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Topic starter
08/12/2025 11:19 am
1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Sport Coupe de Ville (by Saoutchik)
From the www.
The 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Sport Coupe de Ville (by Saoutchik) is a rare, one-off French luxury grand tourer, known for its powerful engine and flamboyant coachwork by Jacques Saoutchik. It won top honors at the 1950 Paris Salon and has achieved significant values at auction.
Key Features and Specifications
- Engine: The car is equipped with a high-performance 4.5-liter inline-six twin-cam powerplant that features three Zenith-Stromberg carburetors.
- Performance: This engine, derived from Talbot's racing program, generates approximately 190 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful road cars of its era.
- Transmission: It features a four-speed Wilson pre-selector gearbox.
- Coachwork: The unique "coupé de ville" body style by Jacques Saoutchik includes a fixed metal roof over the rear compartment while the driver's area can remain open or closed. The design is known for its extravagant post-war styling, including a distinctive three-piece grille, teardrop hood vents, and bulging wheel casings.
- Rarity: Only one example of this specific "Record Sport Coupe de Ville" design was ever built, although Saoutchik created other bodies for the T26 chassis. The T26 Grand Sport chassis was itself a rare model, with only about 30-36 produced in total.
- Historical Significance: Chassis number 100238 was the star of the Saoutchik stand at the 1950 Paris Salon, where it drew special attention from French President Vincent Auriol and won the event's highest honor, Le Grand Prix du Salon.
Collectability
This specific one-off vehicle (Chassis no. 100238) has been offered at auction with significant estimates and sales results.
- In August 2018, it was sold for $962,000 at a Bonhams auction.
- It was later estimated to be worth between $600,000 and $700,000 USD at an RM Sotheby's auction in May 2021, where it was not sold.
- General market values for the 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 models vary widely based on coachwork and condition, with a general price range of $196,000 to over $2 million for top examples.
John Bono
North Jersey
08/12/2025 11:27 am
WOW; what a car for 1948. They sure knew how to make a striking car back then. Somewhat Jaguar-esque, it's an instant classic. Thanks for the learning experience John!
08/12/2025 11:34 am
08/12/2025 8:39 pm
What a gorgeous automobile! Love the background. Does anyone know what a "pre-selector gearbox is?"
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
David Green and Tony Perrone reacted
Topic starter
08/12/2025 9:16 pm
What a gorgeous automobile! Love the background. Does anyone know what a "pre-selector gearbox is?"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preselector_gearbox
John Bono
North Jersey
Tony Perrone and John Kuvakas reacted
08/12/2025 9:40 pm
@sizedoesmatter, I actually drove one of those at the NB Center. I just didn't know what it was! Thanks!!
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
09/12/2025 2:26 am
what a beautiful, beautiful car. Heres some more pics from the Sothebys site.
And from the 1950 Paris Motor Show
Brilliant selection again John
Topic starter
09/12/2025 6:02 am
Thanks for the pics Geoff.
John Bono
North Jersey
Tony Perrone reacted
09/12/2025 7:54 am
@jkuvakas My dad was a bus driver and used a pre-selector gearbox. Basically there was some internal mechanism which meant you could move the gear lever to the gear you thought you would be needing next but it wouldn't shift gears until you dipped the clutch. On a heavy bus or commercial vehicle I presume the idea was that if you were half-way round a bend, hauling on the heavy steering with both hands, and needed a quick downshift, you didn't need to grab for the gear lever but simply kicked the clutch pedal to engage a pre-selected lower gear. Having watched him drive it looks as if pre-selecting each gear in advance then kicking the clutch when you reached the required speed for the next gear became the routine gear-shifting process. (My dad sometimes had a bit of trouble driving cars because (a) he would want to pre-select without using the clutch and (b) he expected a petrol-engined car to pull right down to almost zero revs, like a diesel bus, so he was forever stalling.)
Not sure what advantage a pre-select box would give to a car, but presumably if you were driving briskly on a twisty road you could have another gear ready lined up for quick selection. It would seem that almost no car makers considered this useful or attractive enough to make it an option.
This post was modified 6 months ago by Graeme Ogg
Graeme.M. Ogg
London U.K.
09/12/2025 9:13 am
@jkuvakas John, the 36 and 37 Cords had a preselector. It was a small switch on the steering column, as Graeme notes, lets you select your next gear of choice which then engages when you apply the clutch. The mechanism works either electrically or through vacuum. In 1939 Chevrolet introduced vacuum shift as an option on their cars which employed a small shift lever on the steering column. In 1940 through 1948 it became standard. The Chevrolet system worked in essentially the same way as the Cord's by engaging the clutch. As the past owner of a 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Opera Coupe, I can tell you that you can't be in a hurry to change gears and speed shifting was out of the question.
09/12/2025 10:02 am
My grandfather’s Daimlers had a preselector gearbox. It was on the dash. He would select the gear he wanted, one through four, or reverse. There was a clutch. When ready for the next gear he would depress the clutch and the car would change gears without any other action.
Tony Perrone reacted
09/12/2025 10:09 am
Lots of answers for JK on preselectors. My grandfather’s was extremely smooth.The Talbot- Lago was an incredible car for its time and even today looks magnificent. John, thank you for reintroducing this one. Geoff, thanks for the additional images.
Tony Perrone reacted