The Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace sits as one of the top three showcases of rare and beautiful classic cars in the world , mainly due to the quality of masterpieces it attracts from all over the globe . For the 2024 edition , one of the most spectacular French coachbuilt creations – based on the extraordinary Talbot-Lago T150C SS – will make an appearance .
Antonio Franco Lago was the mastermind behind the T150 , one of the fastest and most advanced cars of its day , featuring a new hemispherical combustion chamber in its four-litre engine . In a remarkable display of pageantry at the 1934 Concours d ' Elegance in Bois de Boulogne , Lago showcased three new cars , presented in red , white and blue , with each ingeniously paired with a top female racing driver in matching attire .
Despite initially slow sales , Lago continued to find innovative ways to market his cars , including when he successfully pushed a new hemi-head T150 to achieve 100 miles within an hour at Montlhèry , significantly boosting the marque ' s reputation . In 1937 , the lighter and more agile T150C was introduced , achieving a string of victories across prestigious races , including Marseilles and the British Tourist Trophy .
1937 marked a turning point for Talbot- Lago with the introduction of the lighter and more agile T150C , achieving a string of victories across prestigious races , including Marseilles and the British Tourist Trophy . It was also the year Lago unveiled the T150C SS , a roadgoing version of the T150C racing car , at the Paris-Nice Criterium de Tourisme .
This vehicle – built to comply with the 1936 ACF GP regulations , open to sports-cars , rather than single-seaters – was presented with '' Teardrop "