For Sale at Auction: 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 in Carmel, California

Chassis No. 101035
Engine No. 26504
Body No. 537

Delivered new to a Mr. Epailly in July 1950 and registered in Paris, France, under the license number 2530 H 75, this T26 Record left the factory finished in elegant Bleu T26 with matching blue leather upholstery, chrome Rudge wheels, heater, and Philips radio. It is accompanied by a digital copy of its exceptionally significant factory build sheet, which confirms that even its original Philips radio remains installed today.

The subsequent history of the car, traced in the United States since at least 1959, has been meticulously documented by two dedicated American owners. Alongside preserving its records, they conducted research in 1964 and again in 1992, even contacting the Paris Police Prefecture to uncover its early history.

The first was Hayes P. Lyons, a Denver, Colorado artist, who purchased the T26 Record from local Fiat dealer Dabney T. Collins. According to Collins, the car was maintained for a French officer assigned to the Consulate, who sold it before returning to France. Acquired by Lyons in 1961, the T26 remained in his garage when he passed away in 1988.

The next owner, Neil Jones, acquired the car from Lyons' widow in 1992 and kept it for nearly twenty years. After years in storage, he decided to return the T26 to the road and contacted the Talbot Club of France, which maintains the factory archives and an extensive inventory of original parts. The file includes invoices and correspondence documenting the recommissioning, which comprised extensive detailing, cosmetic repairs, seat recoloring, wheel refurbishment, mechanical servicing, and the repair of the original Philips radio. The car was repainted in 2009, while its leather interior appears to remain largely original.

More recently, the Talbot-Lago has been under museum care. In 2026, it received a fresh service with further work to the braking, fuel, cooling, and carburetor systems, together with an oil change. Powered by its matching-numbers 4.5-liter inline-six engine paired with its original and matching Wilson pre-selector gearbox, this Talbot-Lago T26 Record represents a rare opportunity to acquire one of the most iconic French automobiles of the postwar era, renowned as the most powerful production car available in France at the time.