Talbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industry's most complex. A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ...

The Invincible Talbot

Talbot was originally the British brand name used to sell imported French Clément-Bayard cars. Founded in 1903, this business venture was financed by the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, who lent his name to the firm. Clément-Bayard was a French automobile manufacturer from 1903 to 1922. ... The Earl of Shrewsbury is the senior Earl on the Roll in the Peerage of England (the more senior Earldom of Arundel being held by the Duke of Norfolk). ...

Clement Talbot Ltd was founded in 1903 under the patronage of the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot to import the popular French Clement car into Britain. From 1905, Talbots were also produced in London and the marque was very successful in competition and sales in the years leading up to the Great War in 1914.

Its greatest success occurred in 1913 when Percy Lambert drove a 25hp Talbot 100 miles within an hour at Brooklands race track in Surrey. The first truly 100mph car!

Talbot was taken over by the Paris based, but British controlled, Darracq company in 1919 and in 1920 this joint company amalgamated with the Sunbeam company to form STD Motors. (This being the origin of the present club name: "STD Register").

After the Great War the Talbot company, operating out of its factory at Barlby Road in London, had a rather lean time and its survival rested with a small 970cc ohv engined car called the 8/18hp. This was later expanded slightly to become the 1074cc 10/23hp both of which models were relatively successful at the luxury end of the small car market. Talbot's survival however probably owed more to the support it obtained from the much more successful Sunbeam part of the STD combine; a situation which was to be reversed 10 years later.

Sunbeam's designer Louis Coatalen was in overall charge but the Talbot fortunes were really turned around in the late twenties by its Swiss chief engineer Georges Roesch who designed the 6 cylinder 1665cc 14/45hp model which was introduced in 1927. From that he developed a string of successful cars including the 75, 90, 105 and 110 models.

Today, owners of surviving cars are encouraged to join the Sunbeam Talbot Darraq Register also known as the "STD Register" based in England. The above is sourced from www.stdregister.org.uk

Parallel Talbots in Britain and France

During World War I, the firm manufactured ambulances. The firm's French and British operations continued in separate, parallel production and marketing processes until 1919, when the French firm Darracq took over the company. Darracq-made Talbot models were marketed as Talbot-Darracqs. The following year, Darracq was reorganised as part of the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq (STD) conglomerate. Missing image Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Darracq poster ad, London, England Automobiles Darracq S.A. was a French motor vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq. ... Talbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industrys most complex. ... Sunbeam was an automobile manufacturer from 1899. ...

The Swiss-native Georges Roesch became chief engineer and in the early 1920's, Talbot built a number of successful models, including the 14/45 hp, or Talbot 105, which was first built in 1926. In the mid-1930's, Anthony Blight won a number of professional automobile races driving a Talbot 105. Roesch, Georges (lived 1891 - 1969) was a Swiss-born automotive engineer. ...

The Rootes era

In 1935 STD combine collapsed and the Rootes Group took over Clément-Talbot. For Rootes, profits were more important than engineering - the existing models were simply rebadged. The French factory was bought by Anthony Lago who used Talbot-Lago as a brand afterwards. 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Rootes Group is a now-defunct British automobile manufacturer. ... Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer at Suresnes, Seine. ...

In Britain, Sunbeam and Talbot marques were combined in 1938 to form Sunbeam-Talbot. Production ceased before the World War II. The original Sunbeam company was founded by John Marston in 1899 and based in Wolverhampton. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sunbeam was an automobile manufacturer from 1899. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

The Chrysler era

After the war, only the French Talbot-Lago continued until 1959. In 1967, Chrysler took over Rootes and merged it with Simca to form the backbone of Chrysler's European operations. The Talbot name was not use in this era, although the Chrysler pentastar logo gradually replaced the Rootes brands as the 1970s progressed. 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chrysler Corporation is a United States-based automobile manufacturer, since 1998 merged with Daimler_Benz into DaimlerChrysler. ... Simca Rallye 2 Simca is a now-defunct French automobile manufacturer, which also produced cars in Brazil in the 1960s. ...

The Peugeot era

At the end of 1979, Peugeot took over the Chrysler Europe (which made Chryslers in Britain and Simcas in France) and badged the whole range as Talbots. The Peugeot takeover saw the end of Chrysler Hunter production, but the Chrysler-designed 1510 (Alpine in UK), and Horizon remained in production. The last remaining car produced by the Rootes group, the Chrysler (previously Hillman) Avenger, remained in production as a Talbot until the end of 1981. 1981 also saw the end of Talbot Sunbeam production. The entry-level model in the Talbot range from 1982 onwards would be the Talbot Samba, a three-door hatchback based on the Peugeot 104 and also sold as the Citroen LN/LNA. Peugeot is a major French car manufacturer whose roots go back to bicycle manufacturing at the end of the 19th century. ... In the 1960s, Chrysler sought to become a world producer of automobiles. ... Simca Rallye 2 Simca is a now-defunct French automobile manufacturer, which also produced cars in Brazil in the 1960s. ... The Simca 1307 was a mid-sized hatchback car, sold by Chrysler in Europe and Talbot between 1975 and 1985. ... The Horizon is a subcompact hatchback automobile, designed by the European division of Chrysler from 1977. ... The Hillman Avenger is a sub-compact car manufactured by the Rootes Group, and latterly Chrysler Europe. ... In 1979, Peugeot took over the European division of Chrysler/Simca and renamed it Talbot on both European and French markets. ...

In 1981, Peugeot began producing the Talbot Tagora, a boxy four-door saloon marketed as a Ford Granada rival. But it was not popular in either Britain or France and production ceased in 1983. The Talbot Tagora was a large saloon car model produced by Talbot in France. ... The Ford Granada was the name for several cars produced by the Ford Motor Company. ...

At the end of 1984, the Alpine hatchback/Solara saloon ranges were all rebadged Minx/Rapier depending upon specification rather than bodyshell, with nameplates sourced from the Rootes Group files. During the 1960's, the Rootes group had produced the Hillman Minx and Sunbeam Rapier. Categories: Automobile stubs | Hillman vehicles ... The Hillman Hunter was a sedan automobile produced by the Rootes Group (later Chrysler Europe) from 1966 to 1979. ...

At the end of 1985, Peugeot withdrew the Talbot Horizon from production and replaced it with the Peugeot 309. Peugeot had originally planned to sell the car as the Talbot Arizona but had now changed its plans and was now intent on phasing out the Talbot Marque. The Peugeot 309 is a compact automobile designed and manufactured by Peugeot between 1986 and 1993. ...

During 1986, the Minx, Rapier and Samba ranges were withdrawn from production and the Talbot marque was shelved on passenger vehicles, although the Talbot Express panel van continued in production until 1992. The Talbot Express van was the last vehicle produced by Talbot till 1992. ...

External link

Sunbeam Talbot Darraq Register http://www.sunbeam.org.uk/

http://vea.qc.ca/vea/marques1/talbotfr.htm