1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport

Antonio Lago's solution to restoring health to the Talbot's Suresnes, France plant during the mid-1930s was to refocus its priority on performance and racing. New 2.7- and 3.0-liter six-cylinder engines helped accomplish these goals, along with the 4.0-liter unit that followed for the Speciale. The power was more than adequate to carry the luxurious coachwork demanded by Talbot's discerning clientele.

The Lago-Record was introduced in 1946, followed by the Grand Sport T26 in October 1947. Both models were equipped with a 4.5-liter engine derived from the company's Grand Prix program. The power produced by the Lago Record was approximately 170 bhp which was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox or optional Wilson pre-selector. The Grand Sport, a contender for the title of the world's most powerful production car, had twin high-set camshafts and offered 190 brake horsepower with triple Zenith-Stromberg carbureters. The seven main bearing unit used a hemispherical combustion-chamber head, and its valve train was actuated by dual camshafts with pushrods. The sporting credentials of the 4.5-litre Talbot-Lago were cemented in history when a pair of Type 26 racers placed first and second overall at Le Mans in 1950. The T26 Grand Sport (car number 5), driven by Louis Rosier and his son, Jean-Louis placed first followed by a Talbot-Lago monoposto (car number 7) piloted by Pierre Meyrat and Guy Mairesse. Displaying its versatility, the Talbot-Lago also won Formula 1 Grand Prix races.

Thirty-two (as many as thirty-six) examples of the Talbot-Lagos Grand Sport were built between 1947 and 1953 on the short chassis, and they were essentially a lengthened and widened version of the Type 26 Grand Prix car. Two wheelbase sizes of 104- and 110-inches were offered, accommodating various coachwork created by outside coachbuilders, including those of Saoutchik, Franay, Oblin, and Figoni & Falaschi. This was unusual as most Talbots created during the late 1940s wore Talbot bodies created in the manufacturer's workshop. The Grand Sport, however, was built by Talbot as a bare chassis, requiring coachwork from outside vendors.

Between 1936 and 1951, Antonio 'Tony' Lago achieved 21 first-place victories in international races with the highlight being a victory at Le Mans in 1950. His pursuit of racing glory catapulted the company into international fame, earning credibility amongst its peers. The performance attributes of the race cars were adopted by the road-going variants, earning favor with those who were seeking the most capable vehicles of the era. For the most elite of society, Talbot-Lago offered the Grand Sport, a thinly disguised road-going variant of the Grand Prix car. Had wartime not intervened, bringing with it devastation of factories and scarcity of raw materials, the Grand Sport would have had an even more prosperous future and perhaps would have spawned even greater and more sophisticated variants. Instead, Talbot-Lago resumed production in the post-war era amidst financial uncertainty, with limited resources and a marketplace that penalized vehicles based on displacement size and engine output. The final model introduced by Talbot-Lago was the Sport, equipped with a new four-cylinder engine and built from 1955 to 1959. A mere 54 examples were built before the Talbot production ended.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2022