Miguel Sánchez
Although it has been renewed during the past 2021 to continue being a sales success, the truth is that the Ypsilon is the only model marketed by Lancia. Also, it is only sold in Italy. In this way, the historic brand founded in 1906 has a single car in a single market to justify its existence. However, after years of speculating about its closure, the reality is that at this time everything indicates that Stellantis is going to relaunch it as a premium brand. Thus, along with DS and Alfa Romeo Lancia will be one of the mainstays of the group. Connecting future and past in a celebration of the historic innovative character of the brand absorbed in 1969 by the FIAT Group.
However, why recover Lancia? If it is practically liquidated, what is the point of putting it back in the limelight? Launched into the new era of electrification, wouldn't it be better to set benchmarks created from scratch? Obviously not. And it is that the prestige associated with a certain company is not something that can be created overnight. far from it, many decades of effort are necessary to take root in the collective imagination giving added value to a few simple acronyms. For all these reasons, Stellantis knows that if Lancia calls its new high-end electric models, the relationship with the terms style, quality and innovation will be immediate.
At least in the head of any person who understands a minimum of cars. Knowing therefore that Lancia was responsible for the first monocoque chassis with the Lambda, the success in racing of the Delta or the style of the Lancia Florida. An excellent corporate image on which to build towards the future. Besides, this resurrecting brands of the past for the benefit of an advertising strategy is nothing new. After all, why did the Volkswagen Group bail out Audi during the XNUMXs? Based on what was Bugatti resurrected? And now Alpine with all the effort made by Renault? Just three of many more examples capable of justifying how the connection with a golden past helps to sell cars in the present. Something that, however, did not favor Talbot when PSA rescued it without its own credible projects.
THE BRIEF RESURGENCE OF TALBOT UNDER THE PSA GROUP
One of the brands that poses the most problems for any motor genealogist is Talbot. Born in 1903 to market cars produced by Clément-Bayard in France in the United Kingdom, its history is one of constant association and sales with other companies. In this way, Talbot entered a consortium with two other companies shortly after being founded. From which it left shortly to be renamed Talbot-Lago and later as Sunbeam-Talbot although in 1958 it was finally bought by SIMCA. A bizarre story that did not end here, because in 1967 SIMCA was absorbed by Chrysler to form together with Rootes Chrysler Europe until 1978.
By that year, only two things were clear about Talbot. The first is that between sales, takeovers and purchases, Talbot engineers had created some of the best designed automobiles in Europe during the 26s and 150s. Proof of this were the Talbot-Lago TXNUMX or the TXNUMX C-SS. Both with units mounted by Figoni & Falaschi capable of transcending time thanks to unquestionable beauty and elegance. Besides, in sports, models such as the Talbot 105 had marked an era with his speed and performance on English circuits between the twenties and thirties.
The second is that during the time that Talbot was under the control of Chrysler, Americans preferred not to use the brand. And that was eleven years without counting that in 1955 Talbot stopped putting its logo on top of the Sunbeam grilles. In other words, a total of 23 years in which the historic brand remained dormant under a complex business story going from one direction to another. Thus, when in 1978 the PSA Group absorbed Chrysler Europe, it considered what to do with the Talbot brand. Finish with her? revive her?
Fortunately, the latter was chosen, although only for a period of eight years until its final end in 1986. A transition of time in which it was used to rename the Chrysler and SIMCA models. Trying to give a certain touch of prestige thanks to Talbot's prestigious past to the old Chrysler 150 or SIMCA Horizon. Two models that, depending on the market, could oscillate between the first or the second brand, although their design always fell under the direction of Chrysler Europe. A business conglomerate that never seemed to approach the rationalization of its range on a continental scale, causing a true chaos of overlaps when it wants to unify its history.
TALBOT SOLARA, THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE VERSION OF THE RANGE
Within the reorganization to which the PSA Group submitted to Chrysler Europe, was to continue with a saloon model of medium-high range. In this way, when in 1978 the French conglomerate absorbed the American, it also did so with the projects it was developing. One of them was the C9. Started in 1976 with the idea of replace the Chrysler 180 with a more modern and efficient saloon capable of catching up with the Ford Granada, the Peugeot 604 or the Rover SD1. Undoubtedly an ambitious goal, which finally reached series under the direction of PSA in 1980 to spend only a few months on the assembly line.
And it is that, even with the prestigious past of Talbot, the French did not quite believe the resurrection of the brand. Something logical, since obviously the Chrysler authorship of the model was crying out from the four winds. And that's not to mention having his closest rivals in his own house. Clearly surpassed in France by the Peugeot 604 and 505. With this panorama, PSA pinned its hopes on the Talbot Solara. A project also cooked up by Chyrsler Europe with the idea of giving the 150 a more exclusive and elegant alternative with three volumes. To do this, it lengthened the body by eight centimeters, providing it with a large trunk to finish off its sober and timeless saloon line.
In addition, this project represented a more or less safe bet. After all, based on the sales figures for the 150 in France, these had been quite good. In fact, at the Villaverde factory -controlled by Chrysler after cornering Barreiros as a shareholder from 1967 onwards- more than 65.000 units of this model with a fifth door were manufactured. Thus, the Talbot Solara was predicted a good future taking the concept of the 150 in saloon form one step further. A type of bodywork highly appreciated at the time. Not like today. Where cars seem to take on body volume as evidenced by the rise of SUVs even among representation and high-end models.
Regarding commercial performance, it is true that the Talbot Solara was not a success. But it was not even remotely a failure, since more than 180.000 units were sold over six years. The last six of the brand. Definitively closed by PSA in 1986 as Talbot's continuity in the restructuring of a group led by Peugeot and Citroën was not clearly seen. However, the truth is that they never seemed to take seriously the possibility of doing so. Fact demonstrated by the lack of own designs for the Talbot reboot. Having used it only as a repository of the models previously devised by Chrysler.
In addition, the Talbot Solara is not that PSA put some very ambitious mechanics. With engines contained between 1,3 and 1,9 liters to deliver powers from 65CV to 92CV. Only the appearance of some versions such as the Pullman gave the range some variety, introducing slightly more careful finishes. For all this, a gloomy context was created where Talbot ended his days definitively despite having achieved builders title in the 1981 World Rally Championship. Of course, with its brief but interesting history, the Talbot Solara entered the history of Spanish motorsports as it was assembled at the Poissy -France-, Coventry -United Kingdom- and Villaverde plants.
Images: Chrysler/PSA/Unai Ona
