1937 Talbot-Lago T150C SS and 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C Speciale Review and Buyer's Guide

1937 Talbot-Lago T150C SS 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C Speciale Collectors who wish to win Best of Show prizes need a car of this caliber, and will compete head to head whenever one comes onto the market

by Richard Adatto and Diana Meredith

Chassis number: 90034 Engine number: 85048

Rarely do teardrop Talbot-Lagos come to a public sale. And to have two of them offered during the same weekend is unusual indeed. Cars of this quality are generally exchanged through private treaty sale, a discreet transaction where the final price is not disclosed, and at times even the buyer remains a secret. So it was a treat to be able to see and admire two of Joseph Figoni’s best creations at the Christie’s and RM auctions during the Monterey weekend this year. The cars, S/N 90105, built in 1937, and S/N 90034, built in 1938, have certain similarities. Joseph Figoni reached an exclusive agreement with Talbot-Lago for their design, and they were marketed by Luigi Chinetti in France. Both were built to order as luxury grand touring cars for gentlemen drivers, and competed at grand prix races where they achieved respectable finishes. Other than minor paint jobs and small repairs, neither car has undergone an extensive restoration. Both are teardrops, with the flowing lines associated with this style. However, they are very different cars with very different histories. The SS Chassis 90105, featured at Christie’s auction at the Monterey Jet Center, was built on a T150C SS short chassis that is light and low. The “SS” signifies “Special Sport,” and Figoni designated the coachwork as a “New York” model—a fastback, streamlined style. As a result of the characteristics of the chassis, the coachwork became entirely aerodynamic. The headlights are faired into the body, and the front fenders curve in one continuous sweep until they meet at the leading edge of the enclosed rear fenders. The windshield is split to meet the curves of the body, and it opens to provide ventilation courtesy of a unique mechanism patented by Figoni. He was restrained in his use of chrome filets, which are placed to accentuate the lines along the trailing edges of the front and rear fenders. The car is a two-seater with scant luggage space, and the dashboard is surrounded by fine wood trim, which, in classic Talbot-Lago style, includes many dials and gauges. Under the hood is a four-liter straight-six hemi engine with three carburetors, and a racing-style six-port tubular exhaust. Its powerful engine sits lower than that of a regular touring chassis, and can achieve a top speed of 175 kph (108 mph). In 1939, just before World War II, Chinetti imported the car into the U.S. and sold it to Tommy Lee, a prominent car buff in Los Angeles. Lee drove it on the dry lake beds east of L.A. against the hot rods and Alfa Romeo 2.9s of his friends. After his death, it was sold to a buyer in Milwaukee, WI, and after a short time was sold again to industrial designer Brooks Stevens, who kept it at his museum in the area. At this point in its life, S/N 90105 was painted blue. The story goes that the museum curator, during one of Stevens’ absences, took it upon himself to change the color to red, and red it remains still. In 1950, it raced at Watkins Glen, NY, driven by James Floria to an eleventh-place finish. The car stayed in the Brooks Stevens collection for 44 years in almost entirely original condition, which, in addition to its gorgeous lines, makes it one of a kind. The Jeancart The second teardrop, S/N 90034, from the RM auction in Monterey, was one of several built on a standard 2.95-meter Talbot-Lago T150C Speciale chassis. Figoni designated the car as a “Jeancart,” recognizable by its notched back with cat-eye windows at the rear, in honor of the first customer to order this model. The rectangular grille stands upright, a standard feature for this chassis, and the headlights are detached and mounted in the valley between the fenders and the hood. The car has many signature Figoni features, particularly the use of chrome accents: The pontoon-shaped front fenders have chrome tips that end at the leading edge of the front doors; the rear fenders are open and accented with chrome along their bottom lines; and one chrome spear starts at the front edge of the hood and sweeps back to the bottom of the rocker, while another runs up the central fin of the trunk. The windshield is split but does not open, as it does on the New York model. The Jeancart does, however, have a sunroof, and because of its wider, longer chassis, this model has more luggage space at the rear, including two small jump seats. The engine of S/N 90034 is less powerful than S/N 90105, with a higher center of gravity, fewer tuning refinements, a cast-iron exhaust manifold, lower horsepower rating, and a top speed of 160 kph (100 mph). The car was first delivered to Antoine Schumann, reportedly a wealthy Parisian banker. Schumann perished in World War II, and the car remained hidden during hostilities. It emerged in Brussels, Belgium, in 1946, where it was sold by Garage Mesuy to Freddy Damman. In 1948, Damman and co-driver and mechanic Constant Debelder raced the car at Spa-Francorchamps for a First in Class finish. In 1979, the car was bought by Michel Seydoux of France, who kept it until 1981, when it was sold at auction to a private collector who has kept it until the present. It remains only partially restored and in good running condition, though it has been painted black instead of its original midnight blue. Over $7m French streamlined cars built between 1930 and 1939 are some of the most beautiful cars ever created. Not very many of them remain in the world today, and those that are left win top honors: At seven of the last ten Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a French car has won the Best of Show trophy. Collectors who wish to win such a prize need a car of this caliber, and will compete head to head whenever one comes onto the market. They are willing to pay whatever it takes, usually in the millions of dollars. Within this elite group, the cream of the crop are the high-performance models with race-bred engines and established racing and concours records. S/N 90105 was auctioned by Christie’s on Friday, August 19; S/N 90034 was presented by RM Auctions on the following day. Bidding was heated at both events, with five or six qualified buyers vying for each prize. In the end, I was surprised that chassis 90105, which I expected to sell for the higher price given its sweeping styling, racing motor, and short chassis, sold for $3,535,000, $150k less than the $3,685,000 achieved by S/N 90034. These startling prices don’t even include taxes or import duties, which can add an extra 10% or more. I can only ascribe this to a better marketing effort by RM Auctions. Nevertheless, these two equally beautiful cars revealed to the public, perhaps unconvinced on the way in, that French streamlined cars are a highly prized commodity, and deserve their place among the most coveted of automobiles.