Editing Talbot-Lago

{{Short description|Automobile manufacturer (1920–1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Talbot-Lago
| logo =  Talbot brand logo 1954.png 
| logo_size = 150
| image = 
| image_size = 
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = 
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang =  
| former_name = 
| type = [[Société Anonyme|S.A.]]
| industry = [[automotive industry|Automotive]]
| fate = Acquired by [[Simca]] in 1959 <ref name=Automobilia1959/>
| predecessor  = [[Automobiles Talbot France|Automobiles Talbot]]
| successor = 
| founded =  1936
| founder = [[Antonio Lago]]
| defunct   = {{end date and age|1959}}
| hq_location = 
| hq_location_city = [[Suresnes]]
| hq_location_country = France
| area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->
| key_people = 
| products = [[car|Automobiles]], [[auto racing|racing cars]]
| brands = [[Talbot]]
| services = 
| subsid = 
}}
'''Talbot-Lago''' was a French [[automobile]] manufacturer based in [[Suresnes]], Hauts de Seine, outside [[Paris]]. The company was owned and managed by [[Antonio Lago]], an Italian engineer that acquired rights to the [[Talbot]] brand name after the demise of [[Darracq and Company London|Darracq London]]'s subsidiary [[Automobiles Talbot France]] in 1936.<ref name=hager>[https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/talbot-lago-isnt-a-household-name-but-this-french-beauty-made-history/ Talbot-Lago isn’t a household name, but this French beauty made history] by Rick Carey on Hagerty.com, 19 April 2022</ref>

Under Lago's managing, the company produced a range of automobiles that included [[sport car|sport]] and [[auto racing|racing cars]]; in some cases, the vehicles were designed by coachbuild company [[Figoni et Falaschi]].<ref name=hager/> Talbot-Lago faced financial problems; as a result, Lago sold the company to [[Simca]] in 1959.<ref name=Automobilia1959/>

== Predecessors ==

===Alexandre Darracq===
{{main|Automobiles Darracq France}}
The Suresnes factory had been built by [[Alexandre Darracq]] for his pioneering car manufacturing business begun in 1896, which he named A. Darracq & Cie. It was very profitable. Alexandre Darracq built racing as well as "pleasure" cars and Darracq rapidly became famous for its motor racing successes. Darracq sold his remaining portion of his business in 1912.

===Talbot France===
{{main|Automobiles Talbot France}}
New owners renamed the Darracq business Automobiles Talbot in 1922. However, though its ordinary production cars were badged as Talbots, the new owners continued incorporating the Darracq name in Talbot-Darracq for their competition cars.

Owing to the simultaneous existence of British Talbot cars, French products when sold in Britain were badged Darracq-Talbot or Talbot-Darracq,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160922084121/http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TALBOT-DARRACQ-1921-MODELS-Car-Brochure-1921-/151607756843?hash=item234c86c82b:g:jS8AAOSwstxU3lNt Talbot Darracq]</ref> or even simply Darracq.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160922084512/http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DARRACQ-CAR-RANGE-Sales-Brochure-c1938-SALOON-Limousine-CABRIOLET-Lago-Special-/151792058813?hash=item23578301bd:g:k0YAAOSw3ydVzjT7 Darracq]</ref>

===Antonio Lago===
In 1932, after the onset of [[the Great Depression]], Italo-British businessman [[Antonio Lago]] was appointed managing director in the hope that he might revive Automobiles Talbot's business. Lago began this process, but the owners were unable to stave off [[receivership]] beyond the end of 1934. The receiver did not immediately close Automobiles Talbot, and in 1936 Antonio Lago managed to complete a [[management buy-out]] from the receiver.

== Reorganisation under Tony Lago ==
For 1935, the existing range continued in production but from 1936 these were steadily replaced with cars designed by Walter Becchia, featuring transverse leaf-sprung independent suspension. These included the 4-cylinder 2323&nbsp;cc (13CV) [[Talbot Type T4 "Minor"]], a surprise introduction at the 1937 [[Paris Motor Show]], and the 6-cylinder 2,696&nbsp;cc (15CV) Talbot "Cadette-15", along with and the 6-cylinder 2,996&nbsp;cc or 3,996&nbsp;cc (17 or 23CV) Talbot "Major" and its long-wheelbase version, the Talbot "Master": these were classified as Touring cars (''voitures de tourisme'').<ref name=Automobilia1938/>

There was also in the second half of the 1930s a range of Sporting cars (''voitures de sport'') which started with the Talbot "Baby-15", mechanically the same as the "Cadette-15" but using a shorter slightly lighter chassis. The Sporting Cars range centred on the 6-cylinder 2,996&nbsp;cc or 3,996&nbsp;cc (17 or 23CV) Talbot "Baby" and also included the 3,996&nbsp;cc (23CV) 23 and sporting Lago-Spéciale and Lago-SS models, respectively with two and three  carburettors, and corresponding increases in power and performance.<ref name=Automobilia1938>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1938 (Salon 1937)| volume = 6| pages =88–89|year = 1998|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref> The most frequently specified body for the Lago-SS was built by [[Figoni et Falaschi]], and featured a particularly eye-catching aerodynamic form.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://davepics.com/Misc/Cars/Talbot/tn/Talbot_Lago_1937_T150_SS.jpg.html|title=Image: Talbot Lago 1937 T150 SS|work=davepics.com}}</ref>

Lago was an excellent engineer who developed the existing six-cylinder engine into a high-performance 4-litre one.  The sporting six-cylinder models had a great racing history. The bodies—such as of the T150 coupé—were made by excellent [[coachbuilder]]s such as Figoni et Falaschi or [[Saoutchik]].

===Talbot-Lago models 1935–1940===
Although the proliferation of cars types and model names that followed Lago's acquisition of the business is at first glance bewildering, it actually involved only four standard chassis lengths as follows:
{{multiple image
|align  =
|direction = 
|perrow = 2 
|header = Pre-War Talbot-Lago models
|total_width  = 400
|image1 = Talbot-Lago T150C-SS coupé 1939 Pourtout.JPG
|caption1 = 1939 Talbot-Lago T-150 CSS. Body by [[Carrosserie Pourtout|Carrosserie Marcel Pourtout]], designer [[Georges Paulin]]
|image2 = 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 SS "Goutte d'Eau", front left (Greenwich 2022).jpg 
|caption2 = 1937 Talbot Lago T150 SS. Teardrop Coupe bodywork by [[Figoni & Falaschi]]
|image3 = Talbot Lago Minor T4 1937 at Schaffen-Diest 2013.JPG 
|caption3 = Talbot Lago Minor T4 1937, a {{convert|2323|cc|cid|abbr=on}} which competed with equivalent models from [[Hotchkiss et Cie|Hotchkiss]] and [[Salmson]] 
|image4 = 1938 Talbot Teardrop SS 150 (coachwork by Figoni & Falaschi (7563067512).jpg 
|caption4 = Figoni & Falaschi teardrop coupé on a 1938 SS 150 chassis
|footer = 
}}
: Short Châssis ({{convert|2950|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wheelbase):
:: [[Talbot Type T4 "Minor"|Minor T4]] (4 cylinders, 2323&nbsp;cc)
:: Junior 11
:: [[Talbot Baby|Baby-15]] (6 cylinders, 2696&nbsp;cc)
:: [[Talbot Baby|Baby 3 litres]] (6 cylinders, 2996&nbsp;cc)
:: T150 3 litres (6 cylinders, 2996&nbsp;cc)
:: [[Talbot Baby|Baby 4 litres]] (6 cylinders, 3996&nbsp;cc)
:: [[Talbot Baby#Talbot Lago-Spécial|Lago Spécial]] (6 cylinders, 3996&nbsp;cc with twin or triple carbs)
: Extra short Châssis ({{convert|2650|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wheelbase):
:: [[Talbot Baby#Talbot Lago-SS|Lago SS]] (6 cylinders, 3996&nbsp;cc with triple carbs)
: Normal Châssis ({{convert|3200|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wheelbase):
:: Cadette-15 (6 cylinders, 2696&nbsp;cc)
:: Major 3 litres (6 cylinders, 2996&nbsp;cc)
:: Major 4 litres (6 cylinders, 3996&nbsp;cc)
: Long (7-seater) Châssis ({{convert|3450|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wheelbase):
:: Master 3 litres (6 cylinders, 2996&nbsp;cc)
:: Master 4 litres (6 cylinders, 3996&nbsp;cc)

During the early years of the war Walter Becchia left Talbot to work for Citroen, but Lago was joined in 1942 by another exceptional engineer, Carlo Machetti, and from then the two of them were working on the twin camshaft 4483&nbsp;cc six-cylinder unit that would lie at the heart of the 1946 Talbot T26.

==After World War II==
After the [[Second World War|war]], the company continued to be known both for successful high-performance racing cars and for large luxurious passenger cars, with extensive sharing of chassis and engine components between the two. Nevertheless, the period was one of economic stagnation and financial stringency. The company had difficulty finding customers, and its finances were stretched.<ref name=Automobilia1953>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1953 (Salon Paris oct 1952)| volume = 14|page=77|year = 2000|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>

In 1946, the company began production of a new engine design, based on earlier units but with a new cylinder head featuring twin in-block camshafts. This engine, designed under the leadership of Carlo Marchetti,<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/> was in many respects a new engine. A 4483 cc six-cylinder in-line engine was developed for the [[Talbot Lago Record]] (1946–1952) and for the Talbot Grand Sport 26CV (1947–1954). These cars were priced against large luxurious cars from the likes of [[Delahaye]], [[Delage]], [[Hotchkiss et Cie|Hotchkiss]] and [[Salmson]]. Talbot would remain in the auto-making business for longer than any of these others, and the Talbot name was resurrected in the early 1980s.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er>{{cite book |last=Gloor |first=Roger |title=Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945–1960|edition=1.|year=2007 |publisher=Motorbuch Verlag |location=Stuttgart |isbn=978-3-613-02808-1}}</ref>

===Talbot Lago Record T26===
{{main|Talbot Lago Record}}
[[File:Paris_-_Bonhams_2013_-_Talbot_Lago_T26_record_cabriolet_-_1947_-_001.jpg|thumb|Talbot Lago T26 Record cabriolet]]
The "Talbot Lago Record T26" was a large car with a [[Tax horsepower|fiscal horsepower]] of 26 CV and a claimed actual power output of 170&nbsp;hp, delivered to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gear box, with the option at extra cost of a [[Preselector gearbox#Wilson|Wilson]] [[Preselector gearbox|pre-selector]] gear box, and supporting a claimed top speed of 170&nbsp;km/h (105&nbsp;mph). The car was commonly sold as a stylish four-door sedan, but a two-door cabriolet was also offered. There were also coachbuilt specials with bodywork by traditionalist firms such as [[Carrosserie Hermann Graber|Graber]].<ref name="AlleAutosder50er" />

===Talbot Lago Grand Sport T26===
[[File:Talbot Lago by Stabilimenti Farina.jpg|thumb|left|1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina]]
The "T26 Grand Sport (GS)" was first displayed in public in October 1947 as a shortened chassis,<ref>The standard wheelbase for the existing T26 models was 3125 mm, but for the T26 Grand Sport this was reduced to 2650 mm.</ref> and only 12 were made during 1948 which was the models's first full year of production.<ref name="Automobilia1948">{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1948 (Salon Paris oct 1947)| volume = 7|page=78|year = 1998|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref> The car was noted for its speed. The engine which produced 170&nbsp;hp in the Lago Record was adapted to provide {{convert|190|bhp|abbr=on}} or, later, {{convert|195|bhp|abbr=on}} in the GS, and a top speed of around 200&nbsp;km/h (124&nbsp;mph) was claimed, depending on the body that was fitted.<ref name="AlleAutosder50er" /> The car was built for either racing or luxury and benefited directly from Talbot's successful T26C Grand Prix car. As such it was expensive, rare and helped [[Louis Rosier]] with [[Jean-Louis Rosier|his son]] to win the [[24 Hours of Le Mans|LeMans 24 Hour race]] in 1950. The GS replaced the Lago-Record chassis which was named for its remarkable top speed. The GS was one of the world's most powerful production cars at the time. It had several special features from the T26 Grand Prix cars, such as a 4.5-litre inline-6 aluminum cylinder head, a hollowed camshaft, multiport exhaust system and triple carburetors.<ref name="simeone">{{cite web|last1=Simeone|first1=Frederick|title=1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe|date=19 July 2008 |url=http://www.simeonemuseum.org/the-collection/rally-racing/1948-talbot-lago-t26-grand-sport-coupe|publisher=Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum|access-date=10 March 2015}}</ref> Chassis details were similar to the Grand Prix cars, but it was longer and wider. It came it two wheelbase lengths -104 and {{convert|110|in|mm}}.

Almost all the Talbots sold during the late 1940s came with Talbot bodies, constructed in the manufacturer's extensive workshops. The '''T26 Grand Sport (GS)''' was the exception, however, and cars were delivered only as bare chassis, requiring customers to choose bespoke bodywork from a specialist coachbuilder.<ref name="Automobilia1948" />  The GS was a star turn in a dull world and coachbuilders such as Saoutchik, [[Franay]], Oblin, and Figoni et Falaschi competed to trump Talbot's own designers with elaborately elegant bodies.<ref name="AlleAutosder50er" />

===Talbot Lago Baby===
{{main|Talbot Baby}}
[[File:Talbot-Lago T26 Berline ca 1950 Anet.jpg|thumb|right|Talbot-Lago T15 Baby Berline d'Usine ca. 1950]]The '''Talbot Lago Baby''' (1948–1951) marked the return of a pre-war Talbot model name and was the third model presented by the company during the 1940s. The car was commonly sold as a four-door sedan, but a two-door cabriolet was also offered. Its engine comprised only four cylinders, but the twin overhead camshaft with cylinder valves on both sides of the engine block was again featured:<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/> at 2690 cc the engine capacity equated to a [[tax horsepower|fiscal horsepower]] of 15 CV,<ref name=Automobilia1953/> which was enough to attract the punitive levels of car tax applied by the French government to large cars. The power output was initially {{convert|110|bhp|abbr=on}}, which in 1949 was increased to {{convert|120|bhp|abbr=on}}.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/> Although the postwar Baby sedan closely resembled the more powerful Record on a brief glance, the Baby's 2,950&nbsp;mm wheelbase was slightly shorter than the 3130&nbsp;mm wheelbase of the Record, and the overall length was correspondingly 200&nbsp;mm shorter, reflecting the shortened 4-cylinder engine block.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/> Additionally, the cheaper car sat on a simplified suspension set-up. Baby customers could specify as an option a Wilson pre-selector gear box.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/>

Talbot Lago manufactured three special made seven-seater presidential cars; one for the President of France, one for the President of Tunisia and one for the royal family in Saudi Arabia.

===Talbot-Lago T26C===
{{main|Talbot-Lago T26C}}
[[File:Talbot Lago Type 26C of Ron Townley.jpg|thumb|right|1948 Talbot-Lago T26C]]
The '''Talbot-Lago T26C''' is an [[Open-wheel car|open-wheel]] [[Formula racing|formula race car]], designed and developed by French manufacturer Talbot-Lago, and built to the new [[Formula One]] racing rules and regulations, in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.conceptcarz.com/s21560/talbot-lago-t-26c-grand-prix.aspx|title=1948 TalbotLago T26C Grand Prix technical and mechanical specifications|website=conceptcarz.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.supercars.net/blog/1948-talbot-lago-t26-course/|title=1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Course &#124; Talbot-Lago|first=Nick|last=D|date=23 April 2016}}</ref>

===New bodies for 1952===
In 1951, as rumours of the company's financial difficulties intensified, a new [[Ponton (automobile)|Ponton format]] body appeared for the Talbot Baby and Record.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/> The wheelbases were carried over from the earlier models. Although in many ways strikingly modern, the new car featured a two piece front windscreen in place of the single flat screen of its predecessor, presumably reflecting the difficulties at the time of combining the strength of a windscreen with curved glass at an acceptable price and quality. The new car's large rear window was itself replaced by a larger three-piece "panoramic" wrap around back window as part of the car's first face-lift, which took place in time for the 1952 [[Paris Motor Show]].<ref name=Automobilia1953/> The engine specification of the four-cylinder unit was unchanged as was the claimed performance even though the new body was some 100&nbsp;kg heavier than the old. A new development with the Ponton-bodied cars body was the availability of the larger six-cylinder unit from the Talbot Record in the top-of-the-line Talbot Baby, which in this form was called the Talbot Baby/6 Luxe, and had the slightly longer wheel-base and overall length enforced by the greater length of the six-cylinder engine.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/>

===T14 LS engine / Talbot Lago Sport===
{{main|Talbot Lago Sport}}
[[File:Talbot-Lago T14 LS.jpg|thumb|1956 Talbot-Lago T14 LS]]
At the 1954 [[Paris Motor Show|Salon de L'Automobile de Paris]], Talbot-Lago presented their last new engine: the new four-cylinder still had the typical twin laterally mounted camshafts, although it was upgraded to five main bearings. The new {{convert|120|PS|kW|0|abbr=on}} 2,491&nbsp;cc engine was called the T14 LS, but it did not have a car to go in until May 1955 when the [[Talbot Lago Sport|Talbot-Lago 2500 Coupé T14 LS]] was finally presented.<ref name="Decker1">{{cite journal | last = Decker | first = Jean-Paul | ref = Decker | title = Blue note: A bord d'une... Talbot-Lago 2500 coupé T 14 LS 1955 | language = fr |pages=34, 37 | journal = Rétroviseur | number = 267 |date=May 2011 | publisher = Éditions LVA | issn = 0992-5007 | location = Fontainebleau, France }}</ref> The first car had all-aluminium bodywork, but later cars used more steel.  Fifty-four of these coupés were built, but they proved hard to sell - the stylish bodywork couldn't quite hide the thirties' underpinnings, and the rough engine offered little elasticity nor longevity.<ref name="Decker2">[[#Decker|Decker]], p. 38</ref>

Lacking the resources to engineer the necessary improvements, for 1957 Talbot-Lago had to resort to buying in an engine.  They chose the V8 2580&nbsp;cc made available by [[BMW]], albeit with the bore diameter slightly reduced, to 72.5&nbsp;mm, which gave rise to a 2476&nbsp;cc engine displacement, positioning the car (just) within the 14CV [[Tax horsepower#France|car tax band]].<ref name=Automobilia1958>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1958 (Salon Paris Oct 1957)| volume = 8|page=74|year = 1998|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>  Reflecting the company's export plans, Talbot now rebranded the car as the "Talbot Lago America" and (finally) came into line with other French automakers by placing the driver on the left side of the car.<ref name=Automobilia1958/>  However, market response remained lukewarm, and only about a dozen of the BMW powered Talbot Lago Americas were produced.<ref name=Automobilia1958/>  In the early summer of 1958, Tony Lago decided to accept an offer from Simca president, [[Henri Pigozzi]], for the sale of the Talbot brand to [[Simca]].<ref name=Automobilia1958/>  The sale of the business went ahead in 1959.<ref name=Automobilia1959>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1959 (Salon Paris Oct 1958)| volume = 21|page=78|year = 2002|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>

With the sale of the business to Simca, the new owners found themselves with a handful of the final Talbot Lago Americas which were awaiting engines.<ref name=Automobilia1960>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1960 (Salon Paris Oct 1959)| volume = 15|page=60|year = 2000|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref>  There was now no question of Simca being permitted, or wishing, to produce cars with BMW engines, and the only solution available was to fit the last batch of cars with Simca's own 2351&nbsp;cc V8.<ref name=AlleAutosder50er/>  This [[Ford flathead V8 engine|engine]] had its roots in 1930s Detroit, and was originally provided by Ford to give the (then) [[Ford Vedette]] produced by their [[Ford SAF|French subsidiary]] a flavor of the driving experience offered by an unstressed US style V8 sedan.<ref name=Automobilia1960/> It was by no stretch of the imagination an engine for a sports car, and even with a second carburetor produced only {{convert|95|bhp|abbr=on}}, as against the {{convert|138|bhp|abbr=on}} of the BMW-engined cars from the previous year's production.<ref name=Automobilia1960/>  Claimed top speed was now 165&nbsp;km/h (103&nbsp;mph) in place of the 200&nbsp;km/h (124&nbsp;mph) listed the previous year.<ref name=Automobilia1960/>  At the 1959 [[Paris Motor Show]] a stand had been booked for what was by now the Simca-Talbot brand, but a late decision was taken not to exhibit a Lago America and the stand was instead given up to a hastily constructed "motor show special" prototype of which, after the motor show, nothing more would be heard.<ref name=Automobilia1960/>

==Commercial and financial==
Sales data by model were kept confidential, possibly in connection with the company's financial difficulties, but the overall totals for the early 1950s tell a dire story. The [[Suresnes]] plant produced 155 cars in 1947, an output which increased by 23 in 1948.<ref name=Automobilia1948/> 433 cars were produced in 1950, but this then fell to 80 in 1951 and to 34 in 1952.  In 1953 it is thought that the company turned out just 13 of the 26CV Record model and 4 of the 15 CV Babys.<ref name=Automobilia1953/> During the rest of the decade volumes did not recover significantly; no more than 54 of the [[#T14 LS|T14 LS]] were built in 1955 and 1956.<ref name="Decker2"/>

As the company's commercial trajectory implies, the years following the end of the [[Second World War|war]] were marked by the slow financial collapse of Anthony Lago's Talbot company.  Other luxury automakers whose glory years had been the 1930s fared no better in the 1940s and 1950s than Talbot, with [[Delage]], [[Delahaye]], [[Hotchkiss et Cie|Hotchkiss]] and [[Bugatti]] disappearing from the car business while [[Panhard]], nimbly if slightly improbably, reinvented itself as a manufacturer of small fuel efficient cars.  Customers with enough money to spend on a luxury car were hard to find, and even among those with sufficient funds, in a country where well into the 1950s the [[French Communist Party|Communists]], buoyed by the heroic role played by some of their leaders during the years of [[French Resistance|Resistance]], regularly polled 25% of the vote in national elections, there was little of the "live for today: pay later" spirit that had supported extravagant spending patterns in the 1930s.  Government policy supported the austerity by creating a post-war tax regime that savagely penalised owners of cars with engines above two litres in size, and an Economic Plan, the [[Paul-Marie Pons#The Pons Plan|Pons Plan]],<ref name=Automobilia1948p53>{{cite journal| title =Automobilia| journal = Toutes les voitures françaises 1948 (Salon Paris oct 1947)| volume = 7|page=53|year = 1998|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris }}</ref> which bestowed government favour (and allocations of materials still in short supply such as steel) on just five automakers, these being the businesses that became France's big five automakers in the 1950s and early 60s.  For France's other luxury automakers, meanwhile, including Talbot, the tide had simply gone out.<ref name=Automobilia1953/>

The money ran out, and Anthony Lago was obliged to seek court protection from his creditors, under a procedure known at that time as a [[:fr:Cessation de paiements en France|”Dépôt de bilan”]].  On 6 March 1951 the court agreed a debt moratorium which permitted a limited restart to production at the company's Suresnes plant, but the affair provided unwelcome publicity for Talbot's cash flow problems, and the company now experienced increased difficulty in obtaining credit.  Production was also limited by the extent to which it had been necessary to cut the workforce, and by the reputational damage caused by reports of the whole process.<ref name=Automobilia1953/>

The business staggered on till 1959, but never had the financial strength to support the development and production of its last model, the Talbot-Lago 2500 Coupé T14 LS, launched after a lengthy gestation in May 1955.  In 1958 Lago decided to throw in the sponge and put the business up for sale.  An offer was received from [[Henri Pigozzi]] under the terms of which the remains of the Talbot business would become part of [[Simca]].  In order to avoid bankruptcy, Lago agreed to sell the business on the terms proposed by the Simca president-director, a fellow Italian expatriate. Talbot-Lago was transferred to Simca in 1959.<ref name=Automobilia1959/>  Despite the sorry state of the Talbot business during the preceding ten years, commentators suggest that Pigozzi got a good bargain, receiving at Suresnes an industrial site and buildings worth many times the amount paid, along with a brand name that still resonated strongly with anyone old enough to remember the glory days of Talbot.<ref name=Automobilia1959/>

[[Antonio Lago|Tony Lago]] died in 1960.<ref name=Automobilia1959/>

==Today==
[[File:Stahls Automotive Collection December 2021 096 (1938 Talbot-Lago T-120).jpg|thumb|1938 Talbot-Lago T-120 at [[Stahls Automotive Collection]]]]

Talbot-Lagos have become a top-prized car at various auctions. A Figoni et Falaschi-bodied T150C SS Teardrop Coupe, owned by [[Brooks Stevens]], would sell for US$3,535,000 at [[Christie's]] [[Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance]] auction on 18 August 2005,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tlccar.com/talbot_lago.htm |title=Talbot Lago, TLC Carrossiers Inc. |access-date=18 July 2013 |archive-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208231130/http://tlccar.com/talbot_lago.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> another for US$3,905,000 at the Palm Beach International Concours d'Elegance [[Gooding & Company]] auction on 22 January 2006, where it was unanimously voted "Best in Show",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/event/88/2006-Palm-Beach-International-a-Concours-d-Elegance.html|title=2006 Palm Beach International, a Concours d'Elegance - Report and 210-shot Gallery|work=Ultimatecarpage.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/event/110/Gooding--Company-Auction-Palm-Beach.aspx Gooding & Company Auction: Palm Beach", February, 2006]</ref><ref>[http://www.grundy.com/news/articles/news1-25-2006-10-36-42.asp Vintage Car Sets World Auction Sales Record", Grundy Insurance, 25 January 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212231304/http://www.grundy.com/news/articles/news1-25-2006-10-36-42.asp |date=12 December 2013 }}</ref> and another for US$4,620,000 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance [[RM Auctions]] Sports & Classics of Monterey auction on 14 August 2010.<ref>[http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/event/685/RM-Auctions---Sports--Classics-of-Monterey.aspx RM Auctions - Sports & Classics of Monterey", September, 2010]</ref><ref>[http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/auction-news/one-million-dollar-plus-car-sales-at-rm-monterey Talbot-Lago, Ferrari each sell for $4,620,000 at RM Monterey on final event night", ''Old Cars'', 16 August 2010]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-rm-monterey-auction/#3262663#photo-3262663|title=2010 RM Monterey Auction|work=Autoblog}}</ref> A T150 C SS with a [[Pourtout]] Aerocoupé body, designed by [[Georges Paulin]], sold for US$4,847,000 at the 2008 [[Bonhams & Butterfields]] Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia at [[Quail Lodge]].<ref>[http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/chassisNum.aspx?carid=12470&idNumID=6655 1939 Talbot-Lago T150 C SS chassis 90120]</ref>

An unrestored 1948 T26 Grand Sport, with coachwork by Oblin and chassis #110106, is a part of the permanent collection of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, PA, USA.<ref name=simeone />

A 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé by Saoutchik
from the [[Baillon Collection]] sold for €1,450,000 at the Artcurial auction in February 2015.<ref>[http://www.artcurial.com/en/infinitebidding.asp?method=getLotInfo&lotref=6CA41C3A71&seq=46 artcurial.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207003650/http://www.artcurial.com/en/infinitebidding.asp?method=getLotInfo&lotref=6CA41C3A71&seq=46 |date=2015-02-07 }}</ref>

Even Talbot-Lagos with factory bodies, rather than custom coachwork, are highly valued; a factory-bodied 1939 T150 C SS selling in 2013 for US$418,000 at the Gooding & Company [[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]] auction.<ref>[http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/chassisNum.aspx?carid=12470&idNumID=16815 1939 Talbot-Lago T150 C SS chassis 90060]</ref>

==Sources==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://www.flickr.com/groups/484578@N23/pool/ Talbot-Lago Flickr Group]
*[http://oldtimerwerkstatt.blogspot.com 1949 - Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé by Jean Barou - chassis 110107 ]
*[http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/1085/Talbot-Lago-T26-GS-Saoutchik-Coupe.html 1951 Talbot Lago T26 GS Coupé (by Saoutchik)]
*http://vea.qc.ca/vea/marques1/talbotfr.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204755/http://vea.qc.ca/vea/marques1/talbotfr.htm |date=3 March 2016 }}
 
{{Talbot}}
{{Formula One constructors}}
{{Automotive industry in France}}

[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France]]
[[Category:Formula One constructors]]
[[Category:Formula One entrants]]
[[Category:French auto racing teams]]
[[Category:French racecar constructors]]
[[Category:French brands]]
[[Category:Suresnes]]
[[Category:Sports car manufacturers]]
[[Category:Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers]]