The Talbot Tagora is an executive car developed by Chrysler Europe and produced by Peugeot Société Anonyme (PSA). The Tagora 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. Production of the vehicle was incredibly shortlived due to lower-than-expected sales - the car was withdrawn from sale in 1983. The reasons for its limited popularity will be considered here.
The position of Chrysler Europe in the late 1970s is a very confusing one. By the late 1960s, the European arm of the US company had acquired the British Rootes Group (and the marques of Commer, Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot), French firm SIMCA and Spanish company Barreiros. The result was a plethora of models competing against each other for the same sales, so the clear way forward was a course of product rationalisation. The first example of this was the Chrysler 160, 180 and 2-Litre model, being the first pan-European model offered in the UK, France and other export markets (albeit under the SIMCA brand in France). Sadly, this was not a commercially successful car in any market, but the company did learn lessons from it and a replacement was soon being planned as the executive market was very lucrative. Competitors such as Audi (100), Citroen (CX), Peugeot (604), Renault (20/30), Rover (SD1) and GM (Rekord/Carlton) were establishing themselves and Chrysler wanted some of the action. After all, what was the likelihood of two consecutive commercial flops?
The codename for the replacement was C9 and as with the Alpine and Horizon models, the development work was shared between France, responsible for the mechanicals, and the UK, responsible for the styling. Project C9 was far removed from its failed predecessor, enjoying a longer wheelbase, large glass area and svelte three-box body. The only potential disadvantage would be the powerplants - competitors offered at least a six-cylinder motor in the top-of-the-range, with Rover shoehorning in a mighty V8 under the bonnet of the SD1. All Chrysler had in its parts bin were the old inline-four cylinders, so a cost-effective alternative was needed. Chrysler approached Peugeot for the PRV V6 engine, but the request was firmly denied, Peugeot not wanting to power the top model of a direct competitor.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Channel, the looks of the car were being honed by the UK team. The car was always going to be a three-box, six-glass saloon, but early styling distinctions such as a Citroen SM-like perspex nose cone that contained the numberplate and rear wheelarch spats that covered the tops of the wheels, soon fell by the wayside as US management deemed them extravagant. Therefore, the vehicle that emerged was ultra-conservative, wearing simple-but-modern bodywork and clean lines, but devoid of any distinction.
Perhaps the biggest error was made when it came to predicting sales for the car. Chrysler had a 7% overall market share and believed that a 5% share of the executive market, which equated to sales of 60,000 cars a year, should be achievable. Such sales would soon cover the tooling costs for the car, which stood at $60 million. It should be noted that the predecessor, the Chrysler 2-Litre, only sold 30,000 a year. However, the optimistic projection was enough to secure the investment for the project. No-one was to know at that time that a second oil-crisis in 1979 would hit hard the sales of big, thirsty vehicles.
Of course, in the late 70s the Chrysler Group was wrestling with more immediate financial woes and the threat of bankruptcy, so a decision was made to sell off the debt-ridden European operations. Enter French group PSA, formed in 1976 when Peugeot took over Citroen, which acquired Chrysler Europe and all its debts for the nominal sum of $1.00. The takeover came into effect on 1st January 1979. Of course, Peugeot already had the 604, newly launched 505 and Citroen CX models in the marketplace, but the C9 project was deemed too far along to be shelved. Therefore, development continued but changes were made that enabled cost-cutting use of PSA mechanicals such as Peugeot 505/604 suspension and the narrower Peugeot 505 rear axle. This did not benefit the aesthetics of the car, imbuing it with a top-heavy appearance and an awkwardly skinny stance.
However, the car did now benefit from the availability of the PRV V6 engine, with competitive concerns now a thing of the past. Also, Peugeot made available its 2.3 litre diesel engine. with the old Chrysler 2.2 litre 4 cylinder powering the bottom end of the range. The change of ownership did not delay the car's launch by more than a couple of months, and the Talbot Tagora (as the C9 was christened) was revealed at the Paris Salon in 1980 to an underwhelmed public who failed to be excited by the car's staid appearance. There was also confusion as to where the car would fit into an already crowded PSA line up. It was priced to overlap with high-end 505 models, low end CX models and sit below the slow-selling 604. In the UK, it should have been more straightforward, with the hope of occupying fourth position behind Ford, BL and Vauxhall, much the same as Rootes had done.
The responses of the motoring press were mixed with the car garnering praise for its comfortable ride, sure-footedness (in the dry at least) and V6 performance but attracting criticism for its bland exterior appearance and basic, no-nonsense dashboard and interior. Remember, this was an executive car at the start of the 1980s when people expected a bit of flash for their cash. As the British magazine "What Car?" bemoaned, the Tagora "has such a complete blandness of style as to disqualify it instantly in a market where character and status count for so much."
It should come as no shock then, that sales were dreadful. Although a sales prediction of 60,000 a year had secured the funding for the C9 project, the reality is that less than 20,000 examples were built during the cars short three-year life. The car may have fared better if it had replaced the Peugeot 604, but in spite of Peugeot considering the proposition, the car was forced to seek out sales alongside the other PSA products. In a crowded marketplace, it is no surprise that a car from an unproven marque, competent in some areas but outstanding in none, should fail to make any sort of impact on the market. The Tagora has all but disappeared from UK roads (there was 1 vehicle on the road in 2013). As the end-product of a corporate plan intended to rationalise and reinvigorate a confusion of competing companies, it makes for a sad epitaph.