Oh man! My Dad got me one in 1991 from an old chap who’d had it from new. Drove that car everywhere, midlands to London to Scotland. It was such a great car!!!
I worked for Rootes,Chrysler and then Peugeot Talbot. The Alpine was a very advanced and progressive car. The first car delivered was a 1300 GL in royal blue. Yes they were tapperty and the gear change was difficult after a while but they were quick in 1442 form, superb cruisers, safe and economical. The series 2 cars were far better but typical of Chrysler, the Alpine and Solara suffered from under investment but they were trend setters and sold well. Avengers and Hunters soon felt old compared to the Alpine. Some lovely special editions too. Nice to see this feature
I worked at a Talbot dealer back in the day, had a couple of Alpines, the series 2 ones were better, I bought on with 136000 miles on it for £225, sold it on 155000 miles for £125.
My enduring memory of one of these was that my next door neighbour had one in blue, he backed out of his drive one Sunday, early evening, as i was riding my bike down the road...you see where this is going...wallop!! One 9yr old Kev headbutting the rear, driver side passenger door and smashing one of his front teeth clean in half for which ive had to wear a crown for the last 43yrs😮. So, headache, toothache and my Dad giving ME a horrendous bollocking for denting Mr Walsh's pride and joy, ah well, there it is, me, my bike, a blue Chrysler Alpine and a 43yr old false tooth😂😂
I've read that the Simca 1100, Alpine and "Chrysler Horizon" were all basically the same platform, with the same torsion-bar suspension. We never got those here in the USA, but we got a look-alike version of the Horizion (and sister-car, Dodge Omni) with a front-strut, rear-twist-axle suspension in place of the torsion bars; Chrysler probably thought that a Golf-like suspension would be easier to sell here. That car was stretched into the K-car that kept Chrysler profitable through the 1980s. It's nice to see this piece of automotive history preserved; thanks for posting!
My grandad owned one of these from new and it just looked so incredibly modern for the time. The engine was pretty refined too. People remember Alpines as being tappety but they only got like that due to poor maintenance. They were supposed to have the valve clearances checked and adjusted regularly as part of the service schedule, but it was a fiddly job so most owners didn't bother.
"They were supposed to have the valve clearances checked and adjusted regularly as part of the service schedule, but it was a fiddly job so most owners didn't bother." We had hydraulic valves here in the states since the 1960's... Only crappy imports needed regular valve adjustments....
My memory from the time was it cutting out every time it went through a puddle. I think it was something to do with the distributor being mounted 2 inches from the ground.
The ride and the comments, lot of fun and information. So glad to hear mentioning Bogotà, where I`m writing right away. The car actually was assembled here by Chrysler Colmotores Assembly plant, but the CKD came from Spain, in order to get down cost of manufacturing, because the money exchange of those days. I`d one of this, almost a clone showed here, 1979, 4 speed gearbox, 1442 cubic centimetres, two barrel spanish Bressel carburator, 3.9 final gear ratio, excelent for mountain ranges driving like the Colombian topography, 45 to 50 kms/per galon, good performer. The plant run the line with some cosmetic and paint job features, but mechanically was pretty the same one, from 1978 to 1981, known here as Dodge Alpine. Had to sell it in 1996 because some financial issues. The model of the video is splendid, stunning, no doubt about it.
The company I worked for ran a small fleet of Alpines, I purchased one AAW387T in very shiny metallic silver from them, with 90,000 miles at 3 years old! it was a great reliable car
My Dad had one of these back in the early 1980s in Northern Ireland. It would sit in the Car park in the Maze Prison while on duty. He washed it one day and put his hand through the drivers wing and slice his had open. it often popped the rear screen when the boot was closed! it was in Gold. He never bought another Gold car LOL! I remember the Fue Orange air fresher hanging off the interior mirror!
This brings back more memories than any other car video, I bought a 1979 Alpine in 1987 for 250 quid and I drove it all over the UK from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland. I got married in it, drove my first son back from the hospital in it when he was born. I maintained it using mostly parts from scrap yards. It was comfortable and reliable but in the end the corrosion was the end of it, mine was the 1442cc ticky engine. I'm so happy to see this video
Amazed to see this after so many years. My dad bought 3 in succession in the late 1970s. The first was metallic ‘champagne’. The second was gold with blue pinstripes. Mum wrote it off on the M40 near Oxford… the third was dark blue with a vinyl roof, grey velour upholstery, front headrests and ELECTRIC WINDOWS! I thought the sloping hatchback extremely futuristic and sporty after our previous Hillman hunters.
I remember looking out the back bedroom window at all the Chrysler, Simca and Dodge cars, vans and lorries coming out of the factory after being built here in Santry, Dublin, Ireland. I used to sit at that window for hours. Thanks for the memories.
I had the Solara 1.6 back in 1987 gear change was a bit sloppy, but i discovered it has a secret it was amazing in the snow and ice unstoppable and very comfortable. This one is amazing what a survivor(:
My Dad was a Rootes salesman and I remember having a Matchbox toy car version of this exact car, in this exact colour! His best story was having a Hillman Imp company car with a plexiglass boot (engine) cover. He had it replaced a few times as he kept getting shunted by people getting too close looking through the cover at the engine! 🤦🏻♂️
Our family car for 10 yrs and the car I learnt to drive in! The engine sounded like a bag of spanners in a tumble dryer but it was utterly reliable and very comfortable. The entire family went on holiday in it including my grandfather, mum, dad, and four kids! I sat in the boot😂😂 my family didn’t have much money and these were very cheap cars as the British public were a conservative bunch when it came to cars. It also saved the family’s life as we were all in it when a truck side swiped us and wrote her off, I remember my mum cried when it was winched onto a low loader and taken the scrap yard.
I remember when a mate of mine's sister got one of these just after launch. In a weird sort of peach with a brown vinyl roof. We were all so in awe she let us just all sit in it to let the splendour soak in
My dad was an economist who did some work for Chrysler in Coventry. He was rewarded with the offer of a Solara... mum preferred the Alpine and we got a metallic blue one. It was a nice car that lasted years!
Absolutely love this. Used to get to school in one of the first Chrysler Alpines, a 1978 1.3 GL like this. I loved the seats, the dashboard and the airy cabin. I drove a 1981 Talbot Solara 1.3 later and I instantly loved that dashboard. I discovered the ride comfort, sharp steering and indestructible engine. The gearshift was worn and saggy but all of the ratios were present and correct. The spindly stalks fell to hand nicely and were very intuitive. The car did roll in the corners and gave an oil warning light on every energetically taken bend but it proved very reliable in daily use. That 1978 Chrysler Alpine was replaced by a 1984: Peugeot 305 GLD which droved quite similarly but cruised far more relaxingly.
Thanks for the memories! I inherited a two tone blue Alpine Rapier 1.6 from my Uncle, it was on a C plate (1986) the notchy 5 speed gearbox, later to make its way into the Peugeot 309, was a feature. It was a great car to run about in.
Hired one of these (a1308) in France in about 1979 I think (after totalling a 504 Ti one night on the autoroute). I found it really practical and surprisingly comfortable for 4 people and a stack of ski gear. A forgotten classic.
Great trip down memory lane. My dad had a metallic green Sunseeker edition as his company car back around 1980. It was the first car I ever drove on open army land in Aldershot by Rushmoor Arena. A sunroof, cloth seats & electric front windows was exotic stuff back then as were the body graphics & multi spoke alloy wheels. I remember the three stalks on the column as shown & it not having the most positive gear change. Can’t believe this one survived so well.
The bottom trip level was LS, where you got no radio, no centre console and they deleted the rec counter and oil pressure gauge. You missed one thing, that centre console also led into rear air vents for the footwell. The car was launched as a Chrysler in 1976, but had been on sale in France as a Simca since 1975. This car in 1979 was one of the last before the facelift version arrived and of course the notch back Solara. Sad that I know all this but I grew up going to school in 1976 next to the Whitley design centre where they styled the Chryslers of the 70s.
As I remember the LS or LE were the bottom of the range. I am not sure the instruments are original on this, I did not think this model has a rev counter, however I maybe wrong. It was a long time ago.
We had a metallic bronze 1442 one of these when I was a teen. Orange checky seats. Loved it despite the tappetytappetytappy tappets, that and the horrendous rust, and the stuck door handles and no rear wiper hmm
A time warp 1970s car. Remember reading the road tests of these on their release. Won ECOTY! That blend of brown and creams, pure 1970s. After the harsh winter of 1978/ 79, yes the heavy snow , the winter of discontent, I remember one of the sales representatives from the company I was working at the time , Fry’s Metals of Kidderminster no less, changed his Cortina for one of these , in favour of better traction being FWD .
I had one of these, but the larger engine It was a very good car, but floated like a boat on roundabouts, although if you could cope with leaning until your ear touched the road, the car stuck like a limpet. The gearchange came loose, and the RAC guy covered the ball with tape, rammed the joint back together and it continued like that until it died. Eventually, it failed an MOT - the front panels were only connected at the bottom. Almost the entire front had rotted off. Good times.
These were voted Car of the Year in the same year I started my apprenticeship as a mechanic in a Rootes/Chrysler dealership. They really were very advanced in many ways, electronic ignition as standard too when most cars still on points. They had their issues like any car but they were generally reliable. I enjoyed working on them and had many different ones as my own cars over the years. Like all Rootes/Chrysler UK and Talbot vehicles of the time they suffered from a lack of development as the designs aged. I'd buy this one tomorrow if I had somewhere to put it.
Oh Wow, this takes me back, to 1979 to be precise, I bought a 2 year old Alpine S a gold one, to be precise, which I ran for 3 years & did 56k miles in it, yes the 1442 engine was noisy, but it didn't impede the performance, plus I was a mechanic then & friend of mine worked at a Chrysler dealership & new a way to quieten the tappett, I got married in 1980 & my father in law bought a green metallic Alpine GL, this a 1300 engine & sister in law bought a Talbot Solara, an Alpine with a boot, they were actually good cars despite what history says, certainly better than anything British Leyland were making at the time, a lot of memories seeing this video, thanks for uploading 😊👍
I had a teacher at school who had one of those. This was back in the 80s in Scotland. He from Florida and he was an art teacher. He was a Vietnam veteran and he had PTSD and he drank quite a lot of whiskey, sometimes at lunch time and even drove drunk. But with all of that, he was a thoroughly nice guy and very compassionate, with a real sense of fair play. Back in the 80s, drunk driving was far less on the radar of cardinal sins, so don't be too harsh on him. His was a mid blue metallic 1500. A nice motor.
My Auntie Pauline passed her test in 1980 and bought one of these new in a metallic green. She had it for at least 10 years and frequently drove to her parents in Buckinghamshire. There used to be yellow one near me which was an auto, and sounded very together I thought for an old car like that. Another great review Mat!
Writing from Italy.... My Dad bought in 1976 a 1308 GT, the french name, and I learned how to drive on this car. Our family had a very good feeling with this car, and my Dad sold it after his retirement in 1983 with more than 300.000 km and very good condition, for a brand new Lancia Delta 1.500 LX. Great car !!!
Fantastic, after passing my test aged 17 in 1985 in a Talbot Horizon, had the same model in red, really mother's car but as she could no longer drive due to a back injury became my first car it had in fact originally been my dad's company car he used to get a new one every 18 months and when the Alpine was up for replacement he bought it off the company and moved on to a white Solara. I loved the Alpine it flew once it got going and it was really practical for camping trips even slept in it one time. Way ahead of the rival Ford/Vauxhalls of the 70's. It had a rev counter too!
My dad had a 79 Chrysler Alpine, in the GL trim as well!👍 Wow! 😮What a coincidence! Plus I learned to drive in it as well, & it took me awhile to get used to the heavy clutch pedal & the notchy gearbox as well. A neighbor two doors down had the top of the range GLS trim & I was envious of the owner with the extra equipment.😤 It rusted away like most cars of that era, but the one you drove in this video is in great condition, not like my dad's one. & It won the car of the year in 1976, so it must've been a great car then!👍👌👏👏
My first car was a 1400 Alpine in metallic green, probably in around 1985? My mum asked the local garage to find a used car for me and this is what I got! This video brings back so many memories and has reminded me what a great car it was!
I had a 1979 Talbot Alpine GLS. It was my second car and I loved it. Red with a vinyl roof! Engine was a bit tapetty and the gear change a bit stiff but it was quite quick and comfortable. Thanks for the video Matt. Brings back memories.
They were ahead of their time for quite a while. Personally I think the 309 was the best out of what became of this, I also liked the Sunbeam and Solara.
I always thought these were quite stylish cars back in the day. My dad’s mate had one but didn’t like the fragile plastic bumpers. Nowadays every car has painted bumpers which are ruined by the slightest nudge. Maybe Talbot were ahead of the game? Seems a big car for a 1300cc engine too!
Matt, I bought a Toyota Corolla coupe in Australia in 1978. If one of these Chrysler Alpine 1.3 five door hatchbacks were sold in Australia then, I would have bought one, and likely kept it for ten years. Instead, I had two Daihatsu Charades in the eighties, and a Mazda 121 three door hatchback in 1989. It's a pity these were never sold in Australia.
Down memory street. Grew up in the 1970s and early 80s near a Rootes/Chrysler/Tablot/Peugeot main dealer. Family, friends and neighbours worked and/or bought cars from there. From memory the Apline engines all had tappet/cam rattles as standard.
My company had one as a "pool" car, and I was called to drive some colleagues home after some significant snow (guessing that would be winter 1981/82), and I was delighted to discover that it was handling very safely in the snow. Learned to enjoy driving that thing. I also remember having extreme difficulty turning on the headlamps; it never occurred to twist the knob at the end of hhe stalk!!
An excellent review covering all the brilliant features of the wonderful Alpine. I had one of these in 1997 and had many happy camping trips in it down to Swanage from Southampton. I love the forward sloping shark nose grille and the big headlights. The engine was transverse, and remember the carb being a little bit troublesome with blocking pilot jets. It got a little bit rusty in the end but still lasted 22 years.
Great review Mr Furious. When I was a young man in the early 1980s, I was often given a company car for a few weeks that had done its 3 years and was due for replacement. Anyway, one of these was a Chrysler, or possibly Talbot Alpine GLS. It had the 1442 engine and my lasting memory was how nippy it was. Maybe these few extra ccs made all the difference, but I really enjoyed driving it.
My parents bought it's smaller brother a 1980 Horizon 1.3 LS in 1986 but I would have been happier if they bought an Apine or a Solara instead. Did those rear tail lights also get fitted to the Sunbeam supermini?
Looks amazing; always loved the design of these cars (especially the steering wheel👍). We knew them as Talbot in Denmark. Think there was also a saloon version later, called Solara? Brown is so underrated.....☺️👍
Brings back memories my Dad had one when I was a child. A T reg in Silver/Grey so reliable except from when the accelerator cable snapped at 70mph on the M8
Oh my goodness , what a horror. Remember seeing those rattle past, thankful, I never had to ride in one. What a charmed childhood I had, thanks to Dad.
Wonderful video Matt and loved seeing the early alpine cannot remember when I last saw one must be 1990s they were ahead of their time and cruelly under rated they were great cars roomy and comfortable and bomb proof mechanics that all people seem to remember for the tappets and noise. In reality they were equal to other cars of the 70s We had a Talbot horizon series 2 the smaller sibling of this one so comfortable for a family and well equipped ours was the ultra limited edition we did 89000 miles with no issues only the pickle jar bottle exploded when the car overheated due to thermostat going bit other wise never ever let us down I would have one in a heartbeat
OMG! My grandad had one of these (A Talbot Alpine in the 'Goldy' colour)! And, when I turned 17 (1988), it was then passed onto me for my first car (I wanted a Fiesta or Escort lol), but, I had some great fundriving the 'Old girl' with a couple friends! 🤣🤣👍 😎🇬🇧
Well now........I had one of those! Rotted away in 18 months of my ownership, do not under any circumstances drive this in rain and never on salted roads. Make sure you have a working radio to drown out the hydrologic tappets. The only good thing about it was you could pull the headrests off pull the seats forward, drop the seat backs level to the rear seats and surprendre you have a double bed, mind out for the gear knob. Don't break the radiator overflow pickle jar! Never jack it up on wishbone front, it tears the ball joint rubber mounts, good luck replacing those.
The worst car I ever had. Simca 1308 1978. Bought by me in 1983. After a huge amount of costs, including having to change the clutch plates and a shortfused ignition system, failing the MOT/APK because of rust in 1985, Bad memories all the way!
We had a horizon and that pickle jar blew up in ours when the thermostat and it over heated those engines were great to work on and we soon had it up and running again
I have a massive soft spot for the Alpine, had two of them back in the early 90’s, both GLS models with rev counters & electric windows, they were both excellent cars for a 19yr old!
It was used as a prototype. Ultimately, only the greenhouse survived. The floor, the front and and the back, the driveline layout, suspension, engine are all different.
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I must have been around 5 or 6, when my Dad, a notorious Simca owner for many years, came with that beauty, a 1307 S, in Royal blue, white bumpers and black vinyl interior with holes. The seats became extremely hot in summer, no way to sit with the bare skin on it, like when wearing shorts like on holidays in Ticino, the italian speaking part of Switzerland. I'm actually not sure, why the entire family loved that specific car most, was it the friendly face of the broadband headlights, the royal blue metallic (which was quite a remarkable colour), or the harmonic hatchback silhouette, much nicer than the hyena-like back of the orange-gold Simca 1100 that we've had before. The successor became the Opel Ascona (Vauxhall Cavalier) hatchback btw. I'm Swiss and i'm fully understanding his excitement of that specific car. 🙂
Oh i remember these, they're still a gorgeous looking car. We nearly got one when I was a kid, my Dad was a Hillman man, he loved his Hunter estate, wouldn't part with it until rust finally claimed it. It gad been so long since he'd last looked at a new car he couldn't believe how much they'd moved on, the Alpine impressed but he said that Toyota was now the way & he wouldn't be swayed, so we had Corollas for years after that 😂
Back in 1981, my dad had the 1442 cc Alpine GLS in Red Reg BNE 347T and in 1985 I got my first car which was it's baby brother in the form of a Chrysler Sunbeam 1.3 GL in Emerald Green, Reg DED 429T The thing I remember about my dad's car was the engine was very tappety and the gearbox was like stirring a bowl of porridge. But for the time it was a pretty advanced car and had plenty of room.
I had two of those wonderful cars in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s My first one was a ‘W’ registration Talbot Alpine 1.6 SX Auto in metallic blue- then the top of the range with such luxuries as electric windows, central locking and cruise control. One of the comfiest cars I’ve ever owned. Fast forward to the early 90s and I needed a car quick to replace a Ford Cortina that someone stole and I came across a gold ‘A’ registration Talbot Alpine 1.3 LS - with a four speed gearbox like the one here. Great cars to drive but unfortunately they rusted badly. I’d love to have a drive in this one.
My second car in 1989 after a mk1 Escort. I ran the bright orange Alpine for a few months before the engine mount failed and the engine dropped out. Still managed to limp 40 miles home! Happy carefree times as i just got rid and bought a Renault 14.
Thanks for your review of a great example of a very interesting and able car. I worked for a south London engineering company in those days that made the production line jigs for attaching the alternative upper structure that changed the Alpine hatchback into the Solara four door saloon with a boot. They were both considered pretty and well designed cars in their day. Thanks again
Dear old dad owned a 1978 burnt orange 1442cc Alpine, forget the precise model but remembered the reg VMR960T... Very practical car and still looks remarkably handsome today, all things considered. Painted the headlights yellow and added a roof rack to tour it around French campsites etc in 1979 - comforting to know the local French garages understood it well, but it was dependable and never needed rescuing. It replaced an Austin Maxi so we were used to hatchbacks, but this was a leap forward. Had the doors sprayed inside with 'WaxOil' which staved off the inevitable rust. He said at the time it was the best car he ever owned and I can believe him although he also enjoyed his Citroen BX that replaced it, but that's anthoer video...
Absolutely loved this. We had a 1442 Alpine GLS tin brown to replace our Mk 1 Cortina Estate, which was a hopeless starter and a gas guzzler to boot. The steering on the Alpine was heavy to park, the engine noisy and the gears very clonky after the super slick Cortina. That said it felt really quick, we managed 100 - we were 18 at the time, it always started, was comfy, roomy and great on fuel. It felt like a different time to the Cortina. We all loved it. I looked it up and it was scrapped in 1992, sadly. Thanks.
Sold very well in the 1970’s in Holland, at one moment there were at least 4 brand new of these cars in my street of 46 houses. In my neighborhood somebody replaced the original bumpers for handmade chromed metal ones in the same shape as the factory ones. In those days a lot of people had strong feelings against those ‘plastic’ bumpers introduced in 1972 by the first Renault 5.
13:36: Wrong. It should have been: ‘’So if you do get a flat tire, you have to crawl halfway under the car and get yourself messy and wet just to discover that the wheel was firmly rusted in place and impossible to remove with the tools you typically have available at an unplanned stop on the side of the road.’’ Don’t ask me how i know…
We used to have a Solara in our street for many years and was well looked after. An enjoyable review on the Alpine Matt, think I would have one over a Cortina as well.
My first car was a New Zealand 78 Alpine with the 1442 cc motor. I purchased it in 1986. We looked at lots of cars in the NZ 5k price range. It appeared one could buy an Alpine for half the price of a Cortina and the same money as a Hunter or Avenger. Rust was my major battle, not structural. And all easily fixed. I think rust proofing and paint was a little hit and miss from it's maker Tood Motor Corp. still no worse than the others On the road it was excellent except for the noisy engine, I probably drove it far too fast thinking nothing of cruising at 5000 Rpm. I had to adjust the tappits often sometimes be almost half a turn. Finally 15 years later I lived some of the Alpine again a the Peugeot 309. Style..
This car looks really amazing. Even in Germany the 1307 1308 was very succesfull. Also often in that brown colour. A big competition was the Passat those days. Like the most cars of those times the Chrysler had massive rust problems and unfortunately also lot of issues of all kinds. They lost their value quickly. To me those cars looked very nice. I never got experience to drive one. In my old toybox with toycars from Corgi, Hotwheels or Matchbox you can also find lots of the french Majorette brand. And from that brand I'm still having a bluemetallic colour 1308 GT. It was one of my favorite toycars, because you could put a caravan behind too. Great video. Thank you for showing it.
Glad to see you enjoying an Alpine, I adore my end-of-line Talbot Alpine Minx, they are fantastic cars & people really don't give them enough credit. Daresay, the damage is done with only twenty cars left after a nine-year run in the UK
I remember my uncle having one, burgundy with a white vinyl roof, it had electric windows and electric Aerial mounted on the front wing. It was like a spaceship at the time. Then the aerial fell through the wing due to the ring of rust that had grown around its base
Nice video and a lovely example. The first car I ever drove was an Alpine. My Dad had a 1980 model. It was similar to this but the nose was angled the other way after the facelift. I think the dashboard buttons were more symmetrical but it otherwise looked the same inside. I think it had Talbot badges on the outside but a Chrysler badge on the steering wheel. Having a radio/cassette player facing upwards, just below the ashtray was a terrible design choice. It was only three or four years old but already had a rust hole below the rear window which I remember being invisibly filled before re-emerging. Severe rust on a car of that age wasn't particularly unusual at the time. The beige bumpers looked very grubby very quickly. The solution, adopted by many owners, was to paint them matt black. By the time I got my hands on it, the clutch was very worn and care was needed to move the gear lever very gently, so that it didn't immediately disengage after a change. My Dad did this automatically but it was challenging for a learner. I haven't sold this long-defunct car very well but people who dismiss cars of this era as junk often don't remember what the competition was like. In 40-plus years of motoring, it was the only car that my Dad liked enough to replace with another of the same model. His second one was a very late model with two tone paintwork, power steering and the revived Rapier name. I think Talbot revived the Minx name for the equivalent Solara.
I bought a 1442cc Alpine GLS brand new in November 1976 for £2850 in metalic grey. Had it dinotrol treated from new. Did a lot of miles including towing a caravan, good car in its day.
Had a 1442cc Alpine as a company car in 1979 and I loved it! So modern when compared to my previous Ital! Then it was taken away and replaced by a Cortina 1.6 L Economy! This had a de-tuned motor plus a high ratio diff to give super economy. God it was slow. The only upside was that my employer's system of mileage/model-based fuel allowance meant I scored a `free' tank of fuel about every five fill-ups! When I left that job my next car was a Triumph Acclaim - now THAT was a car to cherish even though it was only 1335cc it was superb.
Love your hommage to the unsung heroes of the auto industry. When I was a kid and colleted matchbox, majorette, siku and guisval model cars, I always looked for regular cars for my 4 floor toy parking. Sometimes I choose a rolls or a Jag, and the ocassional 911. I wanted the reality of it. An alfa romeo carabo or a lamborghini espada would have been off
My dad (like everyone else's on this thread!) had one, ODT 957X. It had been resprayed by a previous owner who looked like he'd used his cat as a brush! Dad did get it resprayed before selling it and it was the first car of his I drove after passing my test. It really had the devil's own gearbox in it; I definitely learned how to double declutch in that car! Oh, and you couldn't hear the tappets because of the whining from the worn diff!
My father bought a metallic blue Simca 1308 GT that was the top of the range at that time including features like electric windows, rev counter - and headlamp wipers! At first he was very proud of it but it had so many flaws that it spent more time in the workshop than on the road. He therefore finally replaced it by a Simca Horizon Jubilee that was painted in a two-tone brown metallic colour. The lower part of the body was painted in the same brown colour as the Alpine whilst the upper part was painted in a more golden metallic colour. Love to see reviews of Chrysler Simca/Talbot cars! 😍😍😍
I would still rather have a Cortina estate. Not sure how much these share with the Simca 1100 but my dad had one of those from new and passed it on to my brother a few years later. At some point a driveshaft let go and one front wheel was hanging off at a drunken angle!
Wow. My first car was a 1.5l Chrysler Alpine... BYG 820T. My second car was a 1.6l Talbot Alpine... ARG 895V. I loved them both very much as a young new driver. Great seeing this car again! Noisy engines though!
Oh man! My Dad got me one in 1991 from an old chap who’d had it from new. Drove that car everywhere, midlands to London to Scotland. It was such a great car!!!
My father wanted one in '76. Beyond his means, sadly.
As a young lad in 1986, I got my hands on one for little money, and ran it on a shoestring!
Great little car !
My hands were for free.
I worked for Rootes,Chrysler and then Peugeot Talbot. The Alpine was a very advanced and progressive car. The first car delivered was a 1300 GL in royal blue. Yes they were tapperty and the gear change was difficult after a while but they were quick in 1442 form, superb cruisers, safe and economical. The series 2 cars were far better but typical of Chrysler, the Alpine and Solara suffered from under investment but they were trend setters and sold well. Avengers and Hunters soon felt old compared to the Alpine. Some lovely special editions too. Nice to see this feature
I worked at a Talbot dealer back in the day, had a couple of Alpines, the series 2 ones were better, I bought on with 136000 miles on it for £225, sold it on 155000 miles for £125.
My enduring memory of one of these was that my next door neighbour had one in blue, he backed out of his drive one Sunday, early evening, as i was riding my bike down the road...you see where this is going...wallop!! One 9yr old Kev headbutting the rear, driver side passenger door and smashing one of his front teeth clean in half for which ive had to wear a crown for the last 43yrs😮. So, headache, toothache and my Dad giving ME a horrendous bollocking for denting Mr Walsh's pride and joy, ah well, there it is, me, my bike, a blue Chrysler Alpine and a 43yr old false tooth😂😂
To Kevin Gregson! You definately know how to recount a grand story!
A lovely story 👌👌
I've read that the Simca 1100, Alpine and "Chrysler Horizon" were all basically the same platform, with the same torsion-bar suspension. We never got those here in the USA, but we got a look-alike version of the Horizion (and sister-car, Dodge Omni) with a front-strut, rear-twist-axle suspension in place of the torsion bars; Chrysler probably thought that a Golf-like suspension would be easier to sell here. That car was stretched into the K-car that kept Chrysler profitable through the 1980s. It's nice to see this piece of automotive history preserved; thanks for posting!
My grandad owned one of these from new and it just looked so incredibly modern for the time. The engine was pretty refined too. People remember Alpines as being tappety but they only got like that due to poor maintenance. They were supposed to have the valve clearances checked and adjusted regularly as part of the service schedule, but it was a fiddly job so most owners didn't bother.
"They were supposed to have the valve clearances checked and adjusted regularly as part of the service schedule, but it was a fiddly job so most owners didn't bother."
We had hydraulic valves here in the states since the 1960's...
Only crappy imports needed regular valve adjustments....
Tappety. That's my memory of these from the time.
But the simca poissy engine just kept on going and so reliable we had a horizon 1.3 same engine as in that
My memory from the time was it cutting out every time it went through a puddle. I think it was something to do with the distributor being mounted 2 inches from the ground.
That noise is my impression of French petrol engines to this day.
@@dungareesareforfools you need to try a few more then there are a lot of French engines which are very smooth
Yep, agree, one of the memories of the 70s.
My Dad had an '86 Solara Minx 1.6, on which I learnt to drive.
Highly Underrated cars.
The Solar had a tiny boot
The ride and the comments, lot of fun and information. So glad to hear mentioning Bogotà, where I`m writing right away. The car actually was assembled here by Chrysler Colmotores Assembly plant, but the CKD came from Spain, in order to get down cost of manufacturing, because the money exchange of those days. I`d one of this, almost a clone showed here, 1979, 4 speed gearbox, 1442 cubic centimetres, two barrel spanish Bressel carburator, 3.9 final gear ratio, excelent for mountain ranges driving like the Colombian topography, 45 to 50 kms/per galon, good performer. The plant run the line with some cosmetic and paint job features, but mechanically was pretty the same one, from 1978 to 1981, known here as Dodge Alpine. Had to sell it in 1996 because some financial issues. The model of the video is splendid, stunning, no doubt about it.
The company I worked for ran a small fleet of Alpines, I purchased one AAW387T in very shiny metallic silver from them, with 90,000 miles at 3 years old! it was a great reliable car
My Dad had one of these back in the early 1980s in Northern Ireland. It would sit in the Car park in the Maze Prison while on duty. He washed it one day and put his hand through the drivers wing and slice his had open. it often popped the rear screen when the boot was closed! it was in Gold. He never bought another Gold car LOL! I remember the Fue Orange air fresher hanging off the interior mirror!
This brings back more memories than any other car video, I bought a 1979 Alpine in 1987 for 250 quid and I drove it all over the UK from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland. I got married in it, drove my first son back from the hospital in it when he was born. I maintained it using mostly parts from scrap yards. It was comfortable and reliable but in the end the corrosion was the end of it, mine was the 1442cc ticky engine. I'm so happy to see this video
Amazed to see this after so many years. My dad bought 3 in succession in the late 1970s. The first was metallic ‘champagne’. The second was gold with blue pinstripes. Mum wrote it off on the M40 near Oxford… the third was dark blue with a vinyl roof, grey velour upholstery, front headrests and ELECTRIC WINDOWS! I thought the sloping hatchback extremely futuristic and sporty after our previous Hillman hunters.
I remember looking out the back bedroom window at all the Chrysler, Simca and Dodge cars, vans and lorries coming out of the factory after being built here in Santry, Dublin, Ireland. I used to sit at that window for hours. Thanks for the memories.
I had the Solara 1.6 back in 1987 gear change was a bit sloppy, but i discovered it has a secret it was amazing in the snow and ice unstoppable and very comfortable.
This one is amazing what a survivor(:
My Dad was a Rootes salesman and I remember having a Matchbox toy car version of this exact car, in this exact colour! His best story was having a Hillman Imp company car with a plexiglass boot (engine) cover. He had it replaced a few times as he kept getting shunted by people getting too close looking through the cover at the engine! 🤦🏻♂️
Our family car for 10 yrs and the car I learnt to drive in! The engine sounded like a bag of spanners in a tumble dryer but it was utterly reliable and very comfortable. The entire family went on holiday in it including my grandfather, mum, dad, and four kids! I sat in the boot😂😂 my family didn’t have much money and these were very cheap cars as the British public were a conservative bunch when it came to cars.
It also saved the family’s life as we were all in it when a truck side swiped us and wrote her off, I remember my mum cried when it was winched onto a low loader and taken the scrap yard.
I remember when a mate of mine's sister got one of these just after launch. In a weird sort of peach with a brown vinyl roof. We were all so in awe she let us just all sit in it to let the splendour soak in
From the states here. Honestly didn’t know Chrysler had any presence in Europe during that time. Nice review on a cool car.
That where the Ommi/Horizon came from all the K cars that saved Chrysler US were based Chrysler Europe designs
I worked on those cars at Ryton and I also had a Solara sx. That car was top of the range and is probably sill one of the best cars I've had.
My dad was an economist who did some work for Chrysler in Coventry. He was rewarded with the offer of a Solara... mum preferred the Alpine and we got a metallic blue one. It was a nice car that lasted years!
Absolutely love this. Used to get to school in one of the first Chrysler Alpines, a 1978 1.3 GL like this. I loved the seats, the dashboard and the airy cabin. I drove a 1981 Talbot Solara 1.3 later and I instantly loved that dashboard. I discovered the ride comfort, sharp steering and indestructible engine. The gearshift was worn and saggy but all of the ratios were present and correct. The spindly stalks fell to hand nicely and were very intuitive.
The car did roll in the corners and gave an oil warning light on every energetically taken bend but it proved very reliable in daily use.
That 1978 Chrysler Alpine was replaced by a 1984: Peugeot 305 GLD which droved quite similarly but cruised far more relaxingly.
I can remember seeing lots of these growing up. Had a Talbot horizon as my first car. Loved that thing
Thanks for the memories! I inherited a two tone blue Alpine Rapier 1.6 from my Uncle, it was on a C plate (1986) the notchy 5 speed gearbox, later to make its way into the Peugeot 309, was a feature. It was a great car to run about in.
The good old Peugeot BE1 5 speed box had the same gearbox in our horizon series 2
Hired one of these (a1308) in France in about 1979 I think (after totalling a 504 Ti one night on the autoroute). I found it really practical and surprisingly comfortable for 4 people and a stack of ski gear. A forgotten classic.
My first car was the Talbot Alpine 1442cc, reg JRJ 972V. My first love, fantastic car❤❤❤❤
Great trip down memory lane. My dad had a metallic green Sunseeker edition as his company car back around 1980. It was the first car I ever drove on open army land in Aldershot by Rushmoor Arena. A sunroof, cloth seats & electric front windows was exotic stuff back then as were the body graphics & multi spoke alloy wheels. I remember the three stalks on the column as shown & it not having the most positive gear change. Can’t believe this one survived so well.
1st car I bought T reg GLS with electric windows, velor trim, head light wipers. fitted a matso tape 1985 it was great car to drive and I did
Electric windows on the top 1978'79 Chrysler Alpine model that you did not get on a Ford Granada Ghia
The bottom trip level was LS, where you got no radio, no centre console and they deleted the rec counter and oil pressure gauge. You missed one thing, that centre console also led into rear air vents for the footwell. The car was launched as a Chrysler in 1976, but had been on sale in France as a Simca since 1975. This car in 1979 was one of the last before the facelift version arrived and of course the notch back Solara. Sad that I know all this but I grew up going to school in 1976 next to the Whitley design centre where they styled the Chryslers of the 70s.
As I remember the LS or LE were the bottom of the range. I am not sure the instruments are original on this, I did not think this model has a rev counter, however I maybe wrong. It was a long time ago.
Yes, the LS was the base model. The GL and GLS got a rev counter and oil pressure gauge so these instruments are correct for the time.
We had a metallic bronze 1442 one of these when I was a teen. Orange checky seats. Loved it despite the tappetytappetytappy tappets, that and the horrendous rust, and the stuck door handles and no rear wiper hmm
A time warp 1970s car. Remember reading the road tests of these on their release. Won ECOTY! That blend of brown and creams, pure 1970s. After the harsh winter of 1978/ 79, yes the heavy snow , the winter of discontent, I remember one of the sales representatives from the company I was working at the time , Fry’s Metals of Kidderminster no less, changed his Cortina for one of these , in favour of better traction being FWD .
I had one of these, but the larger engine It was a very good car, but floated like a boat on roundabouts, although if you could cope with leaning until your ear touched the road, the car stuck like a limpet. The gearchange came loose, and the RAC guy covered the ball with tape, rammed the joint back together and it continued like that until it died. Eventually, it failed an MOT - the front panels were only connected at the bottom. Almost the entire front had rotted off. Good times.
These were voted Car of the Year in the same year I started my apprenticeship as a mechanic in a Rootes/Chrysler dealership. They really were very advanced in many ways, electronic ignition as standard too when most cars still on points. They had their issues like any car but they were generally reliable. I enjoyed working on them and had many different ones as my own cars over the years. Like all Rootes/Chrysler UK and Talbot vehicles of the time they suffered from a lack of development as the designs aged. I'd buy this one tomorrow if I had somewhere to put it.
Greetings from Slovenia. I miss your t-shelf reviews from older videos.
Hello!
Oh Wow, this takes me back, to 1979 to be precise, I bought a 2 year old Alpine S a gold one, to be precise, which I ran for 3 years & did 56k miles in it, yes the 1442 engine was noisy, but it didn't impede the performance, plus I was a mechanic then & friend of mine worked at a Chrysler dealership & new a way to quieten the tappett,
I got married in 1980 & my father in law bought a green metallic Alpine GL, this a 1300 engine & sister in law bought a Talbot Solara, an Alpine with a boot, they were actually good cars despite what history says, certainly better than anything British Leyland were making at the time, a lot of memories seeing this video, thanks for uploading 😊👍
I had a teacher at school who had one of those. This was back in the 80s in Scotland. He from Florida and he was an art teacher. He was a Vietnam veteran and he had PTSD and he drank quite a lot of whiskey, sometimes at lunch time and even drove drunk. But with all of that, he was a thoroughly nice guy and very compassionate, with a real sense of fair play. Back in the 80s, drunk driving was far less on the radar of cardinal sins, so don't be too harsh on him. His was a mid blue metallic 1500. A nice motor.
My Auntie Pauline passed her test in 1980 and bought one of these new in a metallic green. She had it for at least 10 years and frequently drove to her parents in Buckinghamshire.
There used to be yellow one near me which was an auto, and sounded very together I thought for an old car like that.
Another great review Mat!
Writing from Italy.... My Dad bought in 1976 a 1308 GT, the french name, and I learned how to drive on this car. Our family had a very good feeling with this car, and my Dad sold it after his retirement in 1983 with more than 300.000 km and very good condition, for a brand new Lancia Delta 1.500 LX. Great car !!!
Fantastic, after passing my test aged 17 in 1985 in a Talbot Horizon, had the same model in red, really mother's car but as she could no longer drive due to a back injury became my first car it had in fact originally been my dad's company car he used to get a new one every 18 months and when the Alpine was up for replacement he bought it off the company and moved on to a white Solara. I loved the Alpine it flew once it got going and it was really practical for camping trips even slept in it one time. Way ahead of the rival Ford/Vauxhalls of the 70's. It had a rev counter too!
My dad had a 79 Chrysler Alpine, in the GL trim as well!👍 Wow! 😮What a coincidence! Plus I learned to drive in it as well, & it took me awhile to get used to the heavy clutch pedal & the notchy gearbox as well. A neighbor two doors down had the top of the range GLS trim & I was envious of the owner with the extra equipment.😤 It rusted away like most cars of that era, but the one you drove in this video is in great condition, not like my dad's one. & It won the car of the year in 1976, so it must've been a great car then!👍👌👏👏
My first car was a 1400 Alpine in metallic green, probably in around 1985? My mum asked the local garage to find a used car for me and this is what I got! This video brings back so many memories and has reminded me what a great car it was!
I had a 1979 Talbot Alpine GLS. It was my second car and I loved it. Red with a vinyl roof! Engine was a bit tapetty and the gear change a bit stiff but it was quite quick and comfortable. Thanks for the video Matt. Brings back memories.
I had a 1983, 1.6 model (A200 DRS) which was Red with a "Go Faster" Black vinyl roof. I traded it in for a Renault 14 Diesel back in 1992. Loved it!
Oh, the dad of soviet Moskvitch 2141!
They were ahead of their time for quite a while. Personally I think the 309 was the best out of what became of this, I also liked the Sunbeam and Solara.
I always thought these were quite stylish cars back in the day. My dad’s mate had one but didn’t like the fragile plastic bumpers. Nowadays every car has painted bumpers which are ruined by the slightest nudge. Maybe Talbot were ahead of the game? Seems a big car for a 1300cc engine too!
Matt, I bought a Toyota Corolla coupe in Australia in 1978. If one of these Chrysler Alpine 1.3 five door hatchbacks were sold in Australia then, I would have bought one, and likely kept it for ten years. Instead, I had two Daihatsu Charades in the eighties, and a Mazda 121 three door hatchback in 1989. It's a pity these were never sold in Australia.
Love the single spoke steering wheel. So practical in cars for seeing the key slot and dash so much better...
I had an orange 77 1.5S from 87 - 93. Then I bought my 83 1.6 LS 3 years ago. 5 speed with.power steering 👍😎👍
Down memory street. Grew up in the 1970s and early 80s near a Rootes/Chrysler/Tablot/Peugeot main dealer. Family, friends and neighbours worked and/or bought cars from there. From memory the Apline engines all had tappet/cam rattles as standard.
My company had one as a "pool" car, and I was called to drive some colleagues home after some significant snow (guessing that would be winter 1981/82), and I was delighted to discover that it was handling very safely in the snow. Learned to enjoy driving that thing.
I also remember having extreme difficulty turning on the headlamps; it never occurred to twist the knob at the end of hhe stalk!!
An excellent review covering all the brilliant features of the wonderful Alpine. I had one of these in 1997 and had many happy camping trips in it down to Swanage from Southampton. I love the forward sloping shark nose grille and the big headlights. The engine was transverse, and remember the carb being a little bit troublesome with blocking pilot jets. It got a little bit rusty in the end but still lasted 22 years.
Great review Mr Furious. When I was a young man in the early 1980s, I was often given a company car for a few weeks that had done its 3 years and was due for replacement. Anyway, one of these was a Chrysler, or possibly Talbot Alpine GLS. It had the 1442 engine and my lasting memory was how nippy it was. Maybe these few extra ccs made all the difference, but I really enjoyed driving it.
The car looks brand new. The restorers have done an amazing job.
I think its original!
My Uncle had a Alpine, DUE939T was the reg, Metallica Green with White bumpers. He was forever scrubbing those bumpers 😆
Wow! This care is more well thought out than my Mazda from 89! I can't believe it came out in 1976!
My parents bought it's smaller brother a 1980 Horizon 1.3 LS in 1986 but I would have been happier if they bought an Apine or a Solara instead. Did those rear tail lights also get fitted to the Sunbeam supermini?
Looks amazing; always loved the design of these cars (especially the steering wheel👍). We knew them as Talbot in Denmark. Think there was also a saloon version later, called Solara? Brown is so underrated.....☺️👍
Brings back memories my Dad had one when I was a child. A T reg in Silver/Grey so reliable except from when the accelerator cable snapped at 70mph on the M8
Oh my goodness , what a horror. Remember seeing those rattle past, thankful, I never had to ride in one. What a charmed childhood I had, thanks to Dad.
My Uncle had a habit of buying a brand new car every couple of years and one like this was one of them .
My dad got one of these after his Hillman Hunter. It was an alpine s , reg was NCS 7P . It was a quick car for it's engine capacity
Wonderful video Matt and loved seeing the early alpine cannot remember when I last saw one must be 1990s they were ahead of their time and cruelly under rated they were great cars roomy and comfortable and bomb proof mechanics that all people seem to remember for the tappets and noise.
In reality they were equal to other cars of the 70s
We had a Talbot horizon series 2 the smaller sibling of this one so comfortable for a family and well equipped ours was the ultra limited edition we did 89000 miles with no issues only the pickle jar bottle exploded when the car overheated due to thermostat going bit other wise never ever let us down I would have one in a heartbeat
Saw one at the 1976 car show. I had never seen a proper hatchback before, and was so amazed that the back seats folded down!!
OMG! My grandad had one of these (A Talbot Alpine in the 'Goldy' colour)! And, when I turned 17 (1988), it was then passed onto me for my first car (I wanted a Fiesta or Escort lol), but, I had some great fundriving the 'Old girl' with a couple friends! 🤣🤣👍 😎🇬🇧
Had a blue one in around 78-79. Loved it. Very modern for its time.
Well now........I had one of those!
Rotted away in 18 months of my ownership, do not under any circumstances drive this in rain and never on salted roads.
Make sure you have a working radio to drown out the hydrologic tappets.
The only good thing about it was you could pull the headrests off pull the seats forward, drop the seat backs level to the rear seats and surprendre you have a double bed, mind out for the gear knob.
Don't break the radiator overflow pickle jar!
Never jack it up on wishbone front, it tears the ball joint rubber mounts, good luck replacing those.
The worst car I ever had.
Simca 1308 1978. Bought by me in 1983.
After a huge amount of costs, including having to change the clutch plates and a shortfused ignition system, failing the MOT/APK because of rust in 1985,
Bad memories all the way!
YEP, THEY WERE CRAP ,BIG TIME.
We had a horizon and that pickle jar blew up in ours when the thermostat and it over heated those engines were great to work on and we soon had it up and running again
I have a massive soft spot for the Alpine, had two of them back in the early 90’s, both GLS models with rev counters & electric windows, they were both excellent cars for a 19yr old!
What a blast from the past! Even got copied in the Soviet Union as Aleko 2141
It was used as a prototype. Ultimately, only the greenhouse survived. The floor, the front and and the back, the driveline layout, suspension, engine are all different.
I must have been around 5 or 6, when my Dad, a notorious Simca owner for many years, came with that beauty, a 1307 S, in Royal blue, white bumpers and black vinyl interior with holes. The seats became extremely hot in summer, no way to sit with the bare skin on it, like when wearing shorts like on holidays in Ticino, the italian speaking part of Switzerland. I'm actually not sure, why the entire family loved that specific car most, was it the friendly face of the broadband headlights, the royal blue metallic (which was quite a remarkable colour), or the harmonic hatchback silhouette, much nicer than the hyena-like back of the orange-gold Simca 1100 that we've had before. The successor became the Opel Ascona (Vauxhall Cavalier) hatchback btw.
I'm Swiss and i'm fully understanding his excitement of that specific car. 🙂
Oh i remember these, they're still a gorgeous looking car. We nearly got one when I was a kid, my Dad was a Hillman man, he loved his Hunter estate, wouldn't part with it until rust finally claimed it. It gad been so long since he'd last looked at a new car he couldn't believe how much they'd moved on, the Alpine impressed but he said that Toyota was now the way & he wouldn't be swayed, so we had Corollas for years after that 😂
Back in 1981, my dad had the 1442 cc Alpine GLS in Red Reg BNE 347T and in 1985 I got my first car which was it's baby brother in the form of a Chrysler Sunbeam 1.3 GL in Emerald Green, Reg DED 429T
The thing I remember about my dad's car was the engine was very tappety and the gearbox was like stirring a bowl of porridge. But for the time it was a pretty advanced car and had plenty of room.
I had two of those wonderful cars in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s
My first one was a ‘W’ registration Talbot Alpine 1.6 SX Auto in metallic blue- then the top of the range with such luxuries as electric windows, central locking and cruise control. One of the comfiest cars I’ve ever owned.
Fast forward to the early 90s and I needed a car quick to replace a Ford Cortina that someone stole and I came across a gold ‘A’ registration Talbot Alpine 1.3 LS - with a four speed gearbox like the one here.
Great cars to drive but unfortunately they rusted badly.
I’d love to have a drive in this one.
My second car in 1989 after a mk1 Escort. I ran the bright orange Alpine for a few months before the engine mount failed and the engine dropped out. Still managed to limp 40 miles home! Happy carefree times as i just got rid and bought a Renault 14.
Thanks for your review of a great example of a very interesting and able car. I worked for a south London engineering company in those days that made the production line jigs for attaching the alternative upper structure that changed the Alpine hatchback into the Solara four door saloon with a boot. They were both considered pretty and well designed cars in their day. Thanks again
Dear old dad owned a 1978 burnt orange 1442cc Alpine, forget the precise model but remembered the reg VMR960T... Very practical car and still looks remarkably handsome today, all things considered. Painted the headlights yellow and added a roof rack to tour it around French campsites etc in 1979 - comforting to know the local French garages understood it well, but it was dependable and never needed rescuing. It replaced an Austin Maxi so we were used to hatchbacks, but this was a leap forward. Had the doors sprayed inside with 'WaxOil' which staved off the inevitable rust. He said at the time it was the best car he ever owned and I can believe him although he also enjoyed his Citroen BX that replaced it, but that's anthoer video...
Absolutely loved this. We had a 1442 Alpine GLS tin brown to replace our Mk 1 Cortina Estate, which was a hopeless starter and a gas guzzler to boot. The steering on the Alpine was heavy to park, the engine noisy and the gears very clonky after the super slick Cortina. That said it felt really quick, we managed 100 - we were 18 at the time, it always started, was comfy, roomy and great on fuel. It felt like a different time to the Cortina. We all loved it. I looked it up and it was scrapped in 1992, sadly. Thanks.
Sold very well in the 1970’s in Holland, at one moment there were at least 4 brand new of these cars in my street of 46 houses. In my neighborhood somebody replaced the original bumpers for handmade chromed metal ones in the same shape as the factory ones. In those days a lot of people had strong feelings against those ‘plastic’ bumpers introduced in 1972 by the first Renault 5.
13:36: Wrong. It should have been: ‘’So if you do get a flat tire, you have to crawl halfway under the car and get yourself messy and wet just to discover that the wheel was firmly rusted in place and impossible to remove with the tools you typically have available at an unplanned stop on the side of the road.’’ Don’t ask me how i know…
We used to have a Solara in our street for many years and was well looked after. An enjoyable review on the Alpine Matt, think I would have one over a Cortina as well.
My first car was a New Zealand 78 Alpine with the 1442 cc motor.
I purchased it in 1986. We looked at lots of cars in the NZ 5k price range. It appeared one could buy an Alpine for half the price of a Cortina and the same money as a Hunter or Avenger.
Rust was my major battle, not structural. And all easily fixed. I think rust proofing and paint was a little hit and miss from it's maker Tood Motor Corp. still no worse than the others
On the road it was excellent except for the noisy engine, I probably drove it far too fast thinking nothing of cruising at 5000 Rpm.
I had to adjust the tappits often sometimes be almost half a turn.
Finally 15 years later I lived some of the Alpine again a the Peugeot 309. Style..
You squeeze the inner flap if you want to, I'll see how it goes for you 😂👍🇮🇪
This car looks really amazing. Even in Germany the 1307 1308 was very succesfull. Also often in that brown colour. A big competition was the Passat those days. Like the most cars of those times the Chrysler had massive rust problems and unfortunately also lot of issues of all kinds. They lost their value quickly. To me those cars looked very nice. I never got experience to drive one. In my old toybox with toycars from Corgi, Hotwheels or Matchbox you can also find lots of the french Majorette brand. And from that brand I'm still having a bluemetallic colour 1308 GT. It was one of my favorite toycars, because you could put a caravan behind too. Great video. Thank you for showing it.
This was sold under Talbot brand in rest of Europe. The rust was main issue, that's why they are gone by now.
I’d buy it for the parcel shelf action alone!
My sister had one, a 1.3 estate AUTOMATIC. 0-60 in 4.5……DAYS
Eh they never made an estate there was the alpine hatch like this and the solara saloon
@@danielrussell446 you’re correct, I was confusing it for a Chrysler avenger
@@ThatMicro43Guy I was thinking avenger they were great cars especially the tiger and GLS
Glad to see you enjoying an Alpine, I adore my end-of-line Talbot Alpine Minx, they are fantastic cars & people really don't give them enough credit. Daresay, the damage is done with only twenty cars left after a nine-year run in the UK
I remember my uncle having one, burgundy with a white vinyl roof, it had electric windows and electric Aerial mounted on the front wing. It was like a spaceship at the time. Then the aerial fell through the wing due to the ring of rust that had grown around its base
Would love this had a 83 Talbot solara 1.6ls my first decent car
Nice video and a lovely example. The first car I ever drove was an Alpine. My Dad had a 1980 model. It was similar to this but the nose was angled the other way after the facelift. I think the dashboard buttons were more symmetrical but it otherwise looked the same inside. I think it had Talbot badges on the outside but a Chrysler badge on the steering wheel. Having a radio/cassette player facing upwards, just below the ashtray was a terrible design choice.
It was only three or four years old but already had a rust hole below the rear window which I remember being invisibly filled before re-emerging. Severe rust on a car of that age wasn't particularly unusual at the time. The beige bumpers looked very grubby very quickly. The solution, adopted by many owners, was to paint them matt black.
By the time I got my hands on it, the clutch was very worn and care was needed to move the gear lever very gently, so that it didn't immediately disengage after a change. My Dad did this automatically but it was challenging for a learner.
I haven't sold this long-defunct car very well but people who dismiss cars of this era as junk often don't remember what the competition was like. In 40-plus years of motoring, it was the only car that my Dad liked enough to replace with another of the same model. His second one was a very late model with two tone paintwork, power steering and the revived Rapier name. I think Talbot revived the Minx name for the equivalent Solara.
I bought a 1442cc Alpine GLS brand new in November 1976 for £2850 in metalic grey. Had it dinotrol treated from new. Did a lot of miles including towing a caravan, good car in its day.
A guy I worked with years ago had a talbot horizon and honestly it was the most comfortable car I’d ever sat in.
Had a 1442cc Alpine as a company car in 1979 and I loved it! So modern when compared to my previous Ital! Then it was taken away and replaced by a Cortina 1.6 L Economy! This had a de-tuned motor plus a high ratio diff to give super economy. God it was slow. The only upside was that my employer's system of mileage/model-based fuel allowance meant I scored a `free' tank of fuel about every five fill-ups! When I left that job my next car was a Triumph Acclaim - now THAT was a car to cherish even though it was only 1335cc it was superb.
@@ianbrown-zw8pz the Acclaim was a great car, as you said. Head and shoulders above in quality compared to other BL products of that time
Love your hommage to the unsung heroes of the auto industry. When I was a kid and colleted matchbox, majorette, siku and guisval model cars, I always looked for regular cars for my 4 floor toy parking. Sometimes I choose a rolls or a Jag, and the ocassional 911. I wanted the reality of it. An alfa romeo carabo or a lamborghini espada would have been off
My dad (like everyone else's on this thread!) had one, ODT 957X. It had been resprayed by a previous owner who looked like he'd used his cat as a brush! Dad did get it resprayed before selling it and it was the first car of his I drove after passing my test. It really had the devil's own gearbox in it; I definitely learned how to double declutch in that car! Oh, and you couldn't hear the tappets because of the whining from the worn diff!
I wonder why it has a 1972 K reg number plate. Its an odd choice if its a cherished number but each to there own. Mr Day perhaps?
My father bought a metallic blue Simca 1308 GT that was the top of the range at that time including features like electric windows, rev counter - and headlamp wipers! At first he was very proud of it but it had so many flaws that it spent more time in the workshop than on the road. He therefore finally replaced it by a Simca Horizon Jubilee that was painted in a two-tone brown metallic colour. The lower part of the body was painted in the same brown colour as the Alpine whilst the upper part was painted in a more golden metallic colour. Love to see reviews of Chrysler Simca/Talbot cars! 😍😍😍
I would still rather have a Cortina estate. Not sure how much these share with the Simca 1100 but my dad had one of those from new and passed it on to my brother a few years later. At some point a driveshaft let go and one front wheel was hanging off at a drunken angle!
Wow. My first car was a 1.5l Chrysler Alpine... BYG 820T. My second car was a 1.6l Talbot Alpine... ARG 895V. I loved them both very much as a young new driver. Great seeing this car again! Noisy engines though!
Gear change linkage rods were ball and sockets held together with metal clips. Remember replacing the lost clips with cleverly contorted tie wraps.