The very first Talbot cars were built in this England in 1902, and went under the name of Clement-Talbot. A few years later, the name Talbot was adopted, and it should not be confused with the French Talbot, which was an entirely separate organisation. The famous 1.5-litre Talbot-Darracq racing cars were of French origin, and were connected only slightly with the productions of the famous old London concern, which became part of the big Rootes group. In 1913 the British Talbot gained undying fame by being the first car to cover over 100 miles in the hour. This feat was accomplished by Percy Lambert, in the famous old four-cylinder25.6-h.p. car at Brooklands, who covered exactly 103 miles 1,470 yards in the sixty minutes. The car also did a flying half-mile at 113.28 m.p.h.
In the early 1920s the French Talbot-Darracqs were unbeatable in the 200 Miles Race and other classics. Segrave, Lee Guinness, and George Duller were amongst the British drivers who piloted Darracqs with great success. The Talbot-Darracq actually gained the first three places in the 1924 event, Lee Guinness winning at 102.27 m.p.h. The Darracqs in general were very similar to the 1923 racing Talbots, with the exception that they were supercharged by a Sunbeam type of Roots blower, running at crankshaft speed. These old 1500-c.c. engines (67 x 105.6-mm.) were capable of over 100 b.h.p. at 5,000 r.p.m., and the valves were operated by two overhead camshafts driven by a train of spur gearing at the rear.
Steel cylinders were employed, whilst the valves each had three springs. The crankshaft was carried in five bearings, whilst the big-ends ran in roller races. Forced lubrication was adopted for the overhead gear; two oil pumps were located on the crankcase, one drawing and returning the oil to the reservoir, and the other distributing it. Semi-elliptic suspension was used front and rear. The British production Talbots of the period were the 10/23 h.p. and the 8/18 h.p. Both had o.h.v. engines, and were noted for their reliability and fine performances in trials. No sports cars were marketed, with the exception of a specialised car on the 8/18 chassis (see Talbot-Simmins).
In later years Talbot cars were amongst the few British vehicles to take part in international racing. Indeed, after the Bentley concern withdrew, they were the sole upholders of our prestige in the large-car class. The racing cars were virtually standard Talbot "105s," and were un-supercharged. These very fine sports cars were well to the fore at Brooklands, especially in Outer Circuit racing, and the Hon. Brian Lewis, Tim Rose-Richards, Mike Couper, Norman Garrad and others consistently lapped at around the two-miles-a-minute mark. The "105" was developed from the touring six-cylinder cars, and was powered by an o.h.v. (pushrod) engine of 2970-c.c. (75 x 112-mm.). It was first marketed in 1932 as the "AV" series with a crash-type gearbox, but the following year it could be supplied with a pre-selector box. In 1934 the famous "traffic clutch" was adopted, and in 1936 the "105 " speed models were introduced.
A 3.5-litre Talbot was added in 1934, and this model is often referred to as the "110." The six-cylinder power unit was of 3378-c.c. (80 x 112-mm.), and had also overhead valves operated by pushrods. A pre-selector gearbox and traffic clutch were standardised on this car. Although a few Alpine-sports type of open cars were produced, the 3.5-litre car was mostly supplied in Airline saloon form, and was one of the smartest British closed cars. A 3-litre car was also made in 1938 with a 3181-c.c. (75 x 120-mm.) engine, and independent front-wheel springing. Very few open cars were produced, however, and the fusion of the Sunbeam and Rootes concerns being complete, the 3-litres were renamed Sunbeam-Talbot soon after their introduction, and production was almost wholly devoted to saloon versions.
The Talbot Ten was developed from the Hillman Aero Minx, and was introduced in 1935 (see
Sunbeam-Talbot).
