1948 Talbot-Lago T-26 Grand Sport Cabriolet

One of the early postwar cars noted for its speed was the Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport. It was built for either racing or luxury and benefited directly from Talbot's successful T26 Grand Prix car. As such, it was expensive and rare, and coachbuilt examples are highly collectible.

Three Grand sport chassis were clothed by the Parisian coachbuilder Franay, two coupes, and this cabriolet (chassis number 110121), which also features an interior by Hermes. It was shown at all the best concours in Europe and won several industry and design awards. Many stars, including Marlene Dietrich and Christian Dior, were linked to this car.

This car was first shown at the Paris Salon in October of 1949, where it was awarded the 1er Grand Prix. It was first white and carried its first grille treatment at the show. It had fitted luggage and a luxurious interior courtesy of Hermes, with bright red leather with white piping.

It was shown at the Concours d'Enghien in 1950, where it won the 1er Grand Prix d'Honneur. In the winter of that year, it was back with Franay, where it was repainted black and given a new grille with a simpler design.

In January of 1951, it was shown on the Talbot stand at the Brussels Auto Show and again in the Concours de la Grande Cascade in the Bois de Boulogne that summer.

The first owner acquired the car after the car had performed for two years on the show and concours circuit. The car was brought back to Franay a year later to have its grille updated in the style of the Ferrari 212 Inter, chassis 0177 E. Shortly after its completion, it was shown again at the June 1952 Concours d'Enghien. Its final appearance in period was on the Franay stand at the 1953 Paris Salon, where it was sold to a butcher from Versailles.

In the spring of 1960, the Grand Sport was bought for $800 from a M. Barone, who operated a Talbot garage, by Jim Bandy, an American military officer stationed in France.

In 1963, the car was brought with Mr. Bandy to Baltimore, Maryland. A few years later, it was sold to Tom Owens of Grafton, West Virginia, who also owned a Grand Sport Saoutchik coupé, chassis 110101. Mr. Owens performed an engine swap on the two cars, taking the engine from 110121, putting it in 110101, and vice versa.

At some point in the 1970s, the car was acquired from Mr. Owens by David Uihlein of Milwaukee. In 1992, it was advertised for sale in Hemmings Motor News. By this point, the car was partially dismantled. The car was purchased by Austrian restorer Egon Zweimüller. A few years later, Mr. Zweimüller began a decade-long mechanical and cosmetic restoration. The work was completed in 2010.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2017