1939 Talbot-Lago T23 Major 4-Litre Cabriolet
Talbot-Lago’s 1937 French Grand Prix result (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th place finishes) announced to the world that Anthony Lago’s rescue of the near-bankrupt Suresnes marque had succeeded far beyond anyone’s expectations.
The T23 Major, often referred to as a smaller-displacement companion within the Talbot range, was the road-going expression of that competitive ambition, offered in long-chassis form with coachwork options that attracted some of France’s most accomplished coachbuilders.
Talbot’s own factory cabriolet body delivered clean, low-slung proportions with chrome-plated trim throughout.
The four-liter inline-six at the heart of the car was engineer Walter Brecchia’s masterstroke, a seven-main-bearing unit with a hemispherical combustion chamber design, where crossed pushrods acting through long and short rocker arms activated the valves from a low-set camshaft.
Twin Solex carburetors fed the 4,082 cc engine (4.1 liters), rated at approximately 115 bhp in road tune.
Power went through a four-speed Wilson pre-selector gearbox, with independent front suspension handling the 126-inch (3,200 mm) wheelbase. Drum brakes were fitted at all four corners. Curb weight was typically around 3,300 lbs (1,500 kg), depending on coachwork.
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