TALBOT LAGO It seemed unjust, but the only make to survive unscathed when the English-capitalised S

The whys and where-fores of this minor anomaly in the grand STD confusion need not occupy us here; suffice it that while the British Sunbeam and Talbot marques passed under the Rootes umbrella to endure the fate of rationalisation, Automobiles Talbot in Paris were able to restart with a clean slate. The new proprietor was Antony F. Lago, an engineer who, like Ettore Bugatti, was Italian-born, French domiciled, and loved motor racing. He had been general manager of the Wilson Self-Changing Gear Co., makers of the famous preselector gearbox until 1933, when he joined STD, becoming works manager of Darracq's old "Perfecta" factory at Suresnes. When the crash came two years later, he managed to round up substantial French capital from accessory makers and other inter-ests, and refloated SA Automobiles Talbot. Like Bugatti, Lago valued motor racing both as a laboratory and for its prestige benefits, especially when the car being raced was based on production models. With his shareholders' backing, therefore, he was able to join Bugatti and Delahaye in supporting the French deci-sion to change their Grands Prix into sports car events in 1936. The current Talbot touring car range included a 3 litre six-cylinder model with a 7-bearing crankshaft and Talbot's own patent valve gear, in which a single cam-shaft in the crankcase operated overhead valves at an included angle of 60 degrees in a hemispherical head, by means of 12 inclined, unequal length pushrods. This engine provided the basis, both of the competition car and the future Talbot-Lago road car. A distinct parallel with the rival marque Delahaye is noticeable here. Both were virtually moribund with a dull range of cars; both had ohv six-cylinder engines of some potential; both aimed for the same targets—sports car racing and the luxury sporting market. The parallel becomes more remarkable in that both makes had box-section frames with independent front suspen-sion employing a single transverse leaf, and semi-elliptic rear springing; Talbot, however, had an advantage in their superior head design and in engine size, which Lago and his ex-Fiat designer Becchia fixed at 90 x 104mm (3,994cc) for the first competition cars. Like Delahayes, their debut came in the Miramas 3 Hours in May 1936; two neat pale blue 4 litre Talbots against two works and eight independent Delahayes. One Talbot retired early, the other with half an hour to go when leading, both with broken rockers. Despite consider-able speed and expert drivers, the Talbots did not win a single race that season, while like Delahaye they could never quite match the pedigree-bred performance of the Bugattis. The year 1937 brought gratifying atonement; Talbots won the Tunis GP and the Miramas 3 Hours, then placed 1-2-3 in the French GP itself, and 1-2 in the RAC TT at Donington. The French motor industry and the French public really preened themselves at the 1937 Paris Salon, with at least five distinguished makers—Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss and Talbot—all exhibiting grand routiers for the delecta-tion of the wealthy. Automobiles Talbot's star contribution was the Lago Speciale with Wilson self-change gear-box and 4-litre engine giving about 140bhpzat 4,100rpm on triple Solex carburettors. Among the striking coach-work on this chassis was a two-seater coupe by Figoni et Falaschi featuring a steeply inclined screen, spatted rear wheels, "spined" tail, and a clean, oval grille recalling the 1936 GP Mercedes-Benz—or anticipating the 1948 Jaguar XK120. The coming of war ended sports car production at Suresnes for seven years, but by 1947 Lago and his new engineer Marchetti had tooled up to build new Lago Record and Grand Sport models with a 4+ litre, 93 x 110mm version of the pre-war engine in basically pre-war chassis. Then early in 1948 a new Grand Prix racing car was built, its engine having twin camshafts high in the crankcase, operating the inclined ohv through short pushrods in Riley fashion. As single-seaters, these big reliable cars won several major races during the next four seasons through stamina and teething troubles spoiled the sleek new 3.9 litre French Talbot's chances in the 1936 French GP; this is Heide pressing on around Montlhery before trouble struck. Recompense came in the same race, on the same circuit, a year later, when Talbots took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th places moderate fuel consumption rather than sheer speed. Antony Lago then applied the "Today's racing car is tomorrow's sports car" rule literally and converted the monoplace into a two-seater with wings, lights and other essential equipment, the French driver Louis Rosier winning the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours with it, followed by an older two-seater Talbot in second place. Two years later a similar Talbot-Lago with more advanced enveloping bodywork had a comfortable lead at Le Mans with less than an hour to victory. Unfortunately its driver, Pierre Levegh, was trying to drive the entire 24 hours himself, and sheer fatigue made him miss a gear; a connecting rod let go, and what should have been Talbot's second Le Mans triumph went to Mercedes-Benz. Like Delahaye, the big sporting Talbot-Lago road cars gave the carros-siers splendid opportunities to practise their metier, the short wheelbase and big wheels meaning a preponderance of low-built two-seater coupes. Some were of exquisite form and symmetry in the best French manner; others—a few—of grisly aspect with a frenzy of conflicting radii and curlycues, in the worst French manner. But neither the times nor the French taxation system were in sympathy with big-engined, fast, expen-sive cars, and despite efforts with smaller models, even using other makes of engine, Talbot-Lago could not survive the 1950s, although the Talbot name was revived by the French Peugeot Group shortly after they acquired the European interests of the American Chrysler Corporation.

Specification Engine—Lago Speciale (1936-1939): 6 cylinders in line; 90 x 104.5mm, 3,994cc; pushrod-operated oily; twin or triple carburettors; 7-bearing crankshaft; 125 to 140bhp at 4,100rpm according to tune (Competition car, approx. 165bhp). Lago Record and Grand Sport (from 1946): As above, except 93 x 110mm, 4,482cc; 165 to 190bhp at 4,200rpm. Transmission: Wilson 4-speed preselector gearbox; open propellor shaft; spiral-bevel final drive. Chassis: Box-section side members; independent front suspension by transverse leaf spring; semi-elliptic rear springing; friction dampers (pre-war cars), hydraulic-cum-friction dampers (post-war cars); Bendix cable-operated mechanical brakes (pre-war cars), Lockheed hydraulic brakes (post-war cars). Dimensions: Wheelbase, 8ft 8in or 9ft 8in; front track, 4ft 8in; rear track, Oft 101in; approx. car weight, 3,1901b (open two-seater). French curves are practised to excess by the carrossiers Figoni et Falaschi on this short-chassis 1939 4 litre Talbot "Lago Speciale". The enclosed front wheels improved the stream-lining at the expense of steering lock

Reversion to type, as practised on Louis Rosier's post-war Talbot-Lago GP single-seater, converted to the sports car format from which it descended. The car won Le Mans in 1950

Below: Lago's last fling in racing came at Le Mans with this elegant full-width conversion of the Talbot-Lago 41 litre single-seater Grand Prix car. Pierre Levegh lost Talbot a second 24 Hours victory in 1952 by insisting on driving unrelieved. A similar car won the Casablanca 12 Hours race later that same year .