UK title In temporary import in the EU

Chassis no. 90130 Engine no. 45003

- Works car, sporty appearance, one of only two examples

- Prestigious history, previously owned by famous collectors and drivers

- Impeccably maintained, eligible for the most competitive historic events

- Still equipped with its original engine

 

On 6 August 1939, halfway through the Grand Prix du Comminges, at the foot of the Pyrenees, René Le Bègue ('offset’ Talbot 4.5-litre) was in the lead, but Jean-Pierre Wimille (Bugatti 59/50B) and Raymond Sommer ('offset’ Talbot 4.5-litre) were catching up after a brief pit stop. Wimille retook the lead, but Le Bègue was unfazed and went ahead on the 35th lap. Drawing on all his talent, Wimille constantly attacked the Talbot, but Le Bègue held him off. On the final corner, the two drivers were neck and neck, and with their engines screaming, Le Bègue crossed the finish line first, 4/10 of a second ahead of Wimille’s Bugatti. After covering the 40 laps at an average speed of 157.52kph (97.88mph), Le Bègue (the winner of the 1937 Monte-Carlo Rally) beat the previous record set by Louis Chiron driving an Alfa Romeo.

 

It is the Talbot that won this race, chassis no. 90130, that we are offering for sale today. Its story is remarkably told and documented in the book Talbot-Lago by historian Pierre Abeillon.As is often the case with racing cars, this model came about thanks to new regulations for Grand Prix cars, which stipulated from 1938 a maximum capacity of 3 litres for supercharged engines or 4.5 litres for naturally-aspirated engines. At Talbot, Anthony Lago and his team looked at several solutions to counter the powerful Mercedes and Auto Unions. They even considered a supercharged V16, but the French manufacturer lacked the financial resources of the German firms, which were supported by their government; despite a grant from the French state ‘Racing Fund’, Talbot therefore kept the more conventional naturally-aspirated 4.5-litre six-cylinder engine, derived from that fitted to the Talbot 150 C. Its technical team included the brilliant Italian-born engineer Walter Becchia, who had worked at Fiat and then with Louis Coatalen at Sunbeam. Thanks to the alliances between Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq and Talbot Suresnes, he joined the latter firm in 1926, working alongside Vincenzo Bertarione, another renowned engine builder. Becchia made a name for himself after the war at Citroën for his design of the two-cylinder engine of the famous 2 CV.

 

But that was some way off, and for Talbot-Lago he designed a so-called ‘offset’ single-seater: to lower the driver’s seating position and the car’s centre of gravity, the engine and transmission were offset to the left, and the driver to the right, giving the Talbot a much sportier appearance than the cars from the period where the driver was often ‘perched’ on top of the gearbox. The six-cylinder engine was a pushrod unit with overhead valves, hemispherical combustion chambers and three carburettors; it was mated to a Wilson pre-selector gearbox. Two cars were built to this specification and after being officially presented at Montlhéry at the start of 1939, they made their competition debut on 2 April at the Pau Grand Prix. Although 90130 retired, its sister car 90131, driven by ‘Fifi’ Étancelin finished third behind the Mercedes W163s of Lang and von Brauchitsch. At the Grand Prix de l’ACF at Reims on 9 July, Le Bègue took his revenge with a brilliant third place behind Muller and Meier in their Type D Auto Unions and ahead of Étancelin, Sommer and Stuck.

For the Grand Prix du Comminges, mentioned above, the car was adapted for sports car racing, with headlamps, small doors, cycle wings and a spare wheel.

 

As motorsport was suspended in Europe due to the war, in 1941 the Talbot was sold by the factory to Jean Trévoux, the winner of the 1939 Monte-Carlo Rally, who left to try his luck in the United States, at Indianapolis, although he did not in fact compete. The car remained there and attracted the attention of Zora Arkus-Duntov, a Russian-Belgian engineer who had taken refuge in the United States after studying in Germany, and who would show up again in the 1950s in the development of the Chevrolet Corvette. He bought the Talbot in 1946, but scarcely had time to use it and therefore consigned it to Luigi Chinetti, who sold it in 1949 to Harry Schell, the son of Lucy and Laury O'Reilly Schell, who had founded the ‘Écurie Bleue’ before the war. Driving the ‘offset’ Talbot, Harry Schell competed in several races during the 1949 season but with unconvincing results other than taking second place behind Raymond Sommer in the Grand Prix du Salon at Montlhéry on 9 October and winning the Grand Prix for sports cars. It should be noted that in 1950, this car’s sister model, chassis no. 90131, finished second overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Meyrat and Mairesse, confirming its competitiveness and endurance.

That same year, chassis no. 90130 was bought by ‘Raph’, a French racing driver originally from Argentina. He decided to take the car to Brazil, where, on the strength of the good results he expected to achieve in racing, he would push up its price, sell it and purchase in Europe the Ferrari of his dreams. But troubles with the gearbox put paid to his project and the handsome Talbot faded into oblivion.

 

It was a tireless British ‘discoverer’ of lost cars, Colin Crabbe, who in 1984 brought it back from the shadows and bought it from its Brazilian owner in Sao Paolo, Eduardo Materasso, before selling it to a leading English collector of racing cars, Robert Lamplough. For its restoration, Lamplough sent the engine to Dean Danaher and the rest of the car to Paul Grist. An undisputed specialist in pre-war Alfas, Grist was able to keep everything that could be, making it possible to preserve the car’s historic integrity.

Once it had been restored, the Talbot’s first public outing was at Rétromobile, where it was displayed in February 1987, before taking part in September that year in the Circuit des Remparts in Angoulême, driven by ... Juan Manuel Fangio! In July the following year, Lamplough took part in a race organised by the HGPCA at Croix-en-Ternois, before selling the car to Jean Sage, a former racing driver and sporting director of Renault. A collector of historic racing cars (especially of Ferraris), he had a thoughtful restoration of the Talbot carried out in Italy, before it was bought in 2008 by its current owner, a major Swiss collector, who used it regularly at historic events. Indeed, the range of historic races in which it can compete is all the greater given that it is an ‘offset’ single-seater. It is unique for the same car to be eligible for the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco, without its mudguards, and for Le Mans Classic, as a two-seater with its mudguards. Its owner, moreover, achieved some remarkable results in both events: victory at Monaco in 2021 and two wins at Le Mans Classic, in which he has competed every year. He also won the toughest hill climb in the world, the Klausenrennen, with its 24km (15mi) of mountain roads. It is therefore extremely versatile and a fast car in all conditions.

 

It is important to note that its engine was completely rebuilt only last year, at a cost of 90,000€, and that it has not been raced since, just maintained by the current owner's mechanics. It should be stressed that it is still powered by its original engine (no. 45003), making it a matching numbers car.

Looking magnificent in its light blue paintwork to its original specification, its exceptional history makes this car stand out. A first year as a works car with some fine results, a career studded with famous drivers and collectors, a continuous ownership chain and splendid authenticity, it has a rare combination of assets for a car of its class and period. It will be sold with substantial history files, maintenance bills and various items of correspondence. With the benefit of a strong and well-proven engine, excellent performance and attractive sporty looks, as well as historic documentation, it is eligible for the top historic events, where it will be greatly admired. In addition, as it is registered, it can be driven on the road, where it will gratify its owner with the unrivalled sensations of driving a pre-war thoroughbred.

 

Race Participation history at the time

1939                                                  

2nd April  Pau GP       n° 4      Carriere            Ab

7th May   Paris Cup's :                                      

• Paris Cup            n° 56   Le Begue          3°
• Grand Handicap Olazur  n° 56   Le Begue          11°

21st May     Eifelrennen      n° 28   Etancelin          11°

9th jully ACF GP     n° 36  Le Begue        3°

6th august       Comminges GP   n° 8    Le Begue        1er

10th sept 12 Hours of Paris                                    Annulée

                                                              

1941                                                  

30th may   500 Miles of Indianapolis      n° 24    Trevoux             NQ

                Land’s end Hill Climb    n° 6      Trevoux             4°

                                                              

1946                                                  

30th may     500 Miles of ndianapolis       n° 49    Arkus-Duntov               NQ

30th june      Langhorne « 100 »                       Arkus-Duntov               

16th october  Goshen « 100 »           n° 8      Arkus-Duntov               

                                                              

1947                                                  

30th may 500 Miles of Indianapolis     n° 49    Arkus-Duntov               

                                                              

1949                                                  

18th april Pau GP       n° 26    Schell  Ab

24th april Paris GP                    Schell  NE

14th april    English GP             n° 29    Schell  F

3 juillet  Swiss GP n° 48    Schell  16°

10 juillet  Albi GP           n° 40    Schell  Ab

17 juillet   French GP               Schell  Reserve

7 août    ACF GP   n° 2       Schell/Sommer  Ab

15 août      Pescara Racetrack     n° 28    Schell  F

18 sept Sarrebruck Racetrack                       Schell  1er

9 octobre  Salon GP : Sport Car's cup n° 27   Schell  1er

                                                              

1950                                                  

28 mai       Interlagos GP            n° 10    « Raph »            Ab

4 juin           Quinta Boa Viata                        « Raph »          Ab

11 juin   Gavea GP                        « Raph »             Ab

                                                              

1987                                                  

20 sept     ACRA of Angoulême         R. Lamplough/J.-M. Farigo    

                                                              

1988                                                  

24 juillet    HGPCA of Croix en Ternoix   n° 33    R. Lamplough

Lots from outside the EU: Classic cars: The hammer price is exclusive of tax. A reduced VAT rate of 5.5% (for a French buyer) applies to the hammer price and the sales commission. VAT on the sales commission may be refunded upon presentation of proof of export outside the EU or proof of an intra-community VAT number and a document proving delivery to a member state. Modern motor cars: In addition to the commissions and taxes specified in the general conditions of purchase, an additional import VAT will be charged (20% of the hammer price for a French buyer). For European and non-European Union nationals, the rate depends on the country of destination. They will need to contact the relevant local authorities.

Photos © Kevin Van Campenhout