The Teilhol company was active in France between 1970 and 1993, and its production of off-road and utility vehicles is worth mentioning. But mostly it was production for other car manufacturers – Renault Rodéo or Renault R4 Pick-up . In addition, they produced a number of conversions of the Citroën C15 utility vehicle. They also made extensive use of Citroën AX technology.
The most famous model produced under its own name is probably the Teilhol Tangara , which was produced since 1987. It was supposed to be the spiritual successor of the popular Citroën Méhari , which you may remember from comedies with the gendarme. Underneath the attractive bodywork of the little Tangara, however, there was no sophisticated technology. The chassis platform was from a Citroën 2CV . But if you paid extra, you could get all-wheel drive from Voisin . In the end, 800 interested parties bought the Varinata 4×4. Don't expect miracles under the hood of the little Tangara either, the Citroën two-cylinder with a volume of 602 cc produced only 29 horsepower and could move the car to 115 km/h. The higher weight of 1330 kilograms was also responsible for this. There was an even weaker CNG unit to choose from, but always with a four-speed gearbox.
The attractive laminate bodywork with plastic protection remained the main trump card. In addition, it was a Targa body, when the roof part between the windshield and the protective arch could be removed and hidden under the hood. In the back there was either a pull-down tarpaulin, a plastic hard-top with large windows or the car was adapted as a Pick-up. But the plus was the excellent cross-country ability – ground clearance of 20 centimeters, approach angle and lateral inclination of up to 40% and the ability to drive up a slope with a slope of 70%.
The 1990 Geneva Motor Show then became the scene of the premiere of the Teilhol Tangara 1100 , under the hood of which was a 1124 cc four-cylinder from the Citroën AX TRS , which had a power of 55 hp. The maximum speed was already 160 km/h and the transmission had five speeds. However, fate did not favor the beach bum, and in the 1990s its production was discontinued, soon followed by the demise of the entire car company.
Photo: Auta5p, 2CV.net, Citroëre, Teilhol, 2CVClub, Rodeo
