To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The
Elkhart Collection event, 23 - 24 October 2020.
Estimate:
$180,000 - $240,000
- The last of the big T26 Talbot-Lago road cars
- One of approximately a dozen known survivors
- High-quality older restoration in elegant colors
- Competition-style Wilson pre-selector gearbox
Successor to the famous Grand Prix-derived T26 Grand Sport as
Talbot-Lago's sports model, the T26 GSL or Grand Sport Longue was
based upon a redesigned, lightened, and shortened version of the
Record passenger car chassis, with independent front coil-spring
suspension. The magnificent T26 six-cylinder engine was fitted with
three downdraft Solex carburetors, boosting its horsepower output
to 210 at 4,500 rpm. Wrapping around this advanced chassis was a
slinky new factory body designed by Carlo Delaisse.
Debuted at the 1953 Paris Salon, the T26 GSL was a very elegant and
powerful car, but not a commercial success, and the model was
short-lived; production ended in late 1954 or early 1955 after only
between 19 and 21 were built, of which about a dozen remain extant.
These are significant as the last of the "big Talbots" powered by
the great T26 engine.
Chassis no. 111003, offered here, was reportedly completed on 4
February 1954 for delivery to a Mr. Counil. A copy of the original
Talbot-Lago build card is on file, which provides further
specification details and additional notes indicating subsequent
owners. During the 1990s and early 2000s, it gradually underwent
restoration, with the engine rebuilt in the 1980s and its
ancillaries renewed some years later. The body was stripped to bare
metal and refinished in this rich dark blue, while the interior was
retrimmed in beige leather with wool carpeting and new chrome work
throughout. Much of the restoration remains in fine condition, with
only minor evidence of age and use visible in the undercarriage and
engine compartment and very light wear to the front seats. At the
time of cataloguing, the odometer recorded 24,575 kilometers. The
T26 is accompanied by a spare wheel and tire, as well as some minor
assorted spares.
A Talbot-Lago T26 GSL is a powerful sporting machine and an
exhilarating car to drive, accompanied by the throaty, powerful
sound of its big Grand Prix-derived engine. It is not only very
rare and lovely to contemplate, but also a magnificent grand
routiere in the old style with classic fast-car road manners. This
is a fine example of the last of the "big Talbots."To view this car
and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.
