This 1937 Talbot-Lago Just Set a New Auction Record

For a little over 40 years, Talbot-Lago made acclaimed, high-performance automobiles that continue to fascinate car enthusiasts. The marque has been defunct for over 60 years, but the Talbot-Lagos that remain regularly command high prices at auctions, including a 1939 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Coupe, which sold for over $4.8 million at auction in 2008.

That’s not a small number, but it pales in comparison to what a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe sold for as part of Gooding & Company’s latest Amelia Island Auction. It ended up selling for $13,425,000, which makes it not only the most valuable Talbot-Lago ever sold at auction, but the most valuable French car ever auctioned.

There are several reasons why the T150-C-SS sold for a such a significant amount. The coachwork is by Figoni et Falaschi, and it’s one of only a handful of teardrop designs to be made. Fewer still have survived to the present day.

This wasn’t the only high-profile sale at Amelia Island, however. A 1991 Ferrari F40 sold for over $2.4 million, while a 1967 Toyota-Shelby 2000 GT found a buyer at over $2.6 million. Several Porsches also sold for over $2 million, as did a 1998 RUF Turbo R Limited — which set a record for its particular marque as well.

Of the 99 lots up for sale, 91 of them sold. All told, the total sales were $66,534,480 at Gooding & Company, with the average car selling for $731,148. It’s the auction house’s most profitable event held at Amelia Island.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…