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One of the immediate post-war cars that received notoriety for its speed was the T26 Grand Sport (GS). It was built for either racing or luxury and benefited directly from Talbot's successful T26C Grand Prix car. As such it was expensive, rare and helped Louis Rosier win the LeMans 24 Hour race.

The GS replaced the Lago-Record chassis which was named for its remarkable top speed. Having a 4.5 liter inline-6 aluminum cylinder head and triple carburetor fuel feed from the T26 the Grand Prix cars, the GS was one of the world's most powerful production cars. It produced 190 bhp which was good for around 125 mph depending on the body that was fitted.

Chassis details were similar to the Grand Prix cars, but it was longer and wider. It came it two wheelbase lengths -104 and 110 inches.

All Talbots of the period used a body-on-frame design and had a strong enough chassis to receive a body from wherever the customer chose. Thus, no two cars were alike in the series of 36, and some became the most beautiful expressions of automotive art. Many of the great pre-war design houses like Saoutchik and Figoni & Falaschi were still around to body the T26 in their own way.

Two competition T26s, chassis 110055 and 90131, were prepared for LeMans and looked like underdogs with their pre-war technology compared to competition like Ferrari. However, 24 hour reliability helped the two cars, especially after the Ferraris dropped out, and they placed both first and second place. Louis Rosier raced the winning car for the whole duration except for two laps that his son Jean-Louis drove. In the 24 hours, Rosier peronally changed a rocker arm while in the pits and suffered a black eye in the night when an owl went through the windscreen! For his victory, Louis Rosier was named the Champion of France.

Tony Lago must have been pleased with the LeMans result as four years earlier he said ''Whenever one of my cars wins a race, I feel that I am paying a moral debt to the country which has permitted me to realize my life's dream.''

Unfortunately the Grand Sport was one of the last great cars made by Talbot-Lago. In 1958 the company was bought by Simca.

Chassis by Chassis

100056 - 1951 Dugarreau Barchetta - Originally sold as a cycle-fendered car to privateer Henry Louveau, a career ending crash brought the car back to the factory. It was then sold to Pierre Bouill who wanted to take it to LeMans with a new encolosed body by Charles Deutsch, Weber carburettors and lightened engine internals. He had the car raced at many events for the next few years and it mostly retired except for three victories at the Coupe d'Automne. Anthony Blight ended up with car and fitted a more sporting GP body on it for historic racing. Around 1983 it was reunited with its original 1952 LeMans body at Carosserie Lecoq and was first publically seen at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance. It sold at Christies 2007 Retromobile Auction for 1 330 250 EUR ($1 747 000 USD)

110105 - 1949 Chambas Coupe - Unlike most Grand Sports this example was extensively raced, and participated in at LeMans from 1949 to 1953!. It was initially purchased by race driver Andre Chambas who designed a body for it that was executed by Contamin in aluminum. In 1951, the car was rebodied into its current form and two superchargers were added. In this configuration it placed 17th at LeMans that year. It has since been called the T26 LeMans.

100114 - 1949 Dubos Coupe - This car featured a body made by Carrossier Lois Dubos of Paris. A similar sister car appeared at the 1948 Paris Auto Salon in white. During their 2003 sale of exceptional motorcars at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, Chrisites' auctioned chassis 110114, but estimated price of 200 000 - 270 000USD was not reached.

100147 - 1949 Figoni & Falaschi Four-Seat Cabriolet - Based off a cabriolet built a year earlier, this one has epic proportions despite being built on the shorter GS chassis. Of all the Grand Sports this was probably the most expensive to produce. After the war Figoni didn't change his ways and this car incorporates many of his signature pre-war tends including chrome accents, flowing curves and a teardrop rear reminiscent of the 1930s. Currently the car has been upgraded with a hydraulic power top and air-conditioning and a concealed radio. After sitting at the Rosso Bianco Museum for years, 100147 was auctioned at Bonahm's Sale of Collectors' Motorcars on 18 Aug 2006 at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California for Sold for $335 000 USD plus Premium and tax.

100151 - 1950 Saoutchik Coupe - Built on the shorter 104 inch wheelbase this awkward coupe was delivered new to Monsieur Cayala, in France on 17 October 1950 and eventually made its way into the now defunct Rosso Bianco Collection. It was sold at Bonahm's Sale of Collectors' Motorcars on 18 Aug 2006 at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California for Sold for $310,000 including Premium and tax.

Repainted gold and without its bumpers, 100151 sold at RM's 2007 Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction for $535,000 USD. Described as "The 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport pictured here is an excellent example of how Sautchik combined the fashionable pontoon style with his postwar trademark tapered teardrop style in a body virtually half whose length is the hood; indeed, the steering wheel hub is at the midpoint of the body length. The Talbot-Lago T26 was built on the short 104-inch wheelbase Grand Sport chassis.

The T26 was delivered to its first owner, a Monsieur Cayala, in France on October 17, 1950. The car later passed to an enthusiast in Germany and subsequently to Maurice Harloux of Belgium. American collector Paul Myers purchased the Grand Sport from M. Harloux, and it was subsequently acquired by the Rosso Bianco Collection.

In its latest ownership, very recently the Talbot-Lago was treated to a complete body-off restoration by European specialists. The exterior was painted Sea Green and the interior was reupholstered in plush leather and proper wool carpets in a complementing shade of green. A correct set of new chrome wire wheels were fitted to the T26 and mechanically, the Grand Sport was extensively serviced."

110113 - 1950 Franay Coupe - This is one of three Grand Sports with Franay bodywork. It was originally sold in Geneva with black paint and red leather interior with black piping. The car was found in Tennessee in 1988, and restored by Auto Restoration Ltd. in Christchurch, NZ before making a debut at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours.

110154 - 1952 Berlinette - 'Last' of the GS cars, this was sold to to privateer and industrial baker Lucien Vincent for events like Rallye de Sestriere, Coupe de Vitesse de Montlhery on 30th March 1952, Coupe de Printemps, Circuit d'Orleans. When Lucien was busy Lino Fayen would take the wheel. The car was retired and sold in 1956 after a Lucien suffered a bad crash in his Peugeot. In the early 1990s, Carrosserie Lecoq restored the car and it was then sold at Auction 1996. It remained unused, the engine probably seized and a cast-iron replacement was installed. It failed to sell at Christies 2007 Retromobile auction with an estimate of 150,000 - 250,000 Euros.

110156 - 1949 Saoutchik Coupe - Here is one of Jacques Saoutchik's masterworks. It's based off a cabriolet Saoutchik made in pre-war which is easily his best design. This car won its class at Pebble Beach and has been for sale with the Blackhawk collection for over five years.