The history of Talbot-Lago reads like a boy's book. We go back to the early 1930s. France sat quietly waiting for the blow of the depression, which had come through in the United States just before, to reach France. The blow came in 1932 and by 1933 all of Talbot's working capital had evaporated. The Italian-born successful businessman Anthony Lago was sent to France by the British co-owners to refloat the sinking ship. Between 1933 and 1935, Lago made every effort to get the full rights of Talbot. The deal was finalized at the end of 1934. Between 1933 and 1935, Lago began to secretly renew the entire model range and engines. The British were of course not allowed to know about this because the takeover price would then be higher. He decided to stop with certain models, to develop others and to come up with completely new models. The further development of the engines and transmissions was accompanied by the introduction of the Wilson pre-select four-speed transmission. The choice for that transmission was only logical because Anthony Lago was the owner of the patents on the piece of technology. From 1933, Lago worked together with Joseph Figoni on the development of a new chassis, a gamble that would pay off. . In contrast to competitors such as Delahaye, Talbot had the opportunity to manufacture bodies itself. It used to be quite common to order a rolling chassis (actually a complete car without a body) from the manufacturer of your choice and then have it fitted with a body from your favorite coachbuilder. So it was exceptionally modern to be able to do everything under one roof at that time. Talbot's factory was close to Paris near Suresnes. At the Paris Motor Show in 1934 there was a beautiful Talbot Cabriolet with coachbuilt body by Figoni. The car proudly bore the Figoni logo and would serve as the basis for later factory-bodied Talbot-Lagos. The car would be introduced shortly afterwards under the name: Talbot-Lago T150 C or "Lago Specialie" (hereinafter: " T150 C"). The T150 C was on a completely new chassis. Thanks to the secret development work of Lago and his team, Talbot-Lago was able to get off to a flying start, after the completion of the takeover, the brand would be known as Talbot-Lago from then on. The Talbot-Lago T150 C was available in two versions. The Super Sport (SS) and a regular version. The SS had a shorter chassis and was mainly tuned for sportiness. The ordinary chassis was mainly suitable for receiving a luxury body, either manufactured by Talbot-Lago itself or by a coachbuilder. Before that time, the T150 C was a state-of-the-art car. Talbot-Lago gave the T150 C a number of groundbreaking features. For example, the T150 C engine had an oversized crankcase to keep temperatures under control, a very high compression engine, highly advanced independent front suspension and an advanced four-drum braking system. The difference in weight between the "regular" T150 C and the SS version was only 130 kilos. The T150 C chassis weighed only 950 kilos. The further developed four-liter six-in-line engine delivers 140 hp in the regular version. Actually, only the Bugatti Type 57 with its compressor engine was a faster alternative. The Talbot T150 C and T150 C-SS were one of the best built, fastest and best driving cars on the market. Anthony Lago soon realized that racing was a great way to draw attention to his cars. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday, seems as old as the car itself. Lago enlisted René Dreyfus to lead the newly formed Talbot-Lago race team. For the French Grand Prix in 1937, Dreyfus was given only one assignment: make sure you drive for the Bugattis as long as possible, the rest is secondary. Dreyfus turned out to be the right man. Talbot-Lago started with three cars and only at the end of the race, after mechanical problems, they had to let the Bugattis pass. Bugatti took the win but all three Talbot-Lagos finished in the top ten. The following year it really hit. In the 1938 French Grand Prix, the Talbot-Lagos finished in first, second, third and fifth place. The fence was off the dam and the victories kept coming. Talbot-Lago took a win in England at the Tourist Trophy at Donnington and also won the 1938 Monte Carlo Rally. In 1938 and 1939, the Talbot-Lagos were usually no match for the brutal violence of the Auto Unions and Mercedes from Germany, but they often stood out in a positive way because of the excellent reliability and occasionally a good score when a competitor broke down. .Anthony Lago had in a few years transformed the moribund Talbot into one of The history of Talbot-Lago reads like a boy's book. We go back to the early 1930s. France sat quietly waiting for the blow of the depression, which had come through in the United States just before, to reach France. The blow came in 1932 and by 1933 all of Talbot's working capital had evaporated. The Italian-born successful businessman Anthony Lago was sent to France by the British co-owners to refloat the sinking ship. Between 1933 and 1935, Lago made every effort to get the full rights of Talbot. The deal was finalized at the end of 1934. Between 1933 and 1935, Lago began to secretly renew the entire model range and engines. The British were of course not allowed to know about this because the takeover price would then be higher. He decided to stop with certain models, to develop others and to come up with completely new models. The further development of the engines and transmissions was accompanied by the introduction of the Wilson pre-select four-speed transmission. The choice for that transmission was only logical because Anthony Lago was the owner of the patents on the piece of technology. From 1933, Lago worked together with Joseph Figoni on the development of a new chassis, a gamble that would pay off. . In contrast to competitors such as Delahaye, Talbot had the opportunity to manufacture bodies itself. It used to be quite common to order a rolling chassis (actually a complete car without a body) from the manufacturer of your choice and then have it fitted with a body from your favorite coachbuilder. So it was exceptionally modern to be able to do everything under one roof at that time. Talbot's factory was close to Paris near Suresnes. At the Paris Motor Show in 1934 there was a beautiful Talbot Cabriolet with coachbuilt body by Figoni. The car proudly bore the Figoni logo and would serve as the basis for later factory-bodied Talbot-Lagos. The car would be introduced shortly afterwards under the name: Talbot-Lago T150 C or "Lago Specialie" (hereinafter: " T150 C"). The T150 C was on a completely new chassis. Thanks to the secret development work of Lago and his team, Talbot-Lago was able to get off to a flying start, after the completion of the takeover, the brand would be known as Talbot-Lago from then on. The Talbot-Lago T150 C was available in two versions. The Super Sport (SS) and a regular version. The SS had a shorter chassis and was mainly tuned for sportiness. The ordinary chassis was mainly suitable for receiving a luxury body, either manufactured by Talbot-Lago itself or by a coachbuilder. Before that time, the T150 C was a state-of-the-art car. Talbot-Lago gave the T150 C a number of groundbreaking features. For example, the T150 C engine had an oversized crankcase to keep temperatures under control, a very high compression engine, highly advanced independent front suspension and an advanced four-drum braking system. The difference in weight between the "regular" T150 C and the SS version was only 130 kilos. The T150 C chassis weighed only 950 kilos. The further developed four-liter six-in-line engine delivers 140 hp in the regular version. Actually, only the Bugatti Type 57 with its compressor engine was a faster alternative. The Talbot T150 C and T150 C-SS were one of the best built, fastest and best driving cars on the market. Anthony Lago soon realized that racing was a great way to draw attention to his cars. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday, seems as old as the car itself. Lago enlisted René Dreyfus to lead the newly formed Talbot-Lago race team. For the French Grand Prix in 1937, Dreyfus was given only one assignment: make sure you drive for the Bugattis as long as possible, the rest is secondary. Dreyfus turned out to be the right man. Talbot-Lago started with three cars and only at the end of the race, after mechanical problems, they had to let the Bugattis pass. Bugatti took the win but all three Talbot-Lagos finished in the top ten. The following year it really hit. In the 1938 French Grand Prix, the Talbot-Lagos finished in first, second, third and fifth place. The fence was off the dam and the victories kept coming. Talbot-Lago took a win in England at the Tourist Trophy at Donnington and also won the 1938 Monte Carlo Rally. In 1938 and 1939, the Talbot-Lagos were usually no match for the brutal violence of the Auto Unions and Mercedes from Germany, but they often stood out in a positive way because of the excellent reliability and occasionally a good score when a competitor broke down. .Anthony Lago had in a few years transformed the moribund Talbot into one of Contrast against the beautifully sprayed "Narval Blu" paint of the exterior. The dashboard is also painted in the color of the car and equipped with beautiful Jaeger instruments and controls and trimmed with beautiful wooden moldings. The technique is still top-fit. This Talbot-Lago T150 C drives the way it looks: fantastic. The previous owner has used the car several times during multi-day trips, which the car has always completed without problems. The engine runs great, the Wilson pre-select with four gears shifts super smooth and surprisingly modern. The undercarriage and brakes were also completely renewed during the restoration and are well suited to their task. In short, a fantastic and very rare 1938 Talbot-Lago T150 C "Lago Speciale" in fantastic condition and equipped with the rare bodywork from the second series. and even rarer factory-fitted Figoni grille. Not only is it one of the most beautiful designs ever produced by the French automotive industry, but in the condition presented here it is also one of the best-driving Talbot-Lagos on the market. It is a fast and modern driving pre-war car that is welcome at almost every competition, but it is actually much more fun to drive it during events such as the Mille Miglia.