190 Classic Car Mart Spring 2016
THE BIRTH
OF TALBOT
The acquisition of Chrysler Europe by
France’s PSA group in 1978 saw the entire
model range re-badged as Talbots by
the following August, including the high-
performance Sunbeam Lotus featured
in this full-page ad. ‘Never let it be said
that Talbot got off to a slow start’ was the
proud headline, with the ad then boasting
that ‘the birth of Talbot could hardly be
celebrated in a more appropriate way’.
Although the Sunbeam Lotus had been
unveiled by Chrysler at the Geneva Motor
Show of April 1979, road-going versions
weren’t delivered to customers until after
the switch to Talbot – making it the perfect
model for the launch of the new marque. As
for Sunbeam and Lotus, these were hailed as
‘two of the great names in racing and rallying,
joined together to create a road model of
speed, style and impeccable pedigree’.