1934 Talbot 75 Sports Saloon

This charming example of the pre-Rootes Talbot oeuvre is indeed one of that miniscule cohort of BA75 Special Sports Saloons. Such is the breadth and depth of the accompanying paperwork that we know rather a lot about this rare and remarkable 1930’s sporting saloon.

The car was built in February 1935 and delivered to dealers Henry Garner of Birmingham the following month. By late June the car had been sold to Mr Herbert Steeds of Edgbaston. Amazingly, the car remained within the wider Steeds family until 2010. At that stage it was sold to its fifth owner (the previous four all being members of the Steeds family). At that stage the car had covered 40,054 recorded miles. Within months it was with its sixth owner, Mr Hack, who bought it from Barons Auctions for £26,000. Mr Hack, and his son, would retain the Talbot until January 2025 when it was sold at the Bonhams Beaulieu sale.

During its fascinating history the Talbot benefitted from much dillgent care and attention. Shortly before leaving the care of the Steed family its bodywork was restored by Hightone Restorations. Under Mr Hack’s stewardship over £50,000 was spent rebuilding the engine, gearbox and suspension. The front seats were also reupholstered during his tenure. With his health declining only around another 2,000 miles or so was added by the Hacks. Due to this sparing use the 75 was fully recommissioned by the current owner in 2025. The work was undertaken by Pace Historics at a cost of around £20,000 which is fully documented. With over £70,000 having been spent on this 1930’s sports saloon since 2010, this represents a too good to miss opportunity to acquire this Anglo-French rarity for a fraction of what has been spent on it.

It seems fair to claim that BOB610 is quite an eyeful. The combination of archetypical 1930’s “gangster chic” and sublime light blue and silver, two-tone colourway is initially almost shockingly good. BOB610 ticks almost every box on the “1930’s Sophisticated Sports Saloon Styling Cues Checklist.” Huge frosted lensed headlamps? Check. Tall and gleaming, vertically slatted radiator grill? Certainly. Sweeping, swooping wings effortlessly segueing into wide running boards? Affirmative. External twin horn bulbs, vinyl roof and dramatically sloping rear valance with integrated spare wheel tub? Of course.

With the bodily restoration thought to date from 2009 it remains well presented considering, no doubt aided by its distinct lack of use since then. Our diligent head office team have noted some imperfections that are evident upon close inspection, however. These have been mostly photographed for your review but include numerous paint chips (driver’s door, side panels, tailgate), cracking and flaking paint (offside rear door, nearside bonnet panel and others), and a sub-standard paint repair on the nearside front wing.

The cross-spoked wire wheels are finished in blue and appear to have been recently painted. These are centrally affixed with delicate, chromed twin-eared spinners with Talbot and use instructions debossed into them. A set of totally period appropriate white walled tyres are fitted. We note some damage to the nearside front tyre wall.

Opening the front suicide doors reveals a pristine looking pair of blue leather, box pleated seats that butt up together as was the trend of the times. These were reupholstered at a cost of over £3,000 during the ownership of the Hacks. Complementary hued blue carpets are fitted, and unusual tombstone shaped foot pedals also feature.

The top of the dash and door cappings are finished in varnished and polished hard wood. The underlying fascia is finished in black and is home to an impressively large pair of white on black Jaeger gauges – a speedometer and a tachometer. Accompanying ancillaries include a small amp meter and a, possibly retrofitted, ARIC combined oil pressure / outside temperature gauge. The highlight for gauge fanciers everywhere, however, is the vertically orientated segmented fuel and oil gauge. The car’s Anglo-French heritage is writ large here, too, with calibrations in both imperial and metric systems. Delightful! The big Bakelite, four spoke steering wheel offers a range of adjustment controls on its boss.

The rear cabin has a slightly more careworn, but impressively characterful, appearance with the box pleated leather of the rear bench exhibiting a delightful patina. The bench is centrally dissected by a fold down armrest. The fabric headlining appears to be well fitted, even around the opening roof panel. A practical looking storage net is affixed to the section of roof ahead of the rear seat and, likely, useful for stashing maps, newspapers and the like. Another period delight can be found in the large boot. This is a usefully large space neatly appointed with two black fitted suitcases. Another charming 1930’s touch.

This sublime 1930’s sporting saloon boasts a sophisticated mechanical specification for its vintage. An inline, six-cylinder 2,276cc engine features, with overhead valves, a cast iron block and head and a seven bearing crankshaft. The latter was a distinctly premium feature of the time and helped promote smoother running through better crank stability, and excellent durability at sustained rpm. Twin carburettors were fitted and power was estimated at around 80 horsepower which was a highly competitive figure at the time. A four speed manual gearbox is fitted with a column mounted shift and synchromesh on the upper gears. Talbot had forged an enviable reputation for slick and precise gearbox internals around this period. Braking is via mechanically actuated drums all round.

The extravagantly louvred bonnet flaps of this car open to reveal a well organised and clean looking engine bay. Numerous Bakelite components are noted, including a rudimentary distributor. The segmented fan belt also offers a glimpse into the world of 1930’s automotive engineering. Twin tool chests are built into the bulkhead containing an eclectic collection of paraphernalia. The underside appears decidedly impressive looking for a 90 year old car with the big drums and semi-elliptical springs all looking well preserved and maintained

There is a mammoth haul of paperwork accompanying this Talbot BA75 Special Sports Saloon. Our paperwork photographic section extends to over 100 images in all. This represents an eclectic blend of regulatory paperwork – both ancient and modern – invoices, illustrated restoration narrative and ownership history. There’s a lot to take in here and we commend it to you.

Selected highlights include the original registration card and Talbot owner’s manuals. There is a Motor Car Price Guide from 1935 as well as a diligently collated restoration record featuring both photographs and verbiage. The most recent recommissioning invoices from Pace Historics make interesting reading, too, and should provide much reassurance to the next owner. We invite you to pore over this extensive archive at your leisure.

It seems hard to imagine a sports saloon car which looks more redolent of its times than this Talbot BA75 Special Sports Saloon. With Talbots of more recent times catering for an entirely different segment of the market, it becomes easy to forget what a prestigious, advanced and desirable marque this once was. This car is an absolute totem of those oft forgot former glories.

What an example this is and one of only 142 ever thought to exist. Given its 90 year history it can be forgiven the odd patch of tatty paintwork, especially in light of everything else it has going for it. Not least amongst these is over £70,000 of investment resulting in the engrossing example we are proudly offering here today.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £22,000 - £27,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.