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Talbot-Lago are best known for their sweeping teardrop coupes by Figoni et Falaschi, but this Pourtout design is a decidedly different take on the same theme. Both these striking designs are built on the exclusive T150 SS chassis which, in its time, was very expensive, only produced in small numbers and demanded the best bodies available in France.

The T150C chassis was bred for competition and featured a four-liter variant of Talbot Lago’s six cylinder engine. By 1937, these were producing 140 bhp in standard specification and went almost unchallenged on the road.

In 1937, Giuseppe Figoni debuted his ‘Goutte d'Eau’ style also known as the tear drop. This sensational shape became trend setting and motivated many other designers to consider more streamlined design. This is especially true for Georges Paulin, who reconsidered Figoni’s shape and desgined several similar cars in 1939 for Pourtout.

Other major Georges Paulin projects from the era included the Embiricos Bentley, Peugeot Darl’mat and a stunning Delage D8 120. His idea of a streamlined Talbot used many elliptical shapes to make a design as impressive as anything else fitted to the chassis.

Paulin’s design is easily identified from Figoni's by its larger and differently shaped front headlight covers. In many areas the car is more angular and wider at the rear, but almost identical to Figoni’s overall shape. The main difference is seen in the profile, with Pourtout's much larger C-pillars.

Sales & Chassis

Author Richard Adatto discovered four of these cars were built in series at Pourtout's own shop in Paris. Only two have known to survive.

90121- Second car built for a price of 30 199 francs over the cost of the 105 000 franc chassis. It was first ordered by Mr Delpech who was a mechanic for driver Louis Chiron. By the sixties the car was shipped to America and became part of Mr Masek’s large French collection. It then traded hands a few times before being restored in 1986. Since then it has been seen at the Pebble Beach Concours several times.

90120- Third Pourtout Coupe. The body was initially prepared by Pourtout in 1939 but wasn’t finished until after the war in 1944. During the occupation, a German officer discovered the car and it was kept in hiding for final construction. Fortunately, it survived the war intact and was first sold driver Pierre Boncompagni for his Ecurie Nice racing team. He was successful and won at events like Nice, Orléans, the Circuit de Bressuire, Agen and the Mount Ventoux Hillclimb. Eventually the car ended up stateside in the 1960s and as part of the Locke collection alongside two other T150C SS Talbots. It was kept in original non-running condition for decades, being first shown in 2006 at the Monterey Jet Center party.

In 2008, Bonhams & Brooks offered 901200 at their Monterey Auction and fetched a record 4.4 million USD. Mrs Locke said she would use the money to restore the remaining three cars in her collection.

Story by Richard Owen