How about something with 4 wheels that you don’t often hear about?
Talbot’s forgotten executive car had only a short life from 1980 to 1983 with fewer than 20,000 models ever made.
Summary
The Talbot Tagora was a large four door saloon aimed at the executive car market, dominated by the like of Ford’s Granada and Rover’s SD1.
The car itself was developed by Chrysler Europe as far back as 1976. It was aimed at replacing the ailing Chrysler 180.
When Chrysler sold off it’s loss making European arm in 1979 Peugeot Societe Anonyme (PSA) the model was re-badged as Talbot. Code named C9 the model was designed in Chrysler’s design centre in the UK whilst overall development remained in France.
Designing Tagora
The original C9 prototype was a modern-styled saloon with a low beltline and large interior dimensions made possible by the long-wheelbase.
The British design team initially proposed some stylistic features inspired by Citroen’s SM coupe. These included a front glass panel between the headlights to accommodate the number plate, round front wheel arches and rear spats (bodywork covering the visible top of the wheel).
However, back at Chrysler HQ in the USA management deemed these features too extravagant and so the design of the C9 became more conventional: front and rear wheel arches were squared off and the spats lost, and the license plate was placed on the front bumper as on most cars.
To better balance the tall silhouette, the beltline was raised. Over the course of development, the C9 also lost its vertical taillights in favour of more “fashionable” horizontal ones.
Launch
The Talbot Tagora was launched in 1980 and became available commercially in 1981.
The British billboard advertising campaign boasted “The new Talbot Tagora. Luxury and performance redefined.
There were three trim levels GL, GLS and top of the range SX.
Where Did They Go?
It had been predicted that Tagora would sell 60,000 models a year. Sadly the car never took off. During the first fifteen months of the car’s launch, in 1980/81, a mere 16,169 Tagoras were produced. The following year sales plummeted even further leading to the model being discontinued in 1983. Early predictions had been 60,000 a year by 1983 approximately 20,000 cars had been built.
In December 2010, Practical Classics Magazine reported that 99.09 percent of all UK-registered Tagoras were no longer on the roads.
The last UK-registered Tagora on the road, was believed to have been declared on a SORN (statutory off-road notice) since 2016, then returned to the road as of September 2022.
Commercial Break
If you are the owner of the last surviving Tagora we’d love to know what you think of it?