Chrysler 180
The Chrysler 180 was the base name for a series of large saloon cars produced by Chrysler Europe. Resulting from joining the development efforts of Rootes Group and Simca, the car was produced from 1970 to 1975 in Poissy, France, and later in Chrysler's subsidiary Barreiros' factory in Spain. The Chrysler 180 was also the base for the medium-sized model built by Chrysler Australia, the Chrysler Centura.
Depending on the engine, the cars were marketed as Chrysler 160/180/2 litre, and since 1977 in France and rest of continental Europe as Chrysler-Simca 1609/1610/2 litres. After the takeover of Chrysler Europe by PSA Peugeot Citroën, the continental Europe models were renamed Talbot 1610/2 litres for 1979 and 1980 model years, after which the model was discontinued in Europe with the exception of Spain, where a diesel model was sold until 1982.
The large, American-inspired Chrysler fared quite poorly in the principal European markets. The replacement for the car was developed by Chrysler Europe under the codename C9 and was finally launched by PSA as the even more ill-fated Talbot Tagora.
Development
Although Chrysler gradually took financial control of both Simca and Rootes Group during the 1960s, there was little effort to coordinate the operations of both automakers. Therefore, the first common European Chrysler car was actually a result of two separate development programs.Rootes Group C Car
In 1966, under the direction of Roy Axe, the Head of Design, the Rootes Group team started working on what was internally named the "C Car", a new large car for Rootes to replace the Humber Hawk. The plan was to market the car under three brands - the base version as Hillman, a 2.0-litre as Sunbeam 2000, and atop the range a Humber Hawk. A further development of the C Car with a stretched platform was planned, a "D Car", which was to replace the Humber Super Snipe.The Rootes development program also comprised the development of a brand-new V6 engine of 2.0 and 2.5 litres, with a 60° vee angle. Other design propositions included the use of De Dion tubes for rear suspension, as well as a five-speed gearbox. One of the engineers who worked on the design of the C Car was Tony Wheeler, who was later the founder of the Lonely Planet travel guides.
Simca Projet 929
At the same time, in France, Simca was working on Projet 929, which would be Simca's first large car since the Vedette was discontinued in 1961, and also partially replace the Simca 1501 in its role of the range-topping Simca. The car would not use a V6 engine, as the displacement-based puissance fiscale tax system in France would make the costs prohibitive, but rather four-cylinder units of more modest specifications. There were three styling propositions prepared for the new car. The 929 XA was styled by Simca's design team, featuring angular design and rather top-heavy proportions. Bertone designed the 929 XB, which was much more rounded and somewhat reminiscent of contemporary BMWs. Finally, the 929 XC was sent from Chrysler's Detroit design studios, and was very American in style, resembling a smaller version of what then became the Australian VE Series Chrysler Valiant.The decision
In early 1969, Chrysler realized that there were two potentially competing cars being developed and called for both the British and the French proposition to be presented before the general management of Chrysler Europe. The decision was taken to go ahead with the British C Car program, but to develop two versions for both the UK and the French part of the concern. Chrysler funded a new plant along with a development centre for the Rootes Group at the Whitley plant, Coventry, where the development was continued. Roy Axe employed former Chrysler USA designer Curt Gwinn as project designer, and the C Car took a shape very similar to an enlarged version of the Hillman Avenger. Initial designs were inspired by contemporary American Chryslers, with twin headlamps and a light bar in the rear.In 1970, however, Chrysler reviewed the programme once again and decided to trim it down to just one version, to be built in Simca's Poissy factory in France for all markets. The responsibility for the programme was then passed to Simca, who gave the car a different front end with rectangular single front lamps, as well as stripping the interior of some features proposed by the Rootes Group team, such as genuine wood and leather and air conditioning. The V6 engine development was scrapped, despite the tooling for the new engine had been already installed in the Rootes' Humber Road factory. The production cars also received a more conventional coil sprung rear live axle and MacPherson struts in the front and a four-speed manual transmission.
Marketing
Launch
Following the renaming of Simca as "Chrysler France" and Rootes Group as "Chrysler UK", the new large car was the first one to spearhead the concept of unifying the offerings from both sides of the Channel under the common brand. Thus, the vehicle was launched as Chrysler 160, 160 GT and 180. In a fashion similar to Simca models, the designations referred to the displacement of the engines employed by the given version. The 160 featured the 1632 cc unit, while the 180 came with the 1812 cc one. However, the 160 GT model came equipped with the larger engine. The 160 has while the 160 GT and 180 have.The three models were introduced in 1970 under the slogan " An American from Paris". The British launch took place in 1971, with only the 180 available. The 2.0 L model joined the lineup for 1973, unveiled at the Amsterdam Auto Show in February that year. The 1981 cc unit was available only with Chrysler's TorqueFlite automatic transmission, and the model came with features that distinguished it from the lesser versions, including a full-length vinyl roof, bumper-mounted auxiliary driving lights and a small "2L" badge adorning the C-pillar. The 160 and 180 also gained some chrome and metal trim on the outside in 1972, and following the introduction of the 2.0-litre, all models featured 14-inch road wheels and new hubcaps. The 160 GT was discontinued at the same time.
Press reaction
A Chrysler 180 saloon was tested by the British Motor magazine in April 1971, a few months after the model's UK launch. Top speed was and acceleration from 0- took 12.4 seconds. An overall fuel consumption of was recorded. The tested car was ranked third out of five UK market competitor vehicles: competitors identified by the magazine, behind the Ford Cortina Mk III 2000 GXL and the Vauxhall VX 4/90. The overall tone of the road test, written at a time when new models were generally greeted with uncritical enthusiasm by UK motoring journalists, is summed up in its description of the Chrysler 180 as a "very pleasing car that only just falls short of being a luxury sporting saloon".Barreiros
Chrysler decided to move the assembly lines from the Poissy factory to the Villaverde plant of its Spanish subsidiary, Barreiros. Barreiros had been assembling many Simca and Chrysler models previously for the protected Spanish market, but for the first time, it would become the sole supplier of the entire model line for all markets. The vehicle became popular in its new home market, and local coachbuilders even created estate and stretched versions of the car. The lineup remained mostly unchanged in most markets, although the 160 was not offered in Spain, which in turn received a new diesel model, powered by the Barreiros 2.0 L diesel engine.Chrysler 180 Diesel
The four-cylinder diesel featured with indirect injection. It was mated to the four-speed manual transmission and delivered 48 kilowatts. The diesel model came with the most basic 160 dashboard. A change to the Spanish lineup was forced by the November 1978 introduction of the Spanish taxation system, similar to France's puissance fiscale. The new 13 CV tax band imposed a rate of 35% and encompassed both the petroleum and diesel 2.0 L models. While the petroleum 2.0 Litre model was replaced by a 180 automatic version, the diesel engine had to be modified for 1978 to avoid increased taxation. The displacement was decreased from 2007 cc to 1917 cc, just below the border of the 13 CV tax band, which stood at 1920 cc.Later models
In 1977, the car was for the first time officially badged as Chrysler-Simca in continental Europe. The individual models were renamed to be in line with the newly launched Simca 1307/1308 series. While the first two digits in this model naming system stood for the base engine's displacement, the latter two represented the French fiscal class in which the car slotted. Thus, the 1.6 L model became the Chrysler-Simca 1609, as it fitted in the French 9 CV tax band, and the 1.8 L, slotting one class higher, became the Chrysler-Simca 1610, and was fitted with the vinyl roof and extra driving lamps from the 2.0 L model. However, in the UK, where only the 180 versions were marketed, it retained its name. To add to the confusion, the 2.0-litre retained its name in all markets.PSA takeover
In 1979, the large Chrysler saw the sale of its parent company, Chrysler Europe, to the French PSA concern, due to Chrysler's financial difficulties. Some minor reshuffles in the range were made. The 1.8 L engine was discontinued—in France, 1610 now included the 2.0 L engine, while in Britain the 180 model was simply dropped, with the 2.0 L now being offered with either the manual or automatic transmission to mirror the continental lineup. A minor change of the exterior decals also occurred. From 1 August 1979, PSA decided to rename all previous Chrysler Europe cars as Talbots, and hence the Chrysler-Simca 1609 and 1610 became the Talbot Simca 1609 and 1610, and in Britain, the car became the Talbot 2 litre. The range was sold for only one year with the new names, as for 1981 PSA presented a replacement, the brand-new Talbot Tagora. Peugeot had originally intended to replace it with the Solara, the saloon version of the Alpine, which was launched in April 1980.The production of petrol-engine Talbot 1610 stopped at the Barreiros plant, but diesel versions continued under the Talbot badge until 1982 for the Spanish market.