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1938 Talbot-Lago T-26 SS

French automakers, just like so many other marques throughout the world, struggled through difficult economic conditions during the early 1930s, with few surviving. One of the French survivors was Darracq/Talbot which was purchased by Italian Major Anthony F. 'Tony' Lago in 1934 from the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq (STD) Company. He already had an association with the STD Company as the owner of the gearbox manufacturer. The STD Company had a strong reputation for performance, superior engineering, and durability - a reputation that Lago would attempt to uphold. The sale included the facilities located in Suresnes, France, and the rights to use the Darracq and Talbot names. The cars sold in France were known as Talbots while the UK products were dubbed Darracqs.

Mr. Lago was eager to introduce his newly formed Talbot Lago brand to motorsports. He commissioned Talbot's chief engineer Walter Becchia to create a new sports car that could be used for both road and track purposes. Using the existing T150 six-cylinder engine, it was enlarged from 3- to 4-liters. It had a cast-iron block and an aluminum alloy cylinder head, along with three Stromberg carburetors and hemispheric combustion chambers. After much experimentation, development, and testing, the engine was officially rated at 200 BHP. The new T150C engine was fitted into a ladder frame chassis and mated to a Wilson pre-selector, four-speed gearbox.

The chassis was comprised of box-section side members connected by tubular cross-sections. In the front was an independent suspension setup with top links and transversely mounted leaf springs. In the back was an underslung live axle. The bodywork for the competition cars was minimalistic, light-weight, aerodynamic, and featured cycle fenders.

Work on the new competition cars began in late 1935 and was intended for the 1936 Le Man's race. By the 1936 season, four competition Talbot Lago cars were completed. In order to comply with homologation rules, the company had to build additional road-going chassis. Two of the competition cars were sold to customers.

The 1936 24 Hours of LeMans would have been the 14th Grand Prix of Endurance event held in mid-June. Unfortunately, it was canceled due to workers going on strike. Without sufficient workers to modify the street for race use and an adequate number of officials to run the event, it was canceled.

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans no longer an option, the new Talbot Lago racers made their debut at the French Grand Prix. Over the years that followed, the cars raced extensively throughout Europe, including the Mille Miglia, 24 Hours of LeMans, and Tourist Trophy. After World War II, the cars remained competitive, even able to earn a victory in 1953 as Goodwood. Other accolades to their credit include a victory at the 1937 French Grand Prix and the 1937 Tourist Trophy.

Improvements and modifications continued throughout the years, helping them remain competitive over such a large period of high-level competition. In 1938, the engine was enlarged to displace 4.5-liters and offered 210 horsepower. Three examples fitted with the larger engine were built, and two were re-numbered T150C chassis. Their most successful outing was at the Paris 12 Hour race where they scored a victory.

The Talbot Lago T26 SS had been designed for Le Man's competition but would never see a victory in that race. The T26 SS and T150C models would lay the groundwork for later Grand Prix and Le Man's victories for the company.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 90203

This car, chassis number 90203, was the third and the final example built. The car made its competition debut at the 1939 edition of the 24 Hours of LeMans where it was piloted by Helde and Nime for Luigi Chinetti. After World War II, it raced to third in the Torino Grand Prix by Charles Pozzi, who would later become Ferrari's representative in France.

Chassis 90203 began life as Chassis 82930 and was the first in a series of special Talbot-Lago race cars bodied by luxury coachbuilder Joseph Figoni in 1936. Figoni styled the car with an open race body like that of a Type 150-C-SS with a short wheelbase chassis. The car was intended for the Talbot-Lago racing team while similarly-bodied cars were marketed to private individuals. Although engineer and founder Tony Lago were dissatisfied with Figoni's first design, the second body was approved, and it appeared with its new styling on the Figoni & Falaschi stand at the 1937 Paris Auto Salon.

Under Rene Dreyfus's direction, the chassis was renumbered as 82933 after the factory installed a new 4.5-liter motor (number 45003) in 1938. The following year the factory again updated the chassis number, this time to 90203, to reflect a new model designation of Type 26-SS. For a manufacturer such as Talbot-Lago, chassis number changes were standard procedure when updating models and styles. Chassis 90203 was eventually sold to Luigi Chinetti's racing team, and it raced at Le Mans in 1939 before being put in storage for the duration of World War II. The original coachwork designed by Figoni was destroyed after the war, and a new body was installed that had a postwar look more in keeping with the automotive styles of the time.

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 engine 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 its ability to run the entire race without refueling or changing tires. The Maserati cars pitted halfway 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 in itself. Anthony was convinced that the T26Cs 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 the 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 coachwork 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.

by Dan Vaughan