The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Talbot, France, 1903-1987

The story of Talbot begins in 1903 when Frenchman Adolphe Clément received financial support from the English nobleman Lord Charles Chetwynd-Talbot to import French Clément-Bayard cars into the UK. In the early 1900s, the name Clément-Talbot was used until the outbreak of World War I, which caused a financial crisis for the company. Darracq, another French car manufacturer, rescued it in 1919 and acquired the English Sunbeam the following year, creating the STD Group (Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq). Talbot production continued in both France and England.

Talbot's history is marked by several ownership changes over the years. In the photo above you can see a 1934 Talbot 105. During that time the company was part of the STD group.

In the early 1930s, the STD Group faced financial troubles and decided to sell Talbot. In 1932, the company was split, with the English branch sold to Rootes and the French branch to industrialist Anthony Lago. Thus, Talbot Lago was born, positioning itself in the luxury segment. The brand quickly succeeded with its flamboyant design, especially with the T150 model, capturing the affluent public's interest. The most famous coachbuilders, notably Figoni and Falaschi with their "Goutte d’eau" bodies, interpreted it. These models are now auctioned for several million Euros.

The 1930s saw the creation of true masterpieces on wheels, such as the Talbot-Lago T150 with coachwork by Figoni and Falaschi.

The company survived World War II and Talbot-Lago went further by introducing a sports program, competing in 13 Formula 1 Grand Prix races between 1950 and 1951 and aiming for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where a modified T26 won in 1950, defeating rivals like Jaguar and Aston Martin. Meanwhile, across the Channel, the Rootes Group decided to drop the Talbot brand, focusing production on Sunbeam.

After World War II, Talbot-Lago stood out by participating in 13 Formula 1 Grand Prix races between 1950 and 1951 and winning the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans with Louis Rosier.

In France, despite sports successes and the elegant, luxurious cars becoming style icons, Talbot-Lago struggled to return to pre-war levels. In 1958, Anthony Lago sold the company and brand to SIMCA. Two more ownership changes followed: Chrysler in 1967, aiming to create a European division and just over a decade later, PSA Peugeot Citroen. These years saw various attempts to revive the noble Talbot brand with a strategy that relied more on ambitious marketing than market realism. The public knew well that changing the brand did not change the cars, specifically the SIMCAs and by 1987 Talbot disappeared. An unjust end for a name rich in emotions and memories.

The last model produced by Talbot was the Samba. The attempt to turn a luxury brand into a popular one failed definitively in 1987.