UK’s rarest cars: 1983 Talbot Horizon, one of only six left

Designed in France but eventually built in Britain, this family hatchback was one of the more surprising Car of the Year winners

Some Cars of the Year, such as the Rover P6 in 1964 and the Fiat 128 in 1970, have enjoyed enduring fame. Others suffered the fate of being virtually forgotten even before the end of their production run. The Talbot Horizon falls into the latter category, despite being Car of the Year in 1979. Today, Adam Scarborough owns one of only six surviving examples of all types – with only two GLS models such as this still on the road.
Chrysler Europe began Project C2 in 1974 to eventually replace the Simca 1100. The floorpan was derived from the forthcoming Chrysler Alpine, while Roy Axe in Coventry created the neatly anonymous styling. The Horizon made its bow in  December 1977, with the first examples built in France. Within months it was outselling the Citroën GS and the Renault 14. 
UK sales of the Chrysler Horizon commenced on 12 October 1978, with advertisements promising it was “built to win you over”. By the end of 1978, the Horizon took the Car of the Year title, defeating the Fiat Ritmo/Strada, Audi 80 C2, Opel Senator/Monza, Peugeot 305, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Renault 18. 
This newspaper found the Horizon “comfortable and reasonably quiet” with “excellent handling and interior space”. Car similarly thought it “a very good car, competent on the road, very pleasing to drive, practical and efficient”, but  Autocar complained the design was “somewhat conservative, not an obvious step forward”. Meanwhile, What Car? thought the Horizon distinctly average: “It is anonymous but comfortable, well equipped and has a good ride. Our biggest worry is the attention to detail.”
In 1978 Chrysler sold its European operations to Peugeot, which rebadged the line-up as Talbots from August 1979 onwards. British manufacture began in January 1982 and for 1983 there was a Series 2 facelift. By then, the Horizon looked dated compared with the Ford Escort Mk3 and the Vauxhall Astra/Belmont. Some owners also complained about the lack of refinement from its ex-Simca engines, with Autocar noting: “At high mileage their most obvious failing is they go noisy, with thrashy valve gear and timing chains.”
Talbot attempted to redress the balance with some remarkably bad television commercials. There was also the special edition Pullman (with tasteful gold alloy wheels) and Ultra – “Use the key to turn yourself on”, suggested one faintly desperate-sounding copywriter. UK sales ended in 1986, with the introduction of the Peugeot 309. It also marked the end of the Talbot name on cars.
About 150,000 Horizons departed the Talbot factory at Ryton near Coventry and owner Scarborough now finds “at car meets and shows there is a lot of appreciation for my Horizon because so many have disappeared, along with so many other 1980s cars. My first car was a Talbot Samba, which was about 16 years old, so I have always been interested in the brand”.
His Talbot cost £5,850 new, compared with £6,168 for an Escort 1.6 GL or £5,870 for an Austin Maestro 1.6 HLS. The Horizon GLS’s standard equipment includes an “econometer”, which illuminates on acceleration, an LED digital clock and velour upholstery faintly reminiscent of an MFI three-piece suite. As for the colour scheme, the aesthetic influence of the 1970s lasted long into the following decade.
This Horizon has never been restored and Scarborough regards its idiosyncrasies as par for the course. “She has a manual choke that took some getting used to and the gearbox is like stirring glue, but she keeps up with traffic being a 1.5-litre engine. Nearly every time I go out, even if it’s only to the petrol station, I get stopped by people who are shocked that it has survived.”
And while so many Horizons went onto a new career in – and as – kitchenware, Scarborough’s GLS is a vivid reminder of life in 1983. It was a time encapsulated not by “boy racer” favourites such as a white Vauxhall Astra GTE or a red Ford Escort XR3i but by a brown Talbot parked outside the supermarket. With the promise of a thrilling edition of Crossroads in the evening.