A 'Gallic pensioner full of brio' is how auction house Historics at Brooklands describes the rare and elegant Talbot-Lago in its 8 March sale. The 1949 two-door 'Record Cabriolet' was taken off the road in the 60s / 70s and only recently restored - exquisitely - to its full, former grandeur...
“Every aspect of the car, from its lusty 4.5-litre, six-cylinder engine, through the flowing bodywork and chassis beneath, to the sumptuous interior, has been meticulously restored by a host of specialists whose passion for perfection is a tribute to the original post-War design from Talbot-Lago,” says Historics at Brooklands.
When introduced in 1947, the model’s 170bhp gave an unstressed, long-legged feel to the driving experience, much appreciated at the time. This two-door soft-top is particularly rare, as most of the models were four-door saloons, but the original customer in the USA no doubt wanted a sportier, open-air experience. Despite being garaged (the result of a failed marriage) for some 40 or 50 years, the records confirm it is a matching-numbers car, now painstakingly restored from the chassis up. Full details and photographs of the restoration accompany the sale of the Talbot-Lago, which has completed only minimal mileage since the expert work was done. Little wonder, then, that Historics is expecting “significant collector interest” in the car, which carries an estimate of £120,000-£150,000.
Further information on the Talbot-Lago T26 can be found here.
All lots in the Historics at Brooklands sale on 8 March 2014 at the Brooklands Museum near Weybridge, Surrey, UK, can be found under www.historics.co.uk.
