1938 Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupe Up for Auction

The upcoming Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d’Este (Lake Como, May 21) will feature a rare 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Teardrop Coupe by French coachbuilders, Figoni et Falaschi, RM Auctions announced. The vehicle in question is one of only 10 factory built short-chassis cars ever produced and one of just three surviving examples fitted from new with a factory sunroof.

Aside from the teardrop body and fenders, one of its most striking features is the chrome grille concealing the headlights - a Figoni detail seen on just a handful of examples.

The car was ordered by M. Troussaint, Director of the Casino at Namur, Belgium and delivered in May 1938. It made its debut on the concours circuit in 1939 at the Brussels Concours d’Elegance, closely followed by a showing at the prestigious Concours d’Elegance of Deauville in France before disappearing from public view (thought to be the result of World War II).

It eventually resurfaced in storage in the 1950s, and was later acquired by its current owners in the early 2000s who have put it through extensive restoration. Finished in a shade of silver, accented with a subtle grey two-tone, it returned to the show field in recent years, winning ‘Best in Class’ and ‘Most Elegant Closed Car’ accolades at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2009, and more recently, ‘Best of Show’ honours at the Concours d’Elegance of America at Meadow Brook in July 2010.

“Combining exquisite coachwork with a competition-bred chassis, the Talbot-Lago Teardrop Coupé is truly one of the world’s most beautiful automobiles and arguably one of the greatest cars of its era. Built during the pinnacle of the French streamlined design movement, it is a wonderful representation of the automobile as art,” stated Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe.