1913 Talbot 15hp (20/30hp) Works Hill-Climber
British works (factory-backed) competition cars that dominated the 1913 hill-climbing season rarely survive today. This particular Talbot is the sole known survivor of the legendary “Invincible Talbot Team” that swept virtually every sprint and hill-climb event across Britain during that remarkable year.
Works driver George Day piloted this very machine to victory after victory, including class wins at Aston Clinton, Shelsley Walsh, Caerphilly, and Porthcawl.
Built at Clement-Talbot’s North Kensington factory, the car featured George W.A. Brown’s advanced engineering with stronger internals, full pressure lubrication, and lightweight pistons. The competition-tuned four-cylinder engine delivered about 120 horsepower at 3,000 rpm, an exceptional output for 1913.
After World War I ended competition activities, this Talbot was sold to Malcolm Campbell in 1919. The future land speed record holder (later Sir Malcolm Campbell) raced it successfully at Brooklands, including a win in the Lightning Short Handicap in October 1922.
Following a dramatic crash in Australia decades later, the car was painstakingly restored and re-bodied to exact works specification.
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