The Samba Cabrio was, for a while, the only small car in Europe you could order as a factory-built convertible straight from the showroom.
Lead trim: Samba LE / LS 954 cc XV four (45 PS) · up to 71 hp
Talbot SambaT15 · 1981–1986
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Talbot Samba yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Samba Cabrio was, for a while, the only small car in Europe you could order as a factory-built convertible straight from the showroom.
The Talbot Samba is a city car manufactured by the PSA Group in the former Simca factory in Poissy (and Madrid) and marketed under the short-lived modern-day Talbot brand from 1981 to 1986; based on the Peugeot 104, it and the Talbot Express were the only Talbots not inherited from Chrysler Europe, and it was the last new Talbot car launched. PSA decided in 1979 that the new small Talbot (project C15, later T15) would be based on the 104 rather than the Horizon, with a wheelbase between the 104's three- and five-door versions; the Whitley studio in Coventry styled it, sharing only the bonnet and tailgate and giving it a Chrysler/Talbot "international" front end. Production started in October 1981 and it was launched as the Talbot Samba in December, launched as a three-door hatchback with three trim levels: the base LE and LS with the 954 cc XV, the GL with the 1124 cc XW and the top GLS with the 1360 cc XY (also with a five-speed transmission), with 45, 50 and 72 PS respectively; the engine, tilted 72 degrees backwards, let the spare tire live under the bonnet, and the GL was rated Europe's most economical car by the EEC fuel consumption figures until the Austin Metro took the title. A Pininfarina cabriolet followed and a Rallye in 1983; sales fell after 1983 partly from competition from the Peugeot 205, and to sustain interest PSA launched the Copacabana concept and the Sympa (1984), Bahia (Samba Trio in the UK, 1985, 1.1 litre with denim seats) and Style specials. Production ended in May 1986 with 270,555 made. Wheelbase 2,340 mm (92 in), length 3,506 mm (138.0 in), width 1,528 mm (60.2 in), height 1,362 mm (53.6 in).
Collectors Spotted in the Talbot Samba Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Talbot Samba yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samba GL 1124 cc XW four (50 PS) | 1981–1986 | 1.1 L Inline-4 | 49 hp | 60 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Samba GLS 1360 cc XY four (72 PS) | 1981–1986 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 71 hp | 86 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Samba LE / LS 954 cc XV four (45 PS) | 1981–1986 | 1.0 L Inline-4 | 44 hp | 51 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the Samba GL 1124 cc XW four (50 PS) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Peugeot Talbot Sport boss who signed off on building this Group B rally Samba was Jean Todt — years before he ran Ferrari's F1 team and the FIA.
Fibreglass doors, hatch and engine cover brought the Samba Rallye down to just 675 kg — light enough that in hillclimbing it became an even bigger threat than on rally stages.
A 1984 Talbot Samba Cabriolet met a dramatic end on camera: Jeremy Clarkson's 2009 DVD Duel catapulted one into a wall at a clocked 164 mph.
The Samba Cabrio was, for a while, the only small car in Europe you could order as a factory-built convertible straight from the showroom.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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