The Talbot Alpine was the British name for the facelifted Simca 1307/1308, sold on the continent as the Talbot 1510 and joined in 1980 by the four-door Talbot Solara. The original Chrysler Alpine had won the 1976 European Car of the Year, and French production of the Alpine, 1510 and Solara lasted until 1986.
Talbot Alpine at a glance
| Maker | Chrysler Europe, later PSA (Talbot) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1975–1986 |
| Class | large family car |
| Project code | C6 |
| Styling | Roy Axe and his team at Whitley |
| Engineering | Simca, Poissy |
| Layout | front-wheel drive hatchback; Solara saloon |
| Engines | 1,294 cc and 1,442 cc Poissy fours, later 1.6 |
| Gearbox | four-speed at launch, five-speed and automatic later |
| Award | European Car of the Year 1976 |
| Names | Simca 1307/1308/1309, Chrysler Alpine, Dodge Alpine, Chrysler 150 |
| Later names | Talbot 1510, Talbot Alpine, Talbot 150, Talbot Solara |
The Alpine, 1510, 150 and Solara are described in one article; based on one source (English Wikipedia).
History of the Talbot Alpine
The Chrysler Alpine, known in France as the Simca 1307 and 1308, was developed from 1972 under the code C6. It was styled in Britain by Roy Axe and his team at Whitley and engineered by Simca at Poissy. 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.
At launch the car used 1,294 cc and 1,442 cc versions of the Poissy engine with electronic ignition and a four-speed gearbox, in GL, S and GT trim. Equipment was high for the class: the later GLS had central locking and electric windows, features then usually found on larger cars. Demand rose from 400 cars a day at the September 1975 launch to 850 in December and 1,100 a day in late 1976. The 1307 had the smaller engine and the 1308 the larger; the 1309, sold as the 1609 in some markets, sat at the top. In Britain the Alpine went on sale in January 1976 beside the older rear-wheel-drive Hillman Hunter.
For 1980 the car, now sold as a Talbot, received an extensive facelift shown at the Frankfurt show. The new model was the Talbot 1510 on the continent and the Talbot Alpine in Britain, with new front and rear lights. The top SX version had alloy wheels, cruise control, headlamp wash/wipe, power steering and a trip computer, and automatic transmission and a five-speed gearbox became available. The range was simplified: the 1307 GLS became the 1510 LS, the 1307 S the GL, the 1308 GT the GLS and the 1309 SX the 1510 SX. A four-door saloon, the Talbot Solara, appeared the same year with 1.3 or 1.6 engines and trim similar to the Alpine, taking over from the Hunter as the range’s four-door family saloon.
French manufacture of the 1510, Alpine and Solara, together with the smaller Horizon, ended in 1986. At Ryton in Britain production finished in autumn 1985 to make way for the Peugeot 309, and the last British cars came in Minx and Rapier trims, names taken from the Rootes Group. In early 1985 the Finnish assembler Saab-Valmet offered a Talbot 1510 GLD with PSA’s 1.9-litre XUD9 diesel engine and 65 PS; it was the only diesel version of the Simca 1307 ever offered.
Design and features
- Award-winning shape: European Car of the Year in 1976.
- Front-wheel-drive hatchback: one of the first in the large family class.
- High equipment: central locking and electric windows in GLS trim.
- Two bodies: hatchback (Alpine/1510) and four-door saloon (Solara).
- Late diesel: a 1.9-litre XUD9 version built by Saab-Valmet in Finland.
Talbot Alpine versions
- Simca 1307/1308/1309: the original French range with 1.3 and 1.4 engines.
- Chrysler Alpine: the British, Irish and New Zealand name.
- Talbot 1510 / Alpine: the 1980 facelift, SX with alloys, cruise control and trip computer.
- Talbot Solara: the four-door saloon with 1.3 and 1.6 engines.
- Talbot 1510 GLD: the Finnish-built diesel with 65 PS.
- Minx and Rapier: the final British trim levels.
The Alpine’s engines also powered the Matra Murena, and the smaller car in the range was the Talbot Horizon. More cars are in the Talbot collection.
Sources
- Chrysler Alpine, English Wikipedia: development, engines, facelift, Solara, production
