TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Engine: 6 cylinders in line, with block and cylinder cover with the hemispherical combustion chamber, in light alloy. Special steel rods.
Diameter x Stroke: 93 x 110 mm
Total Displacement: 4483 cc
Maximum power: 260 hp at 4800 RPM
Camshafts: double to the head
Command of the distribution: two magnets moved by gears in cascade.
Power: 3 horizontal Zenith carburetors coupled to two cylinders by a steel collector.
Number of valves: 12
Electrical system: dynamo on the right moved by a trapezoidal belt (the same as the water pump)
Lubrication: dry crankcase, radiator, and pressure by double gear pump.
Refrigeration: by water, with centrifugal pump and radiator
Body type: Monoposto run in the "500 Miles of Rafaela"
Chassis Type: The frame of this car was made up of drawer-type stringers with tubular crosspieces
Maximum speed: 270 Km / h
Case: 4 gears and recoil - side lever - Wilson
Fuel: 70% octane naphtha - 15% benzol - 15% alcohol
Front suspension: independent to deformable quadrilateral and transverse elastic
Rear suspension: double elastic longitudinal
Cushioning: hydraulic telescopic - Rear four
Rear axle: A gearbox located at the exit of the gearbox and the control shaft slightly shifted to the right, gave movement to the differential group
Brake: with drum, with hydraulic control on all four wheels -The brake hoods were made of aluminum with fins and openings for cooling
Address: to the center, worm screw, and sector - the direction of independent bars
Tires and Tires: Rudge type with tires 5.25 x 18 "forward and 7.00 x 18" back.
Fuel tanks: the rear tank of 170 lts. - autonomy 600 Km
Cooling system: engine and radiator

 

The T26 was a creation of Antonio Lago, an Italian-British designer, and entrepreneur whose factory was in Suresnes, France. Both in its Grand Prix and Endurance versions it obtained memorable victories, thanks to its resistant 4.5-liter, six-cylinder in-line engine.

The Talbot Lake T26 was a Grand Prix car built in the late 1940s by automotive designer and entrepreneur Antonio Lago, born in Italy, nationalized British, who had acquired the English brand and whose base of operations was in Suresnes, near Paris. In its two versions, the T26C car and the T26GS two-seater had a 4.5-liter, inline six-cylinder engine mounted longitudinally, with two valves per cylinder and double side camshaft. In its original version, from 1947, it could deliver 260 horsepower at 4500 rpm and reach a top speed of 270 km / h.

After his first competitions, the team of engineers of Talbot Lago incorporated some modifications to improve his performance: double spark plug, three carburetors Zenith 50HN and a stronger crankshaft that led the T26 to deliver 270 horses at 5000 rpm and exceed 280 km / h of final speed. The power plant was completed with a four-speed Wilson type preset gearbox, which did not have a clutch.

This model of Talbot Lago ran and won a dozen Grand Prix in Europe and also Endurance races, such as The 24 Hours of Le Mans, between 1947 and 1950. Although he came to run in the first season of Formula 1, he stopped participating in the category when the regulating body limited the motorizations to displacements of not more than 1.5 liters with compressor, which left out all the cars with "heavy" engines, of 4.5 liters naturally aspirated.

 

"24 HOURS OF LE MANS" - France.

DATE: June 23 and 24, 1951.

CARRERA: Sports Cars.

LOCATION: Abandon with Talbot Lago.- Co-pilot: Louis Rosier.

NUMBER 6.

 

The Talbot company presented four Talbot Lago machines of 4500 cc. in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, encouraged by the victory achieved last year at the hands of Louis Rosier. Fangio will alternate with the French driver in the driving of the Talbot 4483 cc. of displacement, after accepting the invitation of the factory.

The scenario of the competition is the famous circuit of Le Sarthe, 13,492 meters long.

Rosier is the first to drive the Talbot Lago when starting in the rain.

Stirling Moss, with Jaguar, takes the command of the peloton and maintains that position until averaging the race, marching at an average of 152 km / h. and marking the Lap Record with 169.3 Km / h.

Moss is left and the British binomial Peter Whitehead-P comes forward. Walker escaping from the rest of the platoon. The new pointers pilot a Jaguar 6 cylinders of 3500 cc. of displacement, equipped with a body with excellent aerodynamics, ideal for high speeds in the long straights of Le Mans.

Rosier marches in the third position at 6'32 "of the Jaguar pointer and when he delivers the car to Fangio it is already night.

It rains with great intensity and Fangio, diminishes differences achieving the second place behind Whitehead-Walker. A very good work done by Onofre Marimón and Jose Froilán González, who come to occupy the second and third place; to leave, when Fangio is 1'30 "from the Jaguar pointer and delivers the Talbot to Rosier.

But in the pits, the engine does not start and the mechanics take 13 'to solve the problem. Rosier during several laps barely manages to keep the position. Then, enter the boxes again, for a loss of oil. They try to repair and Fangio again, but the attempt is useless: a persistent vibration produces a crack in the oil tank, spilling the liquid in the passenger compartment and making it impossible to drive. This happens on lap 92, at 1 in the morning, after 8 hours of racing, Fangio - Rosier must leave.

When they reach 20 hours of racing, Whitehead-Walker has a 10-lap lead over their nearest rival, to finally beat a record average of 151.2 km / h, after traveling 3,629 km.

Jaques Larriviere (32 years old) dies in an accident shortly after starting, in a fact that constitutes the tragic note of the extensive competition.

 

Classification

          1 - Whitehead -Walker Jaguar 3500 3629 Km

          2 - Meyrat - Mairesse Talbot 4500 3476 Km

          3 - Macklin - Thompson Jaguar 3500 3473 Km

          4 - P. Levegh - Marchant Talbot 4500 3449 Km

          5 - Holt -Hamilton Jaguar 3500 3448 Km 

AVERAGE: 151.2 Km / h.

RETURN RECORD: Stirling Moss in 4'48 "7 at 169.3 Km / h.

 

"... We could have won that year with Rosier, but we broke the oil tank that was in the torpedo and the liquid fell very hot on my legs. The vibration cracked the tank and there everything ended, under a persistent rain.

"I turned 40 on that June 24 ..."

Juan Manuel Fangio raced twice with Talbot, in the 1950 Rafaela Mile of 1950, which won with a Grand Prix monoposto and in the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1951 with a Sport model, where he left partnering with Rosier. Talbot was installed in Suresnes, a population then of 12000 inhabitants, near Paris.

The machine was designed by the engineer Antony Lago equipping the chassis with a 6-cylinder engine in line, 93 mm in diameter by 110 strokes, representing a unit volume of 813.66 cc and a total displacement of 4500 cc It reached a power from 260 HP to 4000 RPM.

The block, the stock, and the crankcase were built in light alloy material. The cylinders and connecting rods were made of steel. With a hemispherical combustion chamber, the distribution was in charge of two camshafts located in the cylinder head, which commanded the valves by direct rods. The intake was by means of three carburetors of the descending type, which provided fuel to each one to two cylinders.

The gearbox was Wilson four-speed forward and reverse. A gearbox located at the exit of the gearbox and the control shaft somewhat shifted to the right, gave movement to the differential group. This position allowed the pilot's seat to be placed lower.

The steering system was of the classic type to the sector and endless.

The chassis was composed of drawer-type stringers with tubular crosspieces.
The suspension of the previous wheels was independent, of the deformable quadrilateral type, while the lower part, was based on elastics placed transversely. Upstairs had arms taken directly from the hydraulic shock absorbers, replacing the shaft.

The rear suspension, integrated by two elastic longitudinal position and four shock absorbers.

The wheels were Rudge type with tires 5.25 x 18 "forward and 7.00 x 18" rear.
The 170 liters of fuel tank allowed a range of 600 kilometers.

TALBOT - LAGO T 26 C (CARRERA) AND T 26 GS (GRAN SPORT)
The motor model Lago 2 AC of 4.5 liters of displacement is used in 1946 in the tourist model Lake Record. The intention of the company was to carry out in parallel to the production of tourism voitures, a version of the motor of greater power destined to the competition.

From 1940, the international formula of Grand Prix admitted 4.5 liters without a compressor or 1.5 liters with a compressor.

The outer appearance of the two engines is similar and both also have the same basic design.

 

The "course 47" engine has a block in light alloy (Alpax Gamma) stock of the same material ignited by magneto command of the distribution and magneto cascade in the front of the engine and carter in Electron (light magnesium alloy). The "course 48" had triple Zenith carburetor inverted EX32. The "course 49" double ignition, two magnets in the front, with double mouth Solex carburetors. The "Course 50" also with double ignition and horizontal Zenith carburetors 50NHDD.

The lubrication was by dry crankcase with a double oil pump. Nitrided steel crankshaft. Special steel cranks NCAV 2. Special pistons. Feeding by a double pump. Exterior oil radiator. Double camshaft on both sides, with 223.5 mm punches. Valves in steel, inclined at 45º, 50mm in the exhaust and 55,7 in the intake. The hemispherical combustion chamber.

The "Curse 48" had 6 cylinders of 93 mm in diameter and 110 mm of stroke, which gave a displacement of 4483 cc. The block with wet shirts made of nitrided steel, 188 mm long. With the Zenith EX, 32 carburetors delivered 240 HP at 4500 RPM.

 

THE ENGINES "COURSE 49" AND "COURSE 50"

Anthony Lago commissioned Carlo Marchetti to study a new double aluminum cylinder head. The valves will now have an inclination of 36 degrees, with 50 degrees from the vertical and 26 mm from the cylinder axis. The variants on the previous design are on the front of gears and on the crankcase so as to give rise to the magnets. It starts with the use of Vandervell bearings.

The maximum engine speed was set between 4500 and 5000 RPM.

For the years 50/51 build four cars TC 26 C and six two-seaters TC 26 GS that Lago uses with the new engine baptized "Course 50" in which he exchanges the three inverted Zenith carburetors EX32 by three horizontal carburetors 50NHDD with a device that prevented the flame return.

In the two-seater, a dynamo had been placed on the right with a command by a trapezoidal belt from the crankshaft, the same as the water pump. Regarding the magnets, they used the B.G., Bosch, R.B. and finally the Marelli version 1952. Initially a double magnet with additional pinion. For cars prepared for Le Mans from 1951, with the addition of a supplementary gear pump, fixed on the outside of the engine, in the location provided for the second magnet.