Talbot 105

Talbot 14-45 1926 - 1930 Talbot 20-70 1930 - 1932 Talbot 105 1931 - 1935
Overview
Manufacturer	Talbot
Production	1926–1935
Designer	Georges Roesch
Body and chassis
Class	sports car
Powertrain
Engine	Straight six

The Talbot 105 was a high powered sports car developed by Talbot designer Georges Roesch. It was famously fast, described by one authority as the fastest four-seater ever to race at Brooklands.

The car made its first appearance at the London Motor Show in 1926. At this stage it was formally named according to its fiscal and actual horsepower as the Talbot 14-45. The six cylinder engine displaced a volume of 1,665 cc and was the basis for all Talbot engines until the Rootes takeover in 1935.

The engine was repeatedly bored out further, giving rise to a succession of performance improvements. Throughout these developments, the exterior dimensions of the original 14-45 engine block remained unchanged, however.

The 1930 London Motor Show saw the debut of the 20-70 model, bore and stroke both being increased to give an engine capacity increased to 2,276 cc. In this form the car was later called simply the Talbot 70 or 75. Higher compression ratios and power increases followed.

An increase in the engine capacity, still without any change to the exterior dimensions of the engine block, yielded a cylinder displacement of 2,969 cc for the iconic Talbot 105 model. In 1931 four 105s were tuned to provide a reported 119 bhp, at 4,800 rpm. In "Brooklands trim" further tuning and in increased compression ratio of 10:1 gave rise to a claimed 125 bhp.

The Talbot acquired its fame on the racing circuits, featuring prominently at Brooklands on the south-western fringes of London. In 1932 Talbot pulled out of racing, but a major Talbot dealer named Warwick Wright successfully ran a team of three 105s that year, and other teams operated by dealers and enthusiasts continued to race the cars at least till 1938.