Chrysler Horizon

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Chrysler
Chrysler-Simca Horizon
Chrysler-Simca Horizon
Horizon
Production period: 1978-1986
Class : Compact class
Body versions : Station wagon
Engines:
Petrol engines : 1.1–1.4 liters
(43–61 kW)
Length: 3960 mm
Width: 1680 mm
Height: 1410 mm
Wheelbase : 2520 mm
Empty weight : 950 kg
Previous model Simca 1100
successor Peugeot 309

The Chrysler Horizon was a passenger car made by the car manufacturer Simca .

Chrysler (Simca) Horizon

The Horizon was developed under the project name "C2" by Chrysler-Simca as the successor to the Simca 1100 that came onto the market in 1967 . At the time, the 1100 was a revolutionary model with front-wheel drive, independent suspension, four doors and a large tailgate.

Contrary to the original plans, production of the 1100 was continued, as production would have been partially maintained anyway with the SUV forerunner Matra-Simca Rancho and the 1100 Citylaster. In addition, it was important to be able to offer an entry-level model, as the Simca 1000 was now out of date and sold increasingly poorly. Therefore, the 1100 appeared in the same year as the Horizon in a revised form and at a lower price, while the Simca 1000 was discontinued.

history

After four years of development, the Horizon came onto the market in the spring of 1978 and was produced until mid-1986 (Europe) or 1990 (North America).

The Horizon was developed by teams in France, England and the USA (Detroit). Although developed as a “world car”, the technology of the European and American models was different. In Europe, the engines and suspension were taken over from the Simca 1100: double wishbones at the front and parallel swing arms at the rear , both axles with torsion bar springs; in North America there were MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam axle at the rear . In the US, VW engines were initially used, later Peugeot engines. The design differed only marginally in the front and rear (lamps, bumpers).

The technical basis was the Simca 1100, the wheelbase was identical, but the Horizon was wider and offered a larger interior space than its predecessor. Some improvements have been adopted from the Simca 1307/1308 / Alpine (the "Car of the Year 1976") introduced in 1975 , such as: B. the large and typically French (soft) seats. The engine range initially consisted of the already known 1100 Simca Poissy engines , the 1118 cm³ engine with 55 PS (LS) or 58 PS (GL) and the 1294 cm³ engine with 68 PS (GLS). The 4-speed gearbox also came from the Simca 1100.

In terms of technology, the car was good and offered some technical features such as the trip computer, which earned it the title "Car of the Year 1979". While the chassis got good reviews, the steering was criticized because of the large turning circle. The workmanship and the rust resistance of the body (a problem for many vehicles at that time) were rather poor.

In Europe it was first marketed as Chrysler (Simca) Horizon and from August 1, 1979 (after the takeover of Chrysler France by PSA in the summer of 1978) initially as Talbot-Simca Horizon. From the beginning of 1980 the car was called Talbot Horizon .

In North America it was sold as the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon . There were also various offshoots here (e.g. Dodge Charger , Plymouth TC-3 / Turismo , Dodge Rampage ).

The main production sites in Europe were Poissy / France and Ryton-on-Dunsmore / UK (both ended in June 1986). In addition to these two locations, the Horizon was also produced in Spain (1979–1987) and in Finland at Saab-Valmet (from 1979 to 1987; as a replacement for the Saab 96).

swell

Web links

Commons : Chrysler Horizon  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files