Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupe Saoutchik

This Talbot Lago is an automotive sculpture. Here, form takes precedence over function, not the other way around.

This kind of car can no longer be judged by general standards. This Talbot Lago is an automotive sculpture. Pure art. Here, function follows form and not the other way around. The extravagant design language comes from Jacques Saoutchik, a cabinetmaker who fled from Ukraine and in 1906 founded his own coachbuilding company near Paris. He had only one goal: to break through to the top of the automobile industry, which he finally achieved in the 1920s. The exaggerated, almost voluptuous shapes and the excessive use of chrome are characteristic of Saoutchiks designs. Look at the extreme curvature of the wheel arches, the subtle fins on the fenders and the many chrome accents. It all recalls the lavish styling of the 1930s, but in the years just after the war it no longer fits. The world is focused on reconstruction and there is no longer room for such expensive cars. Only 36 Grand Sports are built. Antonio Lago, the former Italian major and engineer who bought the ailing French brand Talbot in 1935, misjudged the postwar opportunities. The brand still achieved some racing successes, but it quickly went downhill. Talbot Lago was taken over by Simca in 1959. Some years earlier, Saoutchik had already ended his activities. .