Up to five brand names each
In ‘De Tweeling’ we have covered cars that were released under different brand names for years. However, cars that bear multiple brand names at the same time are a lot rarer. We would like to introduce you to what is almost certainly the absolute world champion in that area.
The setting: a drizzly parking lot. The situation: the undersigned, Lars Krijgsman and Joas van Wingerden look at two almost identical cars and none of them know exactly what they are. Unique, because usually the smallest detail is enough to scan brand, model and year of manufacture in unison. However, now everything is different. ‘It looks like a Horizon’ I say in despair. ‘They remind me of a Talbot Samba’, Joas adds. ‘But,’ Lars falters, ‘It also has a Chrysler logo on it’. Conclusion: we don’t know. But now it is.
Yes, your news writers also want to meet when they are not at work. For those who want to know: sure, then it is also fun. And yes, it is (usually) also about cars. Last Thursday evening we met at the Classic Car Cruise Night at the Reeuwijkse puddles (no sponsorship). It was not as nice as hoped due to the drizzly weather, but there was still plenty to see. The two almost identical, black/grey hatchbacks of unclear origin were without a doubt the most interesting.
Still on the defensive, because I also know that there are many of you who recognize these cars at a glance. To those people, this piece probably comes across as pure amateurism and I may have razed our so carefully constructed connoisseur image to the ground in a matter of minutes. However, none of us – Lars, Joas and I – are older than 33 and so were not walking around when this model was new. Because the first research results seem to indicate that this applies to more people, let’s make this statement.
Five each
The model in question is probably the world record holder when it comes to the number of brand names on one car. Then, as said, we are not talking about different versions, because then that title will undoubtedly go to a random GM product from the last century. No, we are talking about several brand names on a single copy. With a little imagination there are five of these cars. Per Unit. At the same time.
That’s right. This is basically a Chrysler Sunbeam. That doesn’t make it American, because this is Chrysler Europe. As the successor to the Rootes group, it is in fact British and the car was built in Linwood, Scotland. In traditional English style, the wishes were greater than the budget and so a three-door hatchback was introduced in 1977, but then on the already outdated platform of the Hillman Avenger. The name ‘Sunbeam’ is a model name here, but until 1976 this was also a brand from Chrysler Europe’s extensive portfolio. We therefore allow ourselves the fun of counting it as a second brand name. Number three comes into the picture when we conclude that the car was known in some countries as the Chrysler-Simca Sunbeam. The French brand name ‘Simca’ was also Chrysler property and apparently had to be added, also in the Netherlands. It therefore adorns the tailgate of one of the photographed Sunbeams, an original Dutch copy.
However, that car is not a Chrysler at all, but a Talbot. In 1979, two years after the Chrysler Sunbeam was introduced, Chrysler Europe’s entire estate was sold to PSA. The Chrysler Sunbeam therefore officially became the Talbot Sunbeam, but for unclear reasons, the Chrysler logo on the grille was allowed to remain for the time being. The brand change came more or less simultaneously with the introduction of the sporty top version of the series, developed in collaboration with Lotus, which was therefore called Talbot Sunbeam Lotus or Talbot-Simca Sunbeam Lotus, with Chrysler logo in the grille. Can we count? That’s right: five pieces.
.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl