Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace to Showcase Rare Talbot-Lago

The Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace will celebrate a rare French coachbuilt creation – based on the Talbot-Lago T150C SS at the event on Aug. 30 at the Hampton Court Palace, London, UK.

Antonio Franco Lago was the mastermind behind the T150, one of the fastest and most advanced cars of its day, featuring a new hemispherical combustion chamber in its four-liter engine. At the 1934 Concours d’Elegance in Bois de Boulogne, Lago showcased three new cars, presented in red, white and blue, with each paired with a top female racing driver in matching attire.

Despite initially slow sales, Lago continued to find innovative ways to market his cars, including when he successfully pushed a new hemi-head T150 to achieve 100 miles within an hour at Montlhèry. In 1937, the lighter and more agile T150C was introduced, achieving a string of victories across prestigious races, including Marseilles and the British Tourist Trophy.

1937 marked a turning point for Talbot-Lago with the introduction of the lighter and more agile T150C, achieving a string of victories across prestigious races, including Marseilles and the British Tourist Trophy. It was also the year Lago unveiled the T150C SS, a roadgoing version of the T150C racing car, at the Paris-Nice Criterium de Tourisme. This vehicle – built to comply with the 1936 ACF GP regulations, open to sports-cars, rather than single-seaters –  was presented with “Teardrop” coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi.

Less than 30 road-going T150C SS models were built, with the majority of them bodied by legendary French carrosserie Figoni et Falaschi, including the example set to appear at Concours of Elegance 2024.

The “New York” model Teardrop Talbot-Lago – so named because the design was revealed at the New York Auto Salon in 1938 after two earlier iterations – was the brainchild of Lago, influenced by the kinetic art of Geo Ham, and has been revered as one of the most elegant car designs of all time. The fourth of 14 built, the car was the only example not to have been fitted with a sunroof, instead for cabin ventilation the twin windscreens open outwards on compact dash-operated ratchet winders.

The car’s first owner was a man nicknamed “Suicide Freddie” for his fondness for skiing, bobsleigh, motor racing and yachting, whose lifestyle was befitting of the car’s nature. With his time split between the glitter of Paris and the glamour of the French Riviera, there could hardly be a more suitable car for the runs up and down the length of 1930s France, officials stated.

The Teardrop would later, find itself in Los Angeles under the ownership of Tommy Lee, who owned four Talbot-Lagos at the time and used to race them throughout the ‘40s on dried lakebeds and small-scale locations like the Davis Track. Upon Lee’s death, the car was eventually bought by famed industrial designer Brooks Stevens. Stevens took the car racing again, including at Watkins Glen in 1957, but then decided to retire it to “concours life” while it was still in one piece.

In its later ownership the car was restored to its original specifications and stands today as one of the most original and authentic examples of its kind.

This Talbot-Lago represents one of 70 cars that will sit at the heart of the Concours of Elegance. Outside of the main Concours display sits a number of special features, including the Levitt Concours – dedicated to the most passionate female owners – the 30UNDER30, which celebrates enthusiastic owners under 30 years of age and the Club Trophy, which gathers the very best examples of models from the nation’s best car clubs.

Away from the automotive displays, Concours of Elegance 2024 will again be an occasion of pure luxury, with champagne provided by Charles Heidsieck, picnics by Fortnum & Mason, and a collection of art, jewelry and fashion displays.