1938 Talbot-Lago T23 Faux Cabriolet

The Talbot Lago Company was formed in 1935 as a result of a reorganization of the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combined by Antonio Lago. The company proceeded to make several models of varying wheelbases and engines. This 1938 T23 Model has a 116-inch wheelbase with a 244 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine producing 115 horsepower with a Wilson four-speed pre-selector gearbox.

The 4-liter, 6-cylinder-engined Talbot-Lago T23 was available with three factory body styles, but several, including this unique Figoni & Falaschi-bodied 4-passenger teardrop Faux Cabriolet were bodied by other European coachworks. Talbot Lagos were a favorite of coachbuilders of exotic coachwork. One was French coachbuilder Figoni & Falaschi who created some of the most noted bodies for exotic cars such as Bugatti and Delahaye. They created some designs that are so distinctive they are called 'Rolling Sculpture.' One of their famous designs was a two-passenger coupe referred to as a 'Teardrop Coupe.'

This Faux Cabriolet was originally owned by Madame Antoine (or Entoine) of Paris and, after the war, by famous French photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue, but its later ownership is unclear. The car came to the United States in the early 1960s.


It is the only four-passenger Teardrop known to exist and it shares many of the distinctive features of the two-seat Teardrops, including the signature sweeping front fenders. It has a sliding sunroof precisely fitted as to be nearly imperceptible when closed. Found in a field in New Jersey alongside a highway in 1986 by Colin Crabbe, it was subsequently restored by Sam and Emily Mann and invited to the Pebble Beach Concours in 1990, 1992, and again in 2000 for the Talbot-Lago reunion. Acquired by Mark Hyman in 2003, it has been featured in numerous magazines, calendars, and artwork and is a CCCA National First Place Award winner.