Fewer than 40 Talbot Lago Grand Sports were built between 1948 and 1952, so it may seem surprising that someone would set out to write two thick illustrated books about them. But Peter Larsen was not to be deterred and spent years collecting facts and pictures, talking to specialists around the world and visiting Concours d'Elegance and classic car events on several continents. The result is now available, around 650 pages, more than 1,400 illustrations, packaged in two books and a slipcase.
It is not surprising that such a wealth of information cannot be cheap for a limited edition. USD 350 is certainly not a bargain, but anyone who is really interested in Anthony Lago's post-war vehicles will not be able to avoid this book.
Organized in two books
Book 1 (Volume I) defines the background, so to speak, for the vehicles, Book 2 (Volume II) is then dedicated to the individual cars. The reader is introduced to the history of the brand and its creators, in particular Anthony Lago (Antonio Franco Lago). The technology of the Grand Sport vehicles is then explained and finally the coachbuilders involved - almost as many as there were cars produced - are described.
Directories and overviews of production, brochures and some special features round off the first and somewhat thinner volume.
The man behind the cars
It takes people like Anthony Lago to create something as unusual as the Talbot-Lago vehicles from more or less nothing. Anthony was a charmer, a cunning negotiator, an uncompromising businessman and fearless when it came to implementing an idea and getting to the top, even if the funds were lacking. Peter Larsen writes laconically in one section that even if Anthony Lago had known that there was virtually no market for his expensive products, he would hardly have been dissuaded from his venture.
A comprehensive summary of his life is presented in the first book.
Technology inspired by racing
In technical terms, the post-war Talbot was based on the racing cars that had been developed before the war. A Grand Sport chassis weighed around 850 kg, which was stable enough to carry even expansive bodies. The in-line six-cylinder engine produced around 190 hp and was coupled to a Wilson Preselector gearbox. The book contains chassis drawings, engine cross-section drawings and many pictures from the past and present that explain the technology.
Elegance versus sportiness in the bodywork
Although some of the Grand Sport vehicles were successful in sport, it was the sometimes sultry and expansive bodywork that made the Talbot-Lago an attraction. Antem, Barou, Contamin/Besser (?), Carlo Delaisse, Chapron, Dubos, Figoni et Falaschi, Franay, Graber, Motto, Oblin, Pennock, Saoutchik, Stabilimenti Farina, Tunesi and Van den Plas all had one or more chassis in their factories and created more or less imperishable bodies that amazed visitors to the motor shows of the fifties and made them dream. Some cars were bodied several times. The variety of bodies is breathtaking. It is obvious that most of the coachbuilders came from France.
The introductions to the individual coachbuilders take up almost half of the first book.
The vehicles and their transience
Practically the entire second volume, or around 2/3 of the total pages, is devoted to the individual vehicles. Where available, the manufacturer's records are shown. The history from construction is discussed as far as possible and documented with extensive photographic material. It is possible to follow how individual cars changed their shape and condition over time, how some were clothed by several coachbuilders at the same time, how accidents and decay gnawed at them. Restoration projects are explained and illustrated. It is also interesting to note that the vehicles were traded in a relatively small circle of enthusiasts.
For the connoisseur
"Talbot Lago Grand Sport - The Cars from Paris" is neither a classic coffee-table book nor a quickly consumable brand overview.
This book is written by enthusiasts and aficionados - Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson - for like-minded people. Anyone who is not interested in French coachbuilding and who is not interested in French sports cars of the post-war period should steer clear of this book. But for those who enjoy the elegant and expansive, sometimes even pompous shapes, this book offers many hours of pure reading pleasure and image study.
The two-volume set can be ordered directly from Dalton Watson Fine Books.
Bibliographical information
- Title: "Talbot-Lago Grand Sport - The Car from Paris"
- Authors: Peter M. Larsen with Ben Erickson
- Publisher: Dalton Watson Fine Books
- Language: English
- Published: August 2012
- Format: 219 x 304 mm
- Size: approx. 648 pages, over 1,400 images
- ISBN 978-85443-247-6
- Price: USD 350
