The Talbot Express van

Van

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...

 was the last Talbot

Talbot

Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...

 motor vehicle to be sold. Produced as part of the Sevel Sud  joint venture between PSA Peugeot Citroën

PSA Peugeot Citroën

PSA Peugeot Citroën is a French manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot and Citroën marques. Headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, PSA is the second largest automaker based in Europe and the number eight in the world.-History:In December 1974 Peugeot S.A....

 and Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

, it was made in Italy alongside the Fiat Ducato

Fiat Ducato

The Fiat Ducato is a large van produced by Fiat. The Fiat Ducato is the same van as the Citroën Jumper and the Peugeot Boxer, which are all very popular vans to convert into motorhomes...

, Peugeot J5

Peugeot J5

The Peugeot J5 is a 2.5 tonne capacity van produced from October 1981 until 1993. The result of a collaboration with the Italian manufacturer Fiat, the J5 was manufactured in Italy by Sevel Sur in the Sevel Val di Sangro plant in Central Italy together with the similar Fiat Ducato, and Citroën C25...

 and Citroën C25

Citroën C25

The Citroën C25 is a 2.5 tonne capacity van produced by Sevel Sur from October 1981 until 1993. The result of a collaboration with the Italian manufacturer Fiat , the C25 was manufactured in Italy in the Sevel Val di Sangro plant in Central Italy together with the similar Fiat Ducato, and Peugeot...

. Production began in 1984 when the Talbot badge was withdrawn from passenger cars.

The Express' main competitors were the Ford Transit

Ford Transit

The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...

 and Renault Trafic

Renault Trafic

The current Trafic resulted from a joint venture between German Opel, Japanese Nissan and French Renault. It is also sold as an Opel Vivaro, Vauxhall Vivaro and by Nissan as the Primastar....

. Its engines are transversely mounted driving the front wheels. A 4x4 option was also available although now very rate. The Petrol engine is a derivative of the Peugeot 504/505 unit whilst the diesel one is from the Citroën CX diesel. Both are coupled to a Citroën gearbox.

In 1991, the series 2 Express was launched with an enlarged grille but was discontinued in 1994 when Peugeot finally discarded the Talbot

Talbot

Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...

 marque.

The Express was very popular in the UK as a basis for campervan

Campervan

A campervan , sometimes referred to simply as a camper, or a caravanette, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term mainly describes vans that have been fitted out, often with a coachbuilt body for use as accommodation...

conversions.