To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The Tegernsee Auction event, 27 July 2024.

• Excellent provenance with rare striking coachwork by Carrosserie Jean Barou
• Currently finished in silver grey metallic, with the dark orange leather interior remaining unrestored
• Retains its matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and rear axle
• First delivered on 11 March 1949 to Oyonnax of the Ain department in eastern France
• Part of a private collection since 1999
• Featured prominently in Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson’s book, Talbot-Lago Grand Sport: The Car From Paris

Founded by Jean Barou in 1940, the eponymous carrosserie was initially known for the production of bicycle trailers and truck bodies made during the German occupation of France. Based in the town of Tournon in the Ardèche region, Barou later offered his services to those seeking coachbuilt car bodies in the period of post-war recovery. While Carrosserie Jean Barou ran a relatively small operation compared to the great French coachbuilders of the era, it is known to have bodied cars by many famous marques including Delahaye, Jaguar, Jowett, Simca, and Talbot-Lago.

Chassis number 110107 is believed to be the only Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé to have been bodied by Barou. Likely commissioned in the second half of 1948, this T26 left the Barou workshops with an elegant-yet-subtle teardrop-style coupé body. The front end of the car appears to be influenced by the 1948 design of the Jaguar XK 120 and 1930s BMW competition cars—especially evident around the distinctive vertical radiator grilles. As noted in Talbot-Lago Grand Sport: The Car From Paris by Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson, the rear half of the car certainly drew inspiration from Sindelfingen’s 540K Spezial Roadster.

The Talbot-Lago was delivered new to one Monsieur Ravoux, the General Manager for Clovis Frères, a transport company based in Oyonnax, eastern France, on 11 March 1949. The car was finished in cream and featured a biscuit and dark orange leather interior, and a photograph on file depicts the T26 following its completion outside the Barou workshops. Automotive historian Marc Rabineau has uncovered the car’s French registration details, denoting that the coupé was first registered on 23 March 1949 with the licence number “1907 AB5”, and placed in the name of Clovis Frères. Following a change in the French licencing system, the car received a new number in July 1954 as “917 AY 01”.

It is thought Monsieur Ravoux sold chassis 110107 to a director of a driving school in the same town of Oyonnax in the mid-1950s. A Talbot-Lago club member reported seeing a photograph of this car in 1969 in the director’s office, who in turn told him he had to sell the car due to the high running costs. The photo can be viewed on file and depicts the car participating on a rally in front of La Roche de Solutré, near Mâcon. It is thought this image is from the annual race, Course de Côte de Macon-Solutré. Given the use of the newer registration, the photo is likely to have been taken sometime after July 1954. By the 1960s, the T26 was spotted in storage in a disused dance hall in Lons-le-Saunier. Here, it formed part of a collection of other French cars including an Amilcar, Bugatti, Delahaye, and a Salmson.

It is believed the car was sold to the Swiss collector, Jean Tua of Geneva, sometime in 1968 or 1969, remaining in his care for nearly 30 years. Mr Tua is thought to have carried out a repair and repaint of the bodywork, with special attention given to its cosmetic condition having remained in storage for much of the 1960s. Chassis 110107 was displayed as part of his collection in the 1990s, after which he entered the car into a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva in 1997. Here, the car sported cream paintwork and a remarkably preserved interior, while it was noted that the car remained unused during his ownership. Acquired by the Austrian collector Egon Zweimüller, he had the car repainted in silver grey metallic but kept the interior as it was. He later exhibited this Talbot-Lago at the Bagatelle Concours d’Elegance in September 1998, mistakenly thinking the coachwork was done by Saoutchik.

In 1999, Zweimüller parted ways with this Grand Sport Coupé, selling the car to the consigning owner. Reflective of its old auction listing, it is believed that the car has covered just 2,000 kilometres since September 1997. The Talbot-Lago has subsequently remained in its most recent owner’s collection for over 25 years and now presents a rare opportunity for aficionados of this fabulous French marque to acquire a charming car with excellent provenance. The car has undergone some servicing prior to sale, with the fuel and braking systems repaired and cleaned to function correctly. Upon inspection, it can be confirmed the car retains its matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and rear axle.

Spending almost all of its life in the care of secretive owners, chassis 110107 is a very special Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé and would be an ideal entrant for a range of concours and historic motoring events.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/tc24/.