Talbot-Lago was established in 1935 when Major Antonio Lago, head engineer of Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq, purchased the French branch of the bankrupt company from the Rootes Group. Lago, along with engine designer Walter Becchia, soon introduced a series of cars powered by an advanced and all-new 6-cylinder design of varying displacements. The Lago Special T150-C was the company’s signature model of the late 1930s, followed by the postwar Grand Sport. Both performed extremely well in competition against supposedly faster opponents, and a Talbot-Lago was victorious at the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unfortunately, crushing taxes on larger cars devastated Lago’s fortunes by the early 1950s. In a last attempt to save his company, Lago spearheaded development of the T14LS, which featured a tubular chassis with a powerful 2.5L 4-cylinder engine with a five main-bearing block, twin in-block camshafts and an alloy cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers. Twin Zenith 32mm carburetors helped the T14LS deliver 120 BHP at 5,000 RPM, delivered via an all-synchromesh Pont-à-Mousson 4-speed gearbox. Sweeping bodywork was designed by Carlo Delaisse of Letourneur et Marchand. Notably, the T14LS was the last Talbot-Lago equipped with a Talbot-Lago designed-and-built engine. This outstanding Talbot-Lago T14LS is one of only 45 built, per the Talbot-Lago Club. A right-hand drive model, it carries Chassis No. 140029, and the 2491cc DOHC inline 4-cylinder engine is numbered 16011 and includes dual Zenith 36 NDIX carburetors. The floor-shifted Pont-a-Mousson 4-speed manual gearbox is another correct feature. Sporting an exacting restoration to like-original specifications completed in 2023, this T145LS was displayed at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. According to known provenance, the original owner was Jose Simo, who was originally from Barcelona but lived in the Paris suburb of Aubervillers when he took delivery on February 22, 1956. Simo consigned the car in the summer of 1960 to Roger Loyer’s Sport Service in Levallois, France, and it was sold through Loyer to M. Pierre Damiron, who brought the car to the United States with him when he attended Harvard University. Subsequent owners included E.G. Grover, Marvin Newman, Edsel Phabe and Henry Adamson. The Talbot-Lago remained under Adamson’s care from 1981 until 2015, when the current owner purchased the car from Adamson’s estate. During the restoration, the original exterior color was researched and carefully matched, and the interior was refurbished with correct materials. Features of this handsome grand tourer include independent front suspension with a live rear axle, 4-wheel drum brakes, a lightweight aluminum hood, doors and decklid, and front fender side vents. Copious documents include a Letter of Authenticity from the Talbot-Lago Club, archival materials provided by the Talbo-Lago Club and noted archivists Marc Rabineau and Nico Maier, restoration invoices and copies of previous registrations.
