The 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS 'Goutte d’Eau' Coupé. Courtesy RM Sotheby's
The 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS 'Goutte d’Eau' Coupé. Courtesy RM Sotheby's

What makes this 1937 Talbot worth more than Dh13 million?



The car claimed a price of Dh13.782 million at auction. Here’s what makes it such a stunning piece of automotive history

Whether or not you are a car aficionado, you’ll probably agree that the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Goutte d’Eau Coupé by Figoni and Falaschi is a thing of considerable beauty. Its sweeping, sculptural lines created a silhouette known as “goutte d’eau”, which translates from the French as “drop of water” – or the more poetic “teardrop”.

Talbot was a London-headquartered automotive company founded in the early 1900s. Although it has now been defunct for a number of decades, it was responsible for creating some truly iconic cars in its time. This vehicle was produced in the 1930s, at a time when it was common for bodywork to be outsourced to professional coachbuilders. This specific model was crafted by the French master craftsman Giuseppe Figoni, along with his Italian partner Ovidio Falaschi.

The 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Goutte d’Eau Coupé by Figoni and Falaschi has won countless accolades in its time. Most recently, it received The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award 2016, which is among the top automotive awards.

The aesthetic is heavily influenced by aircraft design. This is one of only two examples where the car has fully enclosed front fenders – a feature more often seen on Delahaye designs of the time.

This car – chassis number 90110 – left Talbot on November 25, 1937, and, like many exceptional vehicles, was hidden away during the war years, although it is probable that it sustained some damage in the process. In 1946, the car appeared on the books of the famous coachbuilder Hermann Graber in Wichtrach, Switzerland. Its owner at the time, an H Frey from the Swiss village of Wengen, had commissioned a new convertible body for the chassis, in keeping with the popular post-war style. However, the original chassis, engine and drivetrain were retained.

In 2000, its former owner decided to restore the car to its original, enclosed Figoni and Falaschi configuration. Auto Classique Touraine in Tours, France, was commissioned to do the work, and it took close to three years to complete the painstaking recreation of the coupé’s original, fully enclosed teardrop coachwork.

The car, which has had only three owners in the past 71 years, was sold at auction on May 27 as part of the Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale, which has been held on the shores of Lake Como every two years since 2011. The event is held in partnership with the revered Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The car was estimated to fetch between €3.2 million and €3.8m (up to Dh15.5m) and ended up selling for €3,360,000.

Read this and more stories in Luxury magazine, out with The National on Thursday, June 15.

sdenman@thenational.ae

The%20Beekeeper
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDavid%20Ayer%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJason%20Statham%2C%20Josh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Emmy%20Raver-Lampman%2C%20Minnie%20Driver%2C%20Jeremy%20Irons%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
End of free parking

- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18

- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued

- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket

- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200. 

- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200

- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300

A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

On sale: now  

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed