Talbot Tagora

Talbot Tagora

The Talbot Tagora was developed by Chrysler Europe and produced by Peugeot Société Anonyme. It was marketed under the Talbot marque after PSA took over Chrysler’s European operations in 1979. Fewer than 20,000 Tagora models were built, all of them at the former Simca factory in Poissy, near Paris, France.

About Talbot Tagora in brief

Summary Talbot TagoraThe Talbot Tagora was developed by Chrysler Europe and produced by Peugeot Société Anonyme. It 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 Simca double wishbone front suspension gave way to MacPherson struts adopted from the PeugeOT 505 and 604, and the rear axle was replaced with that of the 505, much the same as the one originally planned. The front end was extended to accommodate the optional PRV engine now that the model belonged to PSA. Following the renaming of Chrysler Europe’s models to Talbot, the car went on sale in France in April 1981 and in the United Kingdom in May. The car was christened the Tagora at the Salon de l’Automobile’ in Paris in March 1981. Following a hands-on demonstration of the model to press in Morocco in March 1982, it was put on sale on the market in France and the United States in 1982.

The first batch of cars rolled out of the former Poissy plant in April 1980 and the first batches of cars went on the sale in the UK in May 1981, and in April 1982 in the U.S. and April 1983 in the Netherlands. The C9 was designed to compete with the Citroën SM and Peugeots 604 and 505 in the large vehicle segment. It is the only PSA model to have been sold in both Europe and North America since the introduction of the Maserati Ghibli in 1973. The model was designed by Chrysler’s design centre in Britain and was based on the Chrysler 180 series. The design team initially proposed some stylistic features, including a front glass panel between the headlights, round front wheelarches and rear spats. However, Chrysler management in the US deemed these features too extravagant, so the design of the C9 became more conventional: front and rearWheelarches were squared off and the spats lost. The license plate was placed on the front bumper as on most cars. To better balance the tall silhouette, the beltline was raised. The vertical taillights were also lost in favour of more \”fashionable\” horizontal ones.