1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Record news, pictures, and information

View more photos
Drophead Coupe
Coachwork: Dubos
Chassis Num: 100365

Talbot was one of the oldest automobile manufacturers in France and one of the oldest in the world. Its history includes several acquisitioned, ending as a subsidiary of Britain's Sunbeam. In 1933, Antonio Lago was sent by Sunbeam management to the Automobiles Talbot factory in the Paris suburb of Suresnes.

The Talbot inline six-cylinder engine was a reliable unit though it was lacking in performance. Lago solved that shortcoming by designing a hemispherical combustion chamber pushrod overhead valve cylinder head for the engine. The result was more performance yet retaining its proven reliability. Lago later resigned from Sunbeam to focus his full attention on developing Talbot. The displacement size eventually grew to 4.5-liters, and became successful in both Grand Prix race cars and sports cars.

After the Second World War, Talbot resumed production of its pre-war models. By this point in history, the engines had twin camshafts that were located high in the block, operating the hemi-head valves through short pushrods and rockers.

The Talbot-Lago T26 Record models were fitted with dual carburetor engines rated at around 170 horsepower. In keeping with Lago's early career history, Wilson pre-selector transmissions were used, where he had worked early in his career.

The first owner of this T26 Record Cabriolet was a French naval officer who took ownership in early 1948. It was treated to a restoration in the 1990's by Richard Adatto. It won its class at Pebble Beach in 1992 and has won several other significant awards since that time. It is a CCCA Senior National First Prize winner, which it earned in 1994. It won its class, was judged 100 points and obtained senior status.

The car is painted in Blue with Grey leather upholstery, a Black cloth top and a Tan cloth top boot. The car rides on Blackwall Michelin tires and chrome wire wheels. It has factory coachwork that has a design heavily influenced by the French coachbuilder, Figoni et Falaschi. Each Record is slightly different, having been hand built and tailored to client's specifications.

The first owner of this car was a French naval officer who took ownership on December 16th of 1948.

In 2008, this 1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Record Cabriolet was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $300,000 - $375,000. A high bid of $214,500 including buyer's premium was enough to secure new ownership. The lot was sold.

In 2009, it was offered for sale at the Houston Classic Auction presented by Worldwide Auctioneers in Seabrook, Texas. The lot was estimated to sell for $260,000 - $290,000. As bidding came to a close, the lot had failed to sell after reaching a high bid of $175,000 US dollars.

Almost all of the T26 Grand Sport automobiles received custom coachwork from various coachbuilders. Many were used to display their artistic creations at Motor Shows while others sat atop shortened chassis and used for sporting events.

Anthony Lago had taken over control of the Talbot factory in Suresnes after the merger with Sunbeam and Darracq had collapsed in 1936. By 1937 he had introduced a new line of vehicles, two of which were entered in the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans. He continued his racing endeavors by moving to single-seat racers and by 1939 a purpose-built Grand Prix car had been completed. The onset of World War II slowed the racing endeavors but after the war, and with the assistance of Carlo Marchetti, an overall win at Le Mans was achieved.

Marchetti and Lago created a 4.5-liter version of the six-cylinder engine, and used it in the T26 Record and T26 Grand Sport cars. The 4.5-liter displacement size was selected because it meant requirements for Grand Prix competition. A 1.5-liter displacement size limit was placed on vehicles that were aided by superchargers.

The 4.5-liter engine produced 165 horsepower, which made it inadequate in comparison to the competition, which was producing over 300 horsepower from their engines. The engine would require more tuning if it were to compete in Grand Prix Competition. Marchetti and Lago began work on a revised head for the engine. The new design had two lateral camshafts partway up the block, and shortened pushrods to operate the twelve valves. The modifications improved the engines output to 240 horsepower. Further improvements pushed that figure to around 260 and in range of its competition.

In 1948, the Talbot Lago T26C made its racing debut at the Monaco Grand Prix. The car was fitted with large drum brakes, a Wilson Pre-Selector four-speed gearbox, and a conventional box-section chassis. Shortly after the race began, it became clear that the Talbot Lago was no-match for the Maserati's and their two-stage supercharged 4CLTs. The main advantage that the T26C employed was their ability to run the entire race without refueling or changing tires. The Maserati cars pitted half-way through the race, which gave the Talbot-Lago T26Cs a chance to regain some ground. As the checkered flag fell, Nino Farina and his Maserati were in the lead followed closely by a T26C driven by Louis Chiron.

The Talbot-Lago T26C competition career continued during the 1949 season. Their superior fuel mileage and reliability gained them two major Grand Prix victories. In 1950, the T26C's did well in non-championship competition.

For the 1950 running of the 24 Hours of LeMans, Anthony Lago entered a T26C for competition. The LeMans race is a grueling race that tests driver, car, and team for 24 hours of competition. Just finishing the race is a victory, itself. Anthony was convinced that the T26C's proven reliability would reward them with a strong finish. The car was slightly modified for the race to comply with regulations; it was given lights, fenders, and a wider body to allow for a driver and co-driver.

At the 1950 24 Hours of LeMans, the T26C was driven by Louis Rosier and his son Jean-Louis Rosier. At the end of the race, the T26C had captured its most important victory of its career.

The T26 road-going cars were powered by a six-cylinder, DOHC Cam engine with triple carburetors that produced nearly 200 horsepower. There was a four-speed Wilson Preselector gearbox, four-wheel drum brakes and a live-axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs rear suspension. This setup provided the necessary power, performance, and comfort required by cars of this caliber.

The Talbot-Lago T26 models were exquisite creations outfitted with coach work provided by some of the world's greatest coachbuilders. Never produced in large numbers, these T26 models are extremely rare and exclusive by today's standards. In total there were around 750 examples of the T26 constructed, with only 23 being the T26C version. There were about 30 examples of the T26 GS (Grand Sport) constructed with eight built atop the short chassis of 2.65M. This was the same chassis used for the Grand Prix cars.

For more information and related vehicles, click here

Vehicle Spotlight