Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 92007
Anthony Lago always bought the best. By 1935, he had completed his
takeover of the Talbot factory in Suresnes outside Paris, which he
had been running since 1932. He then set about transforming the
dusty image of the company he had acquired and turned it into
Talbot-Lago by lending his own name to the enterprise. In
preparation, Lago had worked with Joseph Figoni in 1934 on new
designs for the entire line of Talbot cars. The first fruit of this
collaboration was shown on the Talbot stand at the Paris Salon in
October 1934: a lovely coachbuilt cabriolet by Figoni, wearing a
Figoni plaque. This car served as the design template for the
coming factory-built Talbots.
The new four-liter model was called T150 C, or Lago Speciale. It
rode on a sparkling new chassis that Lago had developed in secret,
and it would spawn a number of variants, including the four-liter
T23 as well as three-liter, 90-horsepower T120 model, which shared
most of its specifications with the T150 C. These included a single
overhead cam in-line six-cylinder engine, a four-speed Wilson
pre-selector transmission, four-wheel mechanical drum brakes,
independent front suspension with transverse leaf springs, a live
rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and friction shock
absorbers at all four corners. In short, the classic late-1930s
specification for a sporting car with nimble handling that provided
an elegant driving experience.
As opposed to Delahaye, Automobiles Talbot had maintained a
proprietary in-house coachbuilding facility at the Suresnes factory
since the very beginning. This was still intact when Lago took
over, and he had every intention of utilizing it, mainly to secure
the highest possible quality. Like Gabriel Voisin, Lago was not
always convinced that an industrialized and profit-minded outside
coachbuilder would always deliver proper goods. Work continued in
the winter of 1934-1935, and by the spring, the new line of
Figoni-designed bodies to be manufactured by Talbot was complete.
The line-up included the exquisitely well-proportioned two-seat
Lago Cabriolet d'Usine which was built in very limited numbers on
the T120, T23, and T150 C chassis. Accordingly, while the svelte
body on chassis number 92007 was manufactured at the Talbot-Lago
factory facility, it nevertheless remains a fully coachbuilt
carrosserie, with hand-formed metal panels on an individually built
wooden frame that was then mounted on the chassis.
The lithe and graceful lines of the body have a poise and
equilibrium that few designers could achieve. It is the epitome of
1930s French chic. Joseph Figoni called himself, le grand couturier
de la carrosserie automobile, which translates as "the great
fashion designer of the automobile". Nothing could be more true.
The Cabriolet d'Usine body on Talbot-Lago T120 chassis bears the
classic hallmarks of the maestro himself, as seen in the masterful
and elongated sweep of the fenders, topped with slick
teardrop-shaped indicators, the fashionable running board solution,
and the long and handsome slope of the rear deck with its
delicately pointed tail as well as the central crease which mimics
a vestigial fin.
The early history of Talbot Lago T120 chassis number 92007 is
unknown until it was discovered in 1979 by Pierre Royer in the
storage facility of M. Consani in Sollies-Pont, a commune in the
Var department in the Provence-Alpes-C�te d'Azur region in
southeastern France. Pierre Royer gave the car a ground-up
restoration to its original specification and discovered that the
body had been modified in period by a local coachbuilder on behalf
of its first owner. These modifications included lengthening the
hood and rear apron as well as the addition of two jump seats that
allowed for four seats when the top was up. This work may have been
carried out by the Carrosserie Brandone in Cannes, run by Etienne
Brandone and his son Pierre since 1923.
Pierre Royer kept 92007 for 27 years, participating in numerous
rallies in the south of France. In 2005, the car was purchased by
Swiss collector Marc Caveng who commissioned a complete restoration
of this captivating machine. In 1937, an option was introduced by
Talbot-Lago to have Figoni-designed bodies fitted with an
aerodynamic and patented Figoni grille design instead of the
traditional Talbot-Lago factory grille. It is believed that the
grilles were manufactured to order at the Figoni works and sent to
Talbot for fitting. During the restoration of 92007, it was decided
to fit the car with a modern reproduction of just such a grill.
This rounds off the refined look of the car in a spectacular yet
tasteful way. Today, chassis number 92007 is finished in a deep
shade of black with a white convertible top as well as luxurious
and expertly crafted red seats and door cappings in red leather,
both of which are attractively accentuated by the woodwork on the
doors as well as the wood grained dashboard that features a
complete set of sporting Jaeger instruments.
Any Talbot-Lago is a rare automobile. This T120, with its very
limited production and chic Figoni-designed body, coupled with the
elegant period modifications and the replicated factory-option
Figoni grille, presents a beautiful combination that is seldom
seen. It is justly regarded as one of the most tasteful and dapper
French designs of the late 1930s.
