Brief History About Talbot
Talbot was founded in 1903 in England by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot. The company was initially setup to import French cars to the UK, followed by the assembly of French cars in the UK and then a move to Talbot branded cars.
During WW1 they built ambulances and after the war the company was took over by Darracq, which was soon in co-operation with Sunbeam, creating Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq (STD).
In 1935 the Rootes Group took over STD and in 1938 Sunbeam and Talbot formed in the UK as Sunbeam-Talbot.
In 1955 the Talbot name was dropped. In1967 Chrysler buys the Rootes Group and then when Peugeot-Citroën purchases the European part of Chrysler in 1978 they bring back the Talbot name, until it again was gradually phased out ending the brand name in 1992.
In 1979 Talbot started competing in the World Rally Championship and had great success with the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. The Lotus engine was used, as the Sunbeam motorsport division needed more power and as Lotus had been supplying their 2 litre engines to Jensen, who had just ceased trading, saw it as a good choice for them. Later the engines were built as 2.2 litres and further modified, Lotus also helped with the development of the chassis/suspension and exhaust.
see Matra for the Talbot Matra Murena
