[Closed] Spark 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Le Mans

Spark 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Le Mans

The car: The Talbot-Lago Le Mans racer was Louis Rosier's development of the T26C Grand Prix single-seater. The body was modified to squeeze in a second seat, the headrest removed, and spare wheel, headlights, and four motorcycle fenders fitted. The 4.5-liter 6-cyl. engine powered the car around for 256 laps, finishing 1 lap ahead of a similar-looking Talbot-Lago Monoplace Decalee. Driving with Louis was his son, Jean-Louis Rosier.

The model: Spark has done a superb job on this one. One thing that caught my eye off the bat was the photoetch grille. It was painted blue along with the body, leaving all the holes quite open, exposing framework or axle parts behind. Very nice! The wire wheels, straps, lights, etc. are all excellent, as is are the sets of cooling fins sprouting from the body behind the hood. Anyone know what these are? Gearbox cooling perhaps? There is even a Talbot badge on the front nose in the midst of the white roundel.

This is my third model of this specific car - and hopefully last. My first was the Armand Montandon conversion of the Dinky #230 GP car. Not bad for the time (and extremely rare, since each one needed a Dinky donor car) but it was well below today's standards, with hand-painted headlights and race numbers. I sold it, and some years later bought the Ixo version. This would have been nice, but is let down by what seems to be an extraordinarily wide stance - maybe as much as 1:38 scale! It looked just too odd, and when I found out Spark was to release one, I crossed my fingers and sold it. Third time's the charm, I hope!