CC has seen the Talbot Tagora before – indeed one of the first CC profiles I did was of the Tagora. In that case, it was a car show ready, albeit not concours, top of the range 2.7 litre V6 SX version. That version was always as rare as hen’s teeth; the more popular versions were the 2.2 litre 4 cylinder petrol and 2.3 litre turbo charged diesel 4 cylinder.
More popular is not a term often used in respect of the Talbot Tagora. To recap its history, it was a large (for Europe) executive class saloon pitched against the Ford Granada, Peugeot 505, Citroen CX, Volvo 240, Fiat Argenta, lower end Rover SD1 (2000, 2300 and 2600), Opel/Vauxhall Rekord/Carlton, SAAB 900 and the like. Despite whatever anyone in Talbot or PSA might have said, it was not realistically competing with the BMW 5 series or Mercedes-Benz W123.
In its technical make up, it was an evolution of a Chrysler Europe proposal, incomplete when that business was sold to Peugeot Citroen (or PSA) in 1978. Early styling ideas were crafted under Roy Axe, after his Omnirizon and Euro Horizon work and before his Detroit sojourn, finishing the K Car and completing the first minivans.
Once Chrysler Europe was in the Peugeot fold, things changed. The nose got longer to take the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo V6 and wishbone suspension; the rear axle and suspension came from a Peugeot 505 and the reduced rear track was a consequence; a Peugeot diesel engine was now possible alongside a 2.2 litre derivative of an old Chrysler Europe engine. The rather challenging and inelegant styling was not improved by these changes, even if internal space was impressive.
Showroom appeal was, I suspect, fairly low, unless you wanted space above all or a Q car in the form of the V6. A large interior, with a lot of plastic, a four speed gearbox and no power steering on basic models does not sound like a recipe to get people out of a sharply equipped and priced Granada or still semi-premium Rover. If you wanted a Peugeot 505 (and you probably should have to be honest), then buy a real Peugeot….
Between April 1981 and summer 1982, 16,000 Tagoras were sold across Europe; by the end of 1983 that number had grown to all of 19,500; Peugeot did the obvious at the end of 1983 and by 1986 the Talbot name had gone entirely, along with the cars inherited from Chrysler Europe.
This car was seen very recently by Roshake in Budapest, Hungary. Roshake is a loyal contributor to the CC Cohort and his photos are always worth looking at. Back in 1981-83, the Tagora (and other Talbots) would not have been available in Hungary or elsewhere behind the old Iron Curtain. Only a very, very few people could then possibly dream of having any Western car, and indeed the reported long waits for a Lada were the source of many a joke.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a market soon developed for older western cars to be exported to locations like Hungary, and I suspect this Tagora came into this category. It is likely that this car (and many others of similar origin) has been in Hungary for around 30 years and for it to be still in daily service feels like an achievement and a bit of surprise. There is one Tagora currently registered on the roads of the UK.
But I’m not sure how the owner will be able to get a replacement rear quarter panel.
Related CC reading:
Car Show Classic: Talbot Tagora – Never A Chrysler, Nearly A Peugeot
You’ve mentioned a whole range of vehicles that the Tagora competed with. And honestly, there isn’t a single one against whitch I would have preferred the Tagora. I’ve never understood the raison d’être of this vehicle. Especially not with the PRV engine.
It’s a good thing there is only one left registered in Britain. One could say, one too many
Records show that the car was first registered in Hungary in May of 1989, so it seems may have been imported just before the fall of the iron curtain.
Also, its certificate of roadworthiness expired in 2019, so its most likely waiting to get fixed up to be registered again.
Thanks for the pic, sir. This is a genuine artefact of time and place by now.
I wonder, who the hell imported this through the curtain before it fell? These poor old things look as bad as any Russian stuff of the time. French ambassador, maybe?
I don’t know if I’m right, but it seems to me that this Tagora was built on the basis of the 604, after Peugeot rescued Talbot.
The Tagora started as a Chrysler Europe project but came to market after the PSA takeover. By then, it had gained the V6 from the Peugeot 604 and suspension and rear axle from the 505.
Both the 604 and later smaller 505 had a lot of Peugeot 504 in them. So is, some 604 but not directly
If the feature car is a “DT”, there is a four banger 80 hp Peugeot made Diesel-mill in the engine bay.
This was a bloated version of the Talbot Solaro which in turn was a 1975 Chrysler Alpine with a boot. So what was the prestige in a 6 year old design that already had the taint of failure and being an orphan brand?
There is some stylistic ressemblesene to the Solara but this is a much larger RWD car with no key common elements
” … which in turn was a 1975 Chrysler Alpine …”
In Continental markets known as Simca 1307, 1308 and 1309.
I really enjoyed this. The original Tagora piece was one of the ones that started my regular reading of CC, featuring a car I had never heard of before. I had also never heard of the FIAT Argenta (to my knowledge) before today.
One Tagora still registered in the UK? I hope against hope that this one will somehow be rescued.
We got a homeopathic swab of Argentas in Australia. They’re basically a Fiat 132 in a bit of lippy and lace, and, given that the 132 was always judged as one of Fiat’s real duds, you can imagine how the Argenta was reviewed.
Back the year 1964 there were in Argentina a Morris/Austin from the Farinas series assembled here with the domestic brand Siam Di Tella, the same car launched in UK by British Leyland but obviously with leftside steeringwheel . Aside to the sibling of Riley 4/72 sedan and wagon Traveller, there was also available sort of a bizarre design for the Siam Argenta, which was neverless than a Riley 4/72 in pickup version
Another seriously rare car that’s essentially worthless being the answer to a question no one ever asked .
Still and all, it’s neat to see it still going (or, not) .
-Nate
And one in the UK. Here it is, and can be yours for the low low price of 12,995. See your local Simca, dealer for parts, er, Hillman, er, Chrysler, or .. Talbot… oh never mind.
https://www.carandclassic.com/us/l/C1909267
One turned up on a facebook Rootes page in NZ recently so at least two survive here, they are getting rare, parts will be obsolete, NFP in PSA speak, as soon as something ends production its obsolete with that crowd, good luck getting a 1/4 panel, or anything else unless theres an aftermarket supplier.
You are indeed fortunate if you have never heard of a Fiat Argenta, a car even more useless and inferior than the Solara.
Essentially, the Argenta was nothing more than a thoroughly reworked FIAT 132. And it wasn’t bad at all—assuming additional rust protection was taken care of upon delivery. What is true, however, is that by the mid-1980s at the latest, the FIAT was no longer truly up to date. This applies especially to chassis and styling, I think.
That reworking wasn’t too thorough, according to reviews. And specs. And performance.
Perhaps worst of all, the looks: the original 132 has a (small) touch of Fiat 130 sedan glam about it, whereas the Argenta looks a bit like Brezhnev with wheels.
They should have just reduced the height of the head lights a little, and the whole thing would have looked a billion Lire better. Think about the 130 Coupe.
“Brezhnev with wheels” – MY 1982 FIAT Argenta:
In Spain,the Alpine/1307/1308 was called the 150,first as a Chrysler,then as a Talbot.
The Tagora is remarkable for being (apparently) the 80s car most resembling an unstyled vehicle. Almost every where you look the forms are those required by the engineering minimum (no inflection, character, deviation, variation). Everything is parallel that can be. The only tiny hint of character is in the fine flutes of the grille and very, very tiny bends in the chrome DLO trim. The proportions are neutral. You can´t guess its driven wheels by looking at the side. But alterations amounting to some centimetres here and there would have made all the difference: a slightly bigger axle to dash ratio and a slightly slimmer DLO would have saved it (and from the front, slimmer lamps as pointed out above.
Please excuse the link
https://driventowrite.com/2017/10/29/1981-talbot-tagora-design-analyis/
The image (mine) shows what these adjustments could have looked like.
What I might do is try to adjust the photo so the proportions fit the theme drawing Talbot did. It’s like the 1979 Ford Mustang concept sketch by Fritz Mayhew – once the proportions were adjusted to fit a standard package there was no concept left.
It’s like the 1979 Ford Mustang concept sketch by Fritz Mayhew – once the proportions were adjusted to fit a standard package there was no concept left.
I don’t mind the Tagora – I’ve seen two in the metal and the styling works slightly better than in pictures. Nice and airy interior too. Still look like a clumsy version of a Volvo 760 though!
I just checked the German used car portal “mobile.de ” Among 1,461,843 offers, there’s just one Tagora. A truly impressive rate.