664 cc
- horsepower: 166 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 170 km/h

Talbot Alpine 1600 SX

Saturday 8 December 2012
The Simca 1307 was the name under which Chrysler Europe launched its new large family car in July 1975. A modern, front-wheel drive hatchback, it was one of the first such cars in that class, along with the Volkswagen Passat, and became the 1976 European Car of the Year. It had been in development since 1972.
The model was sold under a variety of names, including Simca 1308 and 1309 models (with larger engines), Chrysler Alpine (name used for the Irish, UK and New Zealand markets), Chrysler 150 (Spanish market), Talbot 1510 / Talbot Alpine / Talbot 150 (a facelifted version launched by PSA after its takeover of Chrysler Europe) and Talbot Solara (the saloon version).
More upmarket models were designated 1308 (1508 in some markets) and 1309. All of the models replaced the Simca 1301/1501 range in France, while on the British market it was sold alongside the ageing Hillman Hunter.
Styled by Roy Axe, the Simca 1307, along with the recently introduced Volkswagen Passat, was one of several full-size European family hatchback inspired by the Renault 16 that had defined the sector back in 1965. In the 1970s the most popular mid-size cars in Europe were still traditional sedans like Ford Taunus, Ford Cortina, Opel Ascona (Vauxhall Cavalier) and Peugeot 305. The car was originally manufactured in Poissy in France, in Ryton in the United Kingdom, from 1977 in Villaverde in Barreiros, subsidiary of Chrysler Europe in Spain, and assembled from CKD kits by Todd Motors (later Mitsubishi Motors NZ) in New Zealand between 1977 and about 1983. Between 1979
and 1985 the car was also built by Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki factory in Finland and assembled in Colombia as Dodge Alpine between 1978 and 1982 at the Chrysler Colmotores in Bogotá.
In 1980 the car, which was now sold under the Talbot-brand, received a facelift. The new model was known as the Talbot 1510 (the Talbot Alpine name was used in the UK). A saloon version, called the Talbot Solara, was released that year, and produced alongside the hatchback version. In New Zealand, Chrysler, Talbot, Alpine and 1510 badges were used on the car during its lifetime, though it was officially in price lists as an Alpine, following the UK convention.
In 1982 the car was facelifted and renamed SX there. French manufacturing of 1510, Alpine and Solara, along with the smaller Horizon, ended in 1985. In the United Kingdom the last cars were rebadged as the Rapier and Minx which were badged depending on trim level rather than body style. The names were sourced from the corporate ancestor of Chrysler Europe, the Rootes Group, having been used on the Sunbeam Rapier and Hillman Minx. Supply of these models was limited and in 1986 production ceased, with the Talbot marque being shelved soon afterwards on all passenger vehicles.
Due to corrosion problems similar to those of the Horizon few Alpines have survived in the UK; according to the June 2009 issue of Practical Classics, only 15 remain in the country.
A body of the Simca 1307 was a direct inspiration for the design of Russian Moskvitch Aleko (1986–2001).

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1592 cc
- horsepower: 87 HP
- gearbox: 3+1
- top speed: 160 km/h

Talbot Horizon GT

Saturday 12 February 2011
The Horizon was a subcompact automobile developed by Chrysler Europe and was sold in Europe between 1977 and 1985 under the Chrysler, Simca and Talbot nameplates. A derivative version of the Horizon was also built in the United States under the Dodge and Plymouth marques until 1990.
The Horizon was designed by Simca, the French division of Chrysler Europe in the 1970s and introduced in 1977. It survived in various guises until 1990. In France it was initially sold under the Simca brand, whilst elsewhere in Europe it was initially badged as a Chrysler (including the United Kingdom, where it fitted into a Chrysler range which also included former Hillman models). As a result of the acquisition of Chrysler's European car division by Peugeot in 1978, both the Chrysler and Simca brands were dropped and the car was then sold under the Talbot brand in all its European markets.
The Horizon, or Project C2 as it was known inside Simca during development, was intended to be a "world car", meaning that it was designed for consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, but in execution, the European and North American versions of the vehicle actually turned out to have very little in common.
Born largely out of the need to replace the ageing Simca 1100, the Horizon was essentially a shortened version of the larger Alpine model, giving the vehicle an unusually wide track for its length. Featuring the familiar range of Simca-designed 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 L OHV engines, and torsion-bar suspension, the Horizon gained praise for its crisp styling, supple ride, and competent handling. It was voted European Car of the Year in 1979. Its launch saw to the end of the 1100 and the rear-engined Simca 1000.
The Horizon was the first British-built hatchback of this size — launched two years before the Vauxhall Astra, three years before the European Ford Escort Mark III and five years before the Austin Maestro. It did not officially replace any of the British Chryslers, despite being a similar size to the traditional rear-wheel drive Avenger saloon and estates which had been on sale since 1970 and did not finish production until 1981.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1905 cc
- horsepower: 90 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 175 km/h

Talbot Samba

Sunday 17 October 2010
The Talbot Samba is a supermini car manufactured by the PSA Group in the former Simca factory in Poissy, France, and marketed under the short-lived modern-day Talbot brand. Based on the Peugeot 104, it was the only Talbot not inherited from Chrysler Europe, engineered by PSA alone. It was also the last new Talbot to be launched, and the last in production. Its demise in 1986 was effectively the end of the Talbot brand for passenger cars. Launched initially as a three-door hatchback, it was also for some time the only supermini available in a factory-ordered cabrio body style, and the most economical car in Europe.
In an effort to make the vehicle stand out in the market against similar rivals, which included its own derivatives, Peugeot added a more glamorous two-door cabriolet to the standard three-door hatchback. Although announced at the hatchback's launch, the first models were not available until 1982. Designed and built by the Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina, who had been building open-top Peugeots since the 1960s, it came only with the 1360 cc engine; two engine versions were offered, 53 or 59 kilowatts (72 or 80 PS)—the latter was dropped after 1984. At the time of its launch it was the only cabrio supermini available from the manufacturer, although other models subsequently entered the market segment created by the Samba, including PSA's own Citroën Visa Decapotable. Pininfarina built 13,062 Samba cabriolets.
Following the rallying successes of the Simca 1000 and the Talbot Sunbeam, PSA launched the Samba Rallye. Fitted with the 1219 cc XW version of the X engine, delivering 66 kilowatt (90 PS), it came in either white or red, with a hood scoop and side stripes. In 1985, a version with the 1360 cc unit producing 59 kilowatt (80 PS) was launched, without the stripes. A special rallye-only Group B model, officially called the Peugeot Talbot Sport Samba Rallye preceded the later Peugeot 205 T16, with a 1285 cc, 96 kilowatt engine (130 PS).