PAST PROJECTS
Talbot AV105 Vanden Plas
This car is a very good original Talbot AV105 with Vanden Plas Tourer Coachwork, bought by the current family owners from former Talbot employee, and by that time specialist, Bert Scates in the early 1960s. They used it for a few years and then took it off the road when the back axle broke. We restored the car fully for the then owner in the 1990s and it is now enjoyed by his son.
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AV105 Alpine Team Car Replica
Built up for our own use for racing and rallying as an, fitted with one of our re-manufactured aluminium cylinder blocks and heads. We covered many enjoyable race, rally and road miles with it all over Europe before selling it. It is now in Ireland and still being enjoyed on the road. This picture shows it during a VSCC racing weekend at Silverstone in 2011.
1936 Delahaye 135CS
This famous car was purchased in need of restoration by Ian Polson in Australia in the 1960s. One of only 14 135CS built, this car had won the 1936 Marseilles 3-hours, finished 2nd in the 1936 French Grand Prix, won the 1949 Australian Grand Prix and finished 2nd in the 1951 Australian Grand Prix, amongst other results. We fully rebuilt this car in our workshops, completing it in the late 1990s, it raced successfully in Europe and was then sold to Peter Mullin and still resides in his famed collection in LA. Interestingly the front wings still have the original paint on them, they were removed from the car when it was racing at Bathurst in 1938 and hung up on the wall in Gurdon’s Garage near the circuit. When Ian Polson visited Gurdon in the late 1960s they were still hanging on the wall and Ian was able to reunite them with the car.
1916 Indianapolis Sunbeam
To us the ultimate Edwardian racing car with its 4.9 litre straight six, twin cam, all roller bearing engine, which are very proud to have fully restored. Built for the 1916 Indy 500 where they were not able to be used to their full potential due to an engine vibration. Subsequently raced very successfully at Brooklands throughout the 1920s. This car was found in a scrapyard by Harold Smith in 1935, Harold kept the car doing little with it until he gave it us to restore in the early 1980s, fortunately the car was very complete and original apart from the body which we made a very accurate replica of in house. Harold used the car sparingly once completed, before selling it to Julian Majzub in the 1990s who has driven it very well and shown what a terrific car it is.
1933 Talbot AV105
Next up in the series of our favourite restorations is this 1933 Talbot AV105 ‘Fin Tail’ by Abbotts of Farnham. Built with striking unique coachwork by Abbotts inspired by the Land Speed Record cars of the day, this car won several Concours d' Elegance when new and was exhibited at the 1933 Motor Show. It found its way to the US early in its life where it was painted gold and used very little. It returned to this country in the 1990s very original and complete but requiring complete restoration which we carried out for the then owner.
Vanden Plas
This 1932 Talbot AV105 Alpine Rally Team Car, with coachwork by Vanden Plas, is one of the three highly successful winning Alpine Trial Team Cars from 1932. This car was owned for many years by Brian Grigg and as such remained very original and is probably the most original of these cars. We carried out a full restoration on this lovely car between 1998 and 1999, following which the then owner embarked upon an enthusiastic period of rallying including various Alpine events and the Mille Miglia
1934 Talbot Alpine Team Car ‘BGH 22’
‘BGH 22’ is one of the very successful 1934 Talbot Alpine Trial Team Cars. This car went to Australia just after WWII in pieces and these parts were found by Ian Polson in the 1960s and restored by us into the car shown here in the 1980s. Subsequently raced and rallied by many owners, this great car was last heard of owned by the Mayor of Moscow about 10 years ago. We would love to see it again!