Talbot Type AG 14/45 HP Five-Seater Tourer by Darracq 1929 - World Of Classic Cars -

Talbot Type AG 14/45 HP Five-Seater Tourer by Darracq 1929

In 1916, Georges Henri Roesch became chief engineer of Clement Talbot, Ltd., of London, originally an importer of French Clément-Bayard automobiles but builder of British Talbot cars from 1906. Born in Switzerland, Roesch came with experience from Grégoire, Delaunay Belleville, Renault, and Daimler. He set about designing a new range of cars for the post–Great War era, but this only came to fruition after the formation of the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combine in 1920. His brilliant 14/45 model, a light six-cylinder car with a high-revving engine, came just at the right time, for S-T-D Motors, Ltd. was in dire straits. It proved very popular and was built from 1926–1932.

Talbot Type AG 14/45 HP Five-Seater Tourer by Darracq 1929

The Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register records that this 14/45 Tourer, chassis number 25065, was originally sold to Maude’s Motor Mart of Exeter, UK. It was ordered on 19 February 1929, invoiced the next day and delivered the following week on 27 February. In previous ownership, it was restored over an extended period from the 1970s until 1996. Its original registration, RL 9317, a 1929 Cornwall issue, remains with the car.
Bearing five-seat open coachwork from Darracq Motor Engineering Co., which had been Alexandre Darracq’s aeronautical company during the Great War, this car is the quintessential British tourer. Harmoniously finished in deep blue with black wings and a black hood and tonneau cover, it has restrained nickel brightwork. Notable period features are direction signals atop the rear number plate, a fishtail exhaust, and leather-gaitered springs.