Introduced in 1902 by British-French founders  Charles Clément and Adolphe Talbot. The brand-name was reduced to Talbot after the first year.

The historic Talbot car brand has one of the most complex and turbulent histories in the automotive industry, characterized by constant ownership changes, split identities across borders, and a portfolio that ranged from ultra-luxury racing cars to everyday family hatchbacks.

PSA Peugeot Citroën purchased Chrysler Europe in 1978. To unify the various Simca and Chrysler models under a single identity, they revived the Talbot name. PSA phased out Talbot passenger cars by 1986, and the brand vanished entirely in 1994 when production of the Talbot Express commercial van came to an end.

 

Headquarters: Clément-Talbot, North Kensington, London, 1903-1919

 

Parent: Darraq, England, 1919-1935

 

Headquarters:  Rootes Group, LondonEngland, 1938-1967

 

Parent: Chrysler, MichiganUnited States, 1967-1978

 

Parent: PSA, Rueil-Malmaison, France, 1978-2021

1100 fourgonnette 1979-1985

The Talbot 1100 Fourgonnette (often designated as the VF2 or VF3 van) is a front-wheel-drive compact panel van produced from 1979 to 1985, evolving out of the earlier Simca 1100 series after PSA took over Chrysler-Europe.

The car had a practical front-wheel-drive transverse engine configuration, offering a low and flat rear loading floor.It featured an extended, high-roof rear cargo compartment (VF2) built for small businesses, tradespeople, and postal services.

The 1100 Fourgonnette primarily used the 1.1-liter "Poissy" four-cylinder petrol engine, though a 1.3-liter variant was also available in certain utility configurations. The 1.1L generated between 50 hp and 56 hp depending on the specific model year and tuning, the 1.3L produced roughly 65 hp to 75 hp.

Production of the passenger variants of the hatchback ended around 1981, but the utilitarian Fourgonnette/VF2 variants continued assembly in France until April 1985. It was widely used across Europe as a small utility and postal vehicle (famous for service with fleets like the Dutch PTT).

Out of the 2.18 million total 1100 models, approximately 39.608 were dedicated commercial vehicles (the Fourgonnette vans, VF1, VF2, VF3, and Pickups). The massive majority of those 39.608 utility vehicles were built in the late 1960s and 1970s under the Simca name. When PSA rebranded the remaining commercial lineup to Talbot in 1979, production had already slowed significantly. During this final twilight period, only a few thousand units rolled off the line each year before final assembly ended in April 1985.

tagora 1980-1983

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 its launch, and PSA cancelled the model two years later. Fewer than 20.000 Tagora models were built, all of them at the former Simca factory in Poissy, near Paris, France.

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.

As with most large cars of its time, the Tagora was a rear-wheel drive vehicle, with a longitudinally mounted engine. There were three engine choices, mated to four- and five-speed manual transmissions or an optional three-speed automatic in the case of the four-cylinder engines.

The available models were the 2.2-litre OHC I4, 115 horsepower, the 2.3-litre XD2S OHV turbodiesel I4, 80 horsepower and the 2.7-litre PRV OHC V6 166 horsepower. The V6 model, which was actually badged "2.6", came in the top SX trim level, loaded with extras, but was not available with automatic transmission.

The Tagora was ultimately launched under the Talbot brand, which was not established in the marketplace and had a confused pedigree, putting the car at an immediate disadvantage in an executive car market dominated by well established offerings such as the Ford Granada. In the view of Martin Buckley Talbot did not advertise the car effectively so "people did not know about the car".

solara 1980-1986

The Talbot Solara is a mid-size four-door notchback sedan produced from April 1980 until 1986 by PSA Peugeot Citroën under the Talbot marque. It was a three-box saloon version of the Talbot 1510 (Chrysler Alpine in the UK) hatchback, which itself evolved from the Chrysler-Simca 1307 series.

The Talbot Solara was released with either 1.3, 1.5 or 1.6 engines, and was produced alongside the hatchback version. Trim levels were similar to the 1510/Alpine. It effectively took over from the Hunter, axed a year earlier, as the four-door large family saloon in the range. It was available with a four-speed manual, five-speed manual, or three-speed automatic.

    The Solara was heavily shaped by its complex mix of French engineering, American ownership roots, and high-tech features that were very advanced for an early-1980s family car.

    By 1984, the Talbot brand was struggling to compete against mainstream rivals like the Ford Cortina and Vauxhall Cavalier. In a final rebranding push for the UK market, Peugeot officially dropped the "Solara" nameplate from price lists and revived two legendary names from the historic British Rootes Group; the Talbot Minx and the Talbot Rapier. Production of these British-built cars ended at the Ryton plant in the summer of 1985, though remaining dealer inventory meant some models were registered into early 1986.

    arizona 1985

    The Talbot Arizona was a development prototype for a compact family car designed to replace the Talbot Horizon, but it was ultimately launched to the market in late 1985 as the Peugeot 309 instead of a Talbot after PSA Peugeot Citroën decided to phase out the Talbot brand for passenger vehicles.

    The Peugeot 309 is a small family car that was manufactured between 1985 and 1994 in France, England and Spain by PSA Peugeot Citroën. 

    It was the replacement for the Talbot Horizon, which had started life as a Chrysler in Britain and a Simca in France, and was also being built in several guises for the market in America. In 1985, the PSA Group decided to discontinue the Talbot brand, with the last passenger vehicle branded as a Talbot to be launched being the Samba of 1981, and to market the car as a Peugeot instead.

    The car was built at the former Simca and Rootes facilities in Poissy, France, and Ryton, England.

    To save massive research and development costs the designers utilized the side door shells and a streched floorplan from the smaller Peugeot 205.

    The initial engine line up in the United Kingdom market consisted of the chain driven Simca derived 1118 cc and 1294 cc overhead valve petrol units from the Horizon, and Peugeot provided 1580/1905 cc petrol belt driven overhead camshaft XU units. Spanish-built cars also used the 1442 cc and 1592 cc "Poissy engine", as seen previously in the Simca 1307 and Solara as well as the Horizon, instead of the 1580 cc OHC.

    The Talbot brand was phased out completely when Talbot Express production stopped in 1994.

    1903-1908

    1908-1919

    1919-1935

    1935-1938

    1938-1954

    1954-1958

    1962-1977

    1977-1995