1932 Talbot AV105

Clément-Talbot was a British manufacturer founded in 1903 and based in North Kensington, London. It later became Talbot and then Sunbeam Talbot. The company was founded by a syndicate financed by the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, initially offering cars assembled from components produced by the French company Clement-Bayard, but these components quickly gave way to British-made components. Talbot would produce a wide variety of models during its existence, from a diminutive 7hp twin-cylinder unit to a potent 60hp four-cylinder model. Perhaps the most memorable and iconic Talbot models were built during the early 1930s when the Fox & Nicholl-prepared 105 and 110 team cars fared so well in racing.

The Talbot 105 was the work of Talbot designer Georges Roesch and was powered by a 2,969cc straight-six engine tuned to produce approximately 119 bhp at 4,800 RPM. In 'Brooklands' guise, compression was increased to 10:1, and horsepower rose to 125 bhp. Combined with a light and lowered chassis, the Talbot 105s enjoyed an outstanding run of successes during the 1931 and 1932 seasons, highlights of which included 1st, 2nd and 3rd in class at the Brooklands 'Double Twelve' in 1931, 3rd overall at Le Mans and 1st un-supercharged car in 1931 and 1932, 1st, 2nd and 3rd in class in the Brooklands 500 in 1931 and 1st and 2nd in 1932, and 1st and 2nd in class in the TT in 1931 and 1932. At the Mille Miglia in 1932, the sole AV105 entry crashed in 4th place after 900 miles. At the Coupe des Alpes event in 1932, the three cars prepared by Fox and Nicholl and funded by Warwick Wright (chassis PJ7361, PJ7362 and PJ7363) finished won the event and finished without any penalties. The feat was repeated in 1934.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2023