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1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe
1950 CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE DE LA PLACE VENDOME
THE T26 GRAND SPORT was first displayed as a shortened chassis at the October 1947 Paris Auto Salon, and only 12 were made during 1948, the models’ first full year of production. The Grand Sport was noted for its estimated 124 mph top speed, its 190 bhp engine having been developed from the Lago Record model that it replaced. The Grand Sport was built for racing or luxury and benefited, too, from Talbot’s successful T26C Grand Prix. With its race-bred engine and sport chassis, the Grand Sport was one of the world’s fastest production cars. Piloted by Louis Rosier, a T26 Grand Sport won the 1950 LeMans 24 Hours race. Almost all Talbots sold during the late 1940s were fit with factory bodies. The T26 Grand Sport was the exception, and cars were delivered only as bare chassis. Affluent customers appointed superior coachbuilders such as Saoutchik, Franay and Figoni & Falaschi to create elaborate and elegant custom bodies. This car is known to have participated at a number of concours around 1950. However, little is known otherwise about its early history until the early 1960s when Edsel Pfobe of Painesville, Ohio purchased the car from someone in West Virginia. A few years later Marvin Newman bought it and commissioned its full restoration. In 1975 Jacques “Frenchy” Harguindeguy bought the car. In 1989 Peter Mullin purchased the car from the Blackhawk Collection at an auction at the “Imperial Palace” Hotel & Casino in Nevada. SPEC OVERVIEW:
Coachbuilder: Jacques Saoutchik Chassis No. 110101 Production No. 1 of 36 Engine No. 96282 Inline Six-Cylinder Aluminum Engine 194 BHP At 4,000 RPM 4,482 CC Dual Overhead Camshaft 4-Speed Wilson Pre-Selector Gearbox Independent Front, Transverse Leaf Spring with Upper Control Arms , Tubular and Friction Shock Absorbers. Live Rear Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs, Tubular and Friction Shock Absorbers 4-Wheel Lockheed Hydraulic Brakes |
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