1939 Talbot-Lago T23 Cabriolet Prototype by Henri Chapron - Lot 15

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  3. 1939 Talbot-Lago T23 Cabriolet Prototype by Henri Chapron - Lot 15
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Lot n° 15
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Estimation :
250000 - 350000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 264 000EUR
1939 Talbot-Lago T23 Cabriolet Prototype by Henri Chapron - Lot 15
1939 Talbot-Lago T23 Cabriolet Prototype by Henri Chapron French registration Serial number: 93267 - Exceptional history: prototype ordered by Talbot from the Henri Chapron workshops - High-quality restoration At the beginning of the 20th century, Frenchman Adolphe Clément (builder of the Clément-Bayard models) and British Charles Chetwynd-Talbot (president of the British automobile commercial syndicate) decided to join forces to found a new Franco-British brand: Clément-Talbot. From 1922 onwards, the now completely French firm was called Talbot, and decided to enter motor racing. The company was highly successful in France (ACF Grand Prix), England (RAC Grand Prix) and Italy (Coppa Montenero). Despite these successes, the company ran into serious financial problems, and Italian industrialist Anthony Lago took over the brand in the mid-30s. Anthony Lago, then head of the Société des Automobiles Talbot, considered that participation in motor racing and the construction of leisure vehicles were inseparable. In his view, cars designed for competition should have a sports version that was accessible to customers. As a result, the automaker became renowned for its racing-derived powertrains, as was the case with the T23. Launched in 1938, the T23 was the epitome of luxury at the time. This gracefully shaped car was also always as sporty as Talbot wanted its models to be. Its 115 hp, 3,996 cm3 6-cylinder engine could reach speeds of up to 180 km/h. The model we present here was acquired by its owner in 2009 from an American collector who had owned it for some twenty years. Reduced to a wreck, he had given up on restoration. He thought the car had been requisitioned and repainted black by German occupation troops, then imported into the USA immediately after the Liberation. But the reality was quite different. This T23 was never requisitioned. It probably spent the entire war period out of sight. It then passed through the hands of several French and American enthusiasts, the last of whom imported it to the USA in 1956. It appears that this car was a specific order from Talbot to Henri Chapron for series production. It was delivered by Chapron in May 1939, but the declaration of war brought the project to a halt. It remained the property of the Talbot factories until May 9, 1940, the eve of the German offensive. The T23 was then sold to Charles Huc in Bordeaux in 1948. From then on, the list of owners is known, from 1948 to the present day. 1939 Talbot-Lago T23 Cabriolet Prototype by Henri Chapron French registration Serial number: 93267 - Exceptional history: prototype ordered by Talbot from the Henri Chapron workshops - High-quality restoration At the beginning of the 20th century, Frenchman Adolphe Clément (builder of the Clément-Bayard models) and British Charles Chetwynd-Talbot (president of the British automobile commercial syndicate) decided to join forces to found a new Franco-British brand: Clément-Talbot. From 1922 onwards, the now completely French firm was called Talbot, and decided to enter motor racing. The company was highly successful in France (ACF Grand Prix), England (RAC Grand Prix) and Italy (Coppa Montenero). Despite these successes, the company ran into serious financial problems, and Italian industrialist Anthony Lago took over the brand in the mid-30s. Anthony Lago, then head of the Société des Automobiles Talbot, considered that participation in motor racing and the construction of leisure vehicles were inseparable. In his view, cars designed for competition should have a sports version that was accessible to customers. As a result, the automaker became renowned for its racing-derived powertrains, as was the case with the T23. Launched in 1938, the T23 was the epitome of luxury at the time. This gracefully shaped car was also always as sporty as Talbot wanted its models to be. Its 115 hp, 3,996 cm3 6-cylinder engine could reach speeds of up to 180 km/h. The model we present here was acquired by its owner in 2009 from an American collector who had owned it for some twenty years. Reduced to a wreck, he had given up on restoration. He thought the car had been requisitioned and repainted black by German occupation troops, then imported into the USA immediately after the Liberation. But the reality was quite different. This T23 was never requisitioned. It probably spent the entire war period out of sight. It then passed through the hands of several French and American enthusiasts, the
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