Talbot

[sirwiggum]

In other motoring news,

Autoexpress are reporting that Talbot is to make a comeback as a budget brand.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoe ... ected.html

Perhaps we could see some of the interesting curiosities they sell as Pugs, such as the 206+ / Chinese '207' as a Samba?
307 as a Horizon?
308 Saloon as a Solara / Alpine?
Outgoing 407/607 as a Tagora?

Though they might do a 'Renault' and not bother retooling for right hand drive (as they do with the Europe market 206+).

Perhaps they could platform share with Fiat and rebadge a Chrysler 300 and the whole thing could come full circle...

Could PSA be the new VAG?
Peugeot as the mainstream VW, Talbot as the budget Skoda, Citroen as the 'previously quirky but trying to get upmarket' Audi?

[FarmerPug]

As long as nothing as drab and ugly as the talbot tagora is not made again good luck to them, i dont think it would be a good thing for the PSA group to try and become as big as the VAG group because at that end of the scale them companies can collapse quicker look at GM, and Toyota they have been moving hugely around the worlds biggest carmaker list a lot recently.

[turbolag]

A bold move. VW Group (they've not been VAG since the 80's, when Derek and Clive adopted 'Vaj' as a swear word) are stuggling. Skoda is no longer a budget brand, with the Fallatio now well and truly in Polo price territory, and the Glof and Audi A3, and Passat and A4 fighting for each others sales. They now have 4 brands kicking each other in the nuts for sales, with similar models at similar price points, with only perceived 'image' to choose between the 4, and with the recession it's come back to bite somewhat. There's something to be said for platform and engine sharing, but each brand fields cars so mechanically similar that there isn't much movement to price any into a different market.

It'll be interesting to see how they play Talbot, and what they hope to achieve. A lot of older models won't be viable for sale in Europe without major investment due to Euro V and and future Euro VI emissons regs, and more stringent safety requirements. I gotta agree though - please, please, please don't revive the Tagora!!!

[DaiRees]

Full circle indeed, here's my first car...

[turbolag]

Well, it beats my 1st car, a beige Allegro 1750HL.

[Welly]

LOL @ the 5-Speed sticker

[sirwiggum]

5 speeds of sheer poweeeerrrrr

My first car was a 4 speed Clio built in 1994, would've loved a 5 speed from the 80s!

Agree with VWgroup, they seem a bit confused. Especially when it comes to Seat. This was meant to be their "sporting" marque, their Alfa, but their sports cars and saloons are spread across the brand.
Audi TT, R8, A4, A6, VW Scirocco, Passat CC. All should be Seats if it wants Seat to be it's 'Alfa'.
It would be like Fiat group selling the Alfa Brera as a Fiat, and the 159/8C as Lancias.

Skoda started off as the simple budget brand with the Favorit-based Felicia. Recently though they have became popular as cut-price VWs. Fabias are seen as a Polo without the "upper class young lady" image (especially in the last VRS version), Octavias have became popular in fleets, even replacing Vectras / Mondeos. Superbs are popular with taxi drivers.

For a "exec" saloon one can have a Jetta, Passat, Passat CC, A4/5/6/8, Exeo (old A4, just don't park it next to a new A4) or even possibly a Superb (if you can ignore the Taxi driver jibes).

All of this seems reminiscent of British Leyland, unsure what to do with MG, keeping the Austins as budget in-house competitors, and with the large Triumphs, Jags and Rovers competing for the execs, albeit without the constant strikes and rust.

Pug want a "Dacia". It may be that we may not get Talbot, or if we do it is a single EU-approved car. Seems more of a move to get sales in developing markets.

[steve_earwig]

The name Talbot just reminds me of the sad end of the Arrow (Hunter, Minx, Rapier etc.) and very soon after the Avenger

[Welly]

"Gov, Gov, we forgot to make a recess for the spare wheel - where we gonna put the f*cker now?"..........>Gov thinks, scratches beard<....... "right lads, put the spare wheel on top of the engine, find a bolt or summut to stop it dancing about"........>Gov goes back to reading 'What Strike' for rest of afternoon<

[turbolag]

Anyone remember the Samba? A slightly pointless minor reworking of the pug 104. Good ones, especially 1400s and cabrios, go for silly money these days.

[DaiRees]

Yeah I remember them, they were quite chic at the time

I always wanted a Rancho

[sirwiggum]

The Sambas are the equivalent to the Aygo/C1/107 badge engineering

The Sunbeams are still quite popular in historic Irish rallying, though not as loved as the mk2 Escort!

I remember the Matra Rancho from a Corgi toy, the blue one with a rainbow on it, and as a young lad was quite puzzled, and assumed it must be some sort of Range Rover. Did see one one day though, was way ahead of it's time!

For those of us car geeks, the Austin Rover site has a fantastic history section on the Talbots:

Matra Rancho - http://aronline.co.uk/928indexf.htm
Alpine - http://aronline.co.uk/c6indexf.htm
Sunbeam - http://aronline.co.uk/r424indexf.htm
Horizon - http://aronline.co.uk/c2indexf.htm
Tagora - http://aronline.co.uk/c9indexf.htm
Samba - http://aronline.co.uk/t15indexf.htm

+ More from the Chrysler years etc.

[turbolag]

Only 7 Ranchos left in the UK. Saw one at FCS 3 years ago. It was supposed to be one of the better ones but was still pretty ropey.

[Welly]

Wasn't the Rancho a kinda Rangey/Landy copy thing but made in a 'that'll do' mentality and completely shyte in every way?

It doesn't look to have much ground clearance and I guess someone'll confirm it was a kinda Avenger Chassis with a Hilman Imp engine in the glovebox?

[steve_earwig]

Interesting read Wiggy Our neighbour's wife had a Rancho (he had a V12 Jag), It had 4x4 insurance costs, probably because too many people thought it was one. Oh, and the doors fell off.

When I was a wee lad we had a Simca 1100 Spécial, quite nippy I seem to recall, and very memorable because it was orange with 2 white stripes down the sides (which my dad did to hide the lousy respray it came with). My dad managed to get hold of the official parts diagrams, I always wondered which model got the twin twin-choke downdraught Webers I always wanted one to shove an Alpine/Solara 1600 in but by the time I could drive pretty much all of them had fallen apart with the pox.

Edit: Read Wiggy's link about it, wrong on both counts Btw - Hillman Imp engine.