Chrysler Alpine: European Car of the Year, British badge

The Chrysler Alpine is the British and Irish name for the Simca 1307, a large front-wheel-drive family hatchback produced by Chrysler Europe from 1975. Styled in Britain by Roy Axe’s team at Whitley and engineered by Simca at Poissy, it won the 1976 European Car of the Year and was also sold in Spain as the Chrysler 150.

Chrysler Alpine at a glance

History of the Chrysler Alpine

Development and launch

The car had been in development since 1972 and was engineered by Simca at Poissy while the styling was done in the United Kingdom by Roy Axe and his team at Whitley. A modern front-wheel-drive hatchback, it was one of the earliest such cars in the large family class alongside the Renault 20/30 and the Volkswagen Passat, and it became the 1976 European Car of the Year. It was originally powered by 1,294 cc and 1,442 cc versions of the Poissy engine with electronic ignition and a four-speed gearbox, and was sold from launch in three trim levels: GL, S and GT. Equipment was high for the class, with the later GLS adding central locking and electric windows.

Names and markets

The same car carried a different name in almost every market: Simca 1308 and 1309 in France for the larger-engined versions, Chrysler Alpine in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, Dodge Alpine in Colombia and Chrysler 150 in Spain. In France the 1307 had the smaller engine and the 1308 the larger one, while the sporting 1307 S received twin Weber carburettors in continental Europe, keeping it in a lower tax class. Production rose from 400 cars a day at the September 1975 launch to 850 in December and 1,100 a day in late 1976. In Britain the Alpine went on sale in January 1976, just after the Vauxhall Cavalier, and was sold alongside the older rear-wheel-drive Hillman Hunter.

Facelift, Solara and the end

For 1980, by then under the Talbot brand, the car received an extensive facelift shown at the Frankfurt show and known as the Talbot 1510, or Talbot Alpine in Britain. It brought new front and rear lights, and the top SX version offered alloy wheels, cruise control, headlamp wash/wipe, power steering and a trip computer; automatic and five-speed gearboxes also became available. A four-door saloon, the Talbot Solara, appeared the same year with 1.3- or 1.6-litre engines and effectively replaced the Hunter. French production of the 1510, Alpine and Solara ended in 1986; British assembly at Ryton had already finished in autumn 1985 to make way for the Peugeot 309. The last British cars came in Minx and Rapier trims, names taken from the Rootes Group’s Hillman Minx and Sunbeam Rapier.

Design and features

• Front-wheel-drive hatchback: one of the first large family hatchbacks in Europe, with a transverse engine.
• European Car of the Year 1976: recognition for its packaging and road manners.
• High equipment: central locking and electric windows in a class where they were still unusual.
• British styling, French engineering: Roy Axe’s Whitley team shaped a car developed at Poissy.
• Many names: sold as Simca 1307/1308/1309, Chrysler Alpine, Chrysler 150, Dodge Alpine and later Talbot.

Chrysler Alpine versions

• Simca 1307: the 1,294 cc French version, with a 1307 S using twin carburettors in continental Europe.
• Simca 1308 / 1309: larger-engined French models, sold as 1508 and 1609 in some markets.
• Chrysler Alpine: the British, Irish and New Zealand name from January 1976.
• Chrysler 150: the Spanish-market name.
• Talbot 1510 / Talbot Alpine: the 1980 facelift, with SX, LS and GLS trims.
• Talbot Solara: the four-door saloon added in 1980.

The Alpine replaced the larger Chrysler 180 in the European range and was sold alongside the smaller Chrysler 1100 and the Chrysler Avenger. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.

Video: Chrysler Alpine (Simca 1307, 1308) pre-launch presentation

Video by Simca says… on YouTube.

Sources

• Chrysler Alpine, English Wikipedia: development, names, trims, production
• Chrysler Alpine, Wikimedia Commons: photographs