One of the most beautiful cars ever made, the one-of-a-kind Talbot-Lago T150 C Lago Spéciale teardrop coupé by Figoni et Falaschi, will go to auction this weekend. The no-reserve auction is being held at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Sunday, May 25.
The 1938 Talbot-Lago is one of several iconic Goutte d’Eau (“Teardrop”) designs of the 1930s in which Talbot-Darracq of France made its comeback. The combination of Automobiles Talbot-Darracq and Antonio Lago, who pulled the company out of bankruptcy, resulted in some of the most beautiful cars ever made.
This particular one was commissioned by race driver Antoine Schumann as a replacement for his Bugatti Type 50. This was the only Joseph Figoni-designed car the company made on the T150 C Lago Spéciale chassis, due to the requirements Schumann had for the car. The special-order body was unique as well, also thanks to the racer’s requirements.
Lago’s T150 C chassis was designed with a wheelbase of 295 centimeters (116 inches). Sporting a powerful 4.0-liter high-performance six-cylinder engine, the car output a 7.4:1 compression ratio and 100 horsepower at only 4,200 rpm with only one carburetor. Going to three added 10 more HP. This was thanks to a new “pent roof” cylinder head that made for a semi-hemispherical chamber.
The result was a car that was a class winner at both the 1948 Belgian Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Spa.
The 1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C Lago Spéciale was sold to Schumann for the then-handsome sum of 165,000 francs. It has since traded hands in France a few times, but never left the country by way of ownership.
For a lot more backstory and information on this car and the people behind it, including a host of photos, visit the auction page at Broad Arrow Auctions. This car is expected to auction at north of five million euros.
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