I'm researching facts in a book that I must have bought back in the carefree 60's, for it was published in 1959. It's called The Book of Sports Cars and even after all those years is a valuable reference to cars, builders, and drivers. Under Talbot/Talbot-Lago the authors suggest that "any attempt to clarify the history of the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combine is dangerous." Right. And I'm not even going to try except to add that Tony Lago bought the Darracq factory in France, which was producing some British Talbot designs at the time, and then proceeded to create his own cars based on the Brit's Talbot. Got that? No? Well… it least it explains the name.
Tony Lago was a brilliant engineer who built his cars to very high standards and whose motivation was racing, including a win at LeMans in 1950 when his team beat every existing course record. He'd have won in 1952 as well if Pierre Levegh hadn't insisted on driving the entire 24-hours. Running only on instinct, unable to even recognise his own pit crew, Levegh allegedly broke the crankshaft by over-revving during the 23rd hour. The Talbot-Lago seen here, a Grand Sport coupe, was one of the small firm's last, revealed to me by 300SL restorer-extraordinaire Rudi Koniczek during a visit to his secret warehouse near Victoria, BC. Don't be dismayed by the dust… she's ready to run.