1951 Talbot-Lago T15

The legacy of Talbot Lago began with the dissolution of the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combine in 1935, when Venetian-born Major A. F. 'Tony' Lago bought the Darracq factory at Suresnes and continued production, selling his cars as Darracqs in the United Kingdom and Talbots in France. The company embarked on both sports car and Grand Prix racing, and in 1937 achieved victories in the French Grand Prix and the Tourist Trophy, before well-funded German and Italian opposition began to dominate motorsports. Success became elusive, but not impossible, with notable finishes in the immediate post-war years, including three Grand Prix wins for French Champion Louis Rosier and victory at Le Mans.

The company's pinnacle road car during the pre-war era was the 4.0-liter Lago Special which delivered 165 bhp from the Walter Becchia-designed six-cylinder engine. It featured inclined overhead valves set in hemispherical combustion chambers and opened by a pair of camshafts mounted high in the block. This engine was one of the few that was used in Grand Prix cars both before and after World War II.

The Talbot Lago T-15 LB, also known as the Lago Baby, was similar to its more powerful sibling, the Record, but rested on a slightly shorter (by 20 cm) platform. The four-cylinder engine displaced 2,690cc and had two Stomberg carburetors, two lateral camshafts positioned high on the block (reminiscent of OHCs), and hemispherical combustion chambers. The 2.7-liter unit delivered 120 bhp or 15 CV (Cheval Fiscal). They had a four-speed synchromesh gearbox and four-wheel drum brakes. The front used a solid axle while the rear used a live axle setup, with both employing semi-elliptical leaf springs. The lion's share of the coachwork were four-door sedans or two-door open tourer configurations.

In comparison to the T-15, the 'Lago-Record' was very expensive, and its 170 bhp engine earned it a reputation for being the world's most powerful production car. Like the T15, the Record was available with factory bodywork or as a rolling chassis for bodying by independent coachbuilders. It had hydraulic brakes, a Wilson pre-selector gearbox, and a 4½-litre, twin-cam version of the classic long-stroke overhead-valve engine.

While the 'Lago-Record' championed the company's mechanical prowess, the T15 was designed as a more economical alternative, built to similar standards and refinement but with compromises to support affordability and greater production numbers.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021