1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Fastback Coupe
1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Fastback Coupe
1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Fastback Coupe
This one-off Antem Fastback Coupe was built for French industrialist Michel Paul-Cavallier, an important business associate of Anthony Lago and a director for Automobiles Talbot. As director of the Pont-a-Mousson foundry and steel company, Cavallier had a say in the allocation of resources such as steel. So the car created for him was to be a very special car for a very special client. Just two Grand Sport road cars were created with a twin ignition twelve-plug head and an aluminum block, as on the Talbot Grand Prix cars, and this is one of them. The engine is capable of generating 250 to 260 horsepower, which is about 60 or 70 more than the standard Grand Sport. Additional speed equipment included a dry sump, special high-compression pistons, a special exhaust, a substantial oil cooler, and a GP braking system. In contrast to its undercarriage, the Antem body is a quiet but lovely counterpoint; almost austere in its lack of ornamentation, its smoothness offers the calm this car needs. There are some gaps in the car's ownership record in the early years, but as early as 1958, it was registered in California to Patrick de Goldsmith, and in 1962 it was acquired by Lindley Locke. He and his wife Betty used the car up to 1980, then garaged it for 35 years. The current caretakers acquired the car in 2015, returned it to Europe and restored it.
