Lot 520: 1929 Talbot 14/45hp Close-coupled Faux Cabriolet

Georges Roesch had rejoined Talbot at the request of Coatalen in 1925, at a time when Talbot were in dire financial straits, and set to immediately on the design of the 14/45 engine, a six-cylinder, pushrod overhead valve, monobloc unit displacing 1,666cc. Roesch’s mechanical artistry involved lightness, choice of the right metallurgy and higher than normally accepted compression ratios, producing high efficiency from comparatively small engine capacity. The 14/45hp was launched at Olympia in 1926. Every detail of the deep pressed-steel chassis frame was carefully thought out and it was this basic frame design in modified form which was to be used for the ‘invincible’ 75, 90, 105 and 110 models. Roesch’s 14/45 was an immediate success, the 1929 models claiming a top speed in the order of 65mph with 20mpg fuel economy.

This extremely rare and stylish faux cabriolet, built on Weymann principles and with dummy hood pram irons, is believed to have been supplied new to Lord Waterford in Ireland. In more recent years it was on display in Denis Lucey’s collection at The Killarney Motor Museum. It has been in the present ownership for approximately fifteen years although little used. Emerging recently from storage it was found to start readily and run sweetly and will we feel respond well to sympathetic recommissioning. The four-seater coachwork is fabric covered with black painted bonnet and wings and maroon spoked wheels. The coachwork is superbly appointed, probably to special order, with twin side-mounted spare wheels, sliding roof, opening windscreen and rear luggage trunk built into the coachwork design. Later flashers have been fitted for safety purposes and the car sports a radiator calormeter and a Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register badge. The original brown leather interior has survived well and deserves careful conservation. At the time of cataloguing no registration documents have been located. This highly original Talbot comes from private ownership in The Republic of Ireland.