1938 Talbot-Lago T150C 'Lago Spéciale' Cabriolet with Figoni coachwork
- Engine
- 4.0L inline six-cylinder OHV single-cam with hemispherical combustion chambers, triple carburettors, 170 bhp at 4,500 rpm
- Colour
- 'Bleu Narval' (whale blue)
Chassis 90039 is a right-hand-drive 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C 'Lago Spéciale' cabriolet, one of only 51 T150Cs produced, bodied to the refined second-series Figoni design and fitted with the rare aerodynamic Figoni grille. Powered by Walter Becchia's four-litre hemispherical-combustion-chamber six with triple carburettors, it was first registered in Paris on 1 August 1939 and subsequently passed through noted American collections including those of Luigi Chinetti, Briggs Cunningham, and Peter Mullin before a comprehensive ground-up restoration was completed in 2016.
Ownership
- 2022-08-19Auction saleSold US$600,000
- 1939-08-01 →Factory deliveryFirst Paris owner (identity unknown)partial documentation
Vehicle was registered in Paris with plate '2125 RM 3' and first took to the road on 1 August 1939, just weeks before war broke out, so its early use was almost certainly very limited.
- 1950 → 1959Acquisition unknownOtto Zipper's Precision Motor Carspartial documentation
Santa Monica, California dealership and racing operation, believed to have held the car during the 1950s; known for handling high-calibre competition and road cars of that era.
- 1960 →Acquisition unknownBriggs Cunninghampartial documentation
Prominent American collector who held the car during the 1960s before passing it to Wilbur F. Sanders.
- → 2012Private saleSwiss collectorpartial documentation
Received the car in an unrestored and incomplete state following its use as a donor vehicle; subsequently consigned it to the Bonhams Grand Palais sale in Paris in 2012.
- 2012 → 2016AuctionPrevious owner (buyer at 2012 Bonhams Paris sale)partial documentation
Purchased the unrestored car at Bonhams Grand Palais, Paris in 2012 and commissioned a thorough ground-up restoration by Hoffes Restoration, completed by 2016.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownFrancois Lugeonpartial documentation
Swiss businessman and diplomat who had no French residence but was based at the Hotel Ruhl in Nice, where he registered the car locally. He was the last European custodian before the car was exported to the United States.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownLuigi Chinettipartial documentation
Believed to have been the US importer of the car in his role as the American agent for Talbot-Lago; a strong admirer of the T150 C model.
- Date unknownPrivate saleWilbur F. Sanderspartial documentation
Dearborn, Michigan owner listed in the 1976 Talbot-Lago register compiled by Tony Carroll; attempted to sell the car to Roy Leiske of Milwaukee but the transaction did not go through.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownPeter Mullinpartial documentation
Well-known American collector who subsequently sold the car to Bill Marriott.
- Date unknownPrivate saleBill Marriottpartial documentation
Prominent collector whose restorer David Carte used this chassis as a reference and parts source for Marriott's T150 C-SS teardrop project, after which the car was disposed of.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2012Maintenance
Prior to restoration, the car had been used as a reference and parts-donor vehicle for another T150C-SS, leaving it in an unrestored and incomplete condition.
Work attributed to David Carte, restorer working on behalf of Bill Marriott.
- 2016RestorationHoffes Restoration
Comprehensive ground-up restoration carried out to a very high standard, with the engine rebuilt by UK-based Talbot-Lago specialist Jim Stokes. Work ran from 2012 through to 2016.
Engine restoration undertaken separately by Jim Stokes in the UK; overall restoration commissioned by the buyer of the 2012 Bonhams sale.
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