Talbot

Talbot, a prominent name in French automotive history, can be divided into three distinct periods: 1900-1920, 1920-1930, and 1934-1960. The latter period is closely associated with the personality of its new owner, "Major" Antonio (Anthony) Lago. After studying engineering in his native Italy, Lago moved to England in the early 1920s where he became a distributor for Isotta Fraschini, and later the general manager of the pre-selector gearbox manufacturer Wilson. He then settled in France as the new leader of the Talbot factory in Suresnes, the French branch of the British consortium Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq.

After revitalizing the venerable firm, Lago purchased it and undertook extensive modernization and performance improvements, notably with the impressive T120 and T150 models. From the outset, he decided to re-enter Talbot into racing, viewing motorsport as both the ultimate testing ground and a powerful communication tool. This led to the creation of the T150 C, Talbot-Lago's first racing car in 1936, followed by the renowned 4.5-liter Grand Prix and sports cars just before World War II.

During the war, Anthony Lago was already planning the car that would symbolize French automotive renewal in 1946: the legendary T26, powered by a 4.5-liter, 6-cylinder DOHC engine producing 170 hp in its civilian versions (Record and Grand Sport models). Featuring Alpax alloy engine blocks and heads, magneto ignition, dry sump lubrication, and triple Zenith EX 32 carburetors, the racing version of this engine, introduced in 1948, developed 240 hp. By 1949, with a new dual-ignition cylinder head and Zenith 50 NHDD carburetors, output reached 270-280 hp. These Talbot engines, with their low rpm and efficient fuel consumption compared to supercharged 1500 cc competitors, proved remarkably robust and enduring.

Two competition models emerged with the potent 2AC engine: the T26 C Lago Record, single-seaters for Grand Prix racing (later Formula 1 from 1950), and the T26 GS, two-seaters competing in the Sports category. Both models echoed the names of Talbot's production cars, Record and Grand Sport. While the T26 C achieved notable successes until 1951, it was the T26 GS chassis #110 055 that truly fulfilled Anthony Lago's expectations, famously winning the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans under Louis Rosier, covering 3,465 km at an average speed of 144.380 km/h. The following year, four Talbot Lago T26 GS cars started the endurance classic, with one crew (Mairesse-Meyrat) salvaging second place after the others retired. Only six Talbot T26 GS were built, all featuring the distinctive Le Mans-style two-seater bodies. These cars could also be converted into open-cockpit racers for Grand Prix events alongside the T26 C.

From 1952, these two-seaters were re-bodied as "barquettes" to comply with new regulations from the International Sporting Commission, marking the end of their racing careers by 1954 and ultimately contributing to the demise of the Talbot marque, which ceased operations in 1958. Today, none of the surviving five T26 GS cars retain their original Le Mans-style bodies.