by Gabrielle DeSantis

All too often, cars end up abandoned and forgotten in shipping containers, barns, and other crypt-like places. And usually, it’s a classic or antique car that winds up entombed. However, sometimes these machines get rescued—and sometimes, the rescuer is an enthusiast like Jay Leno who can restore these cars properly. That’s why, despite being lost for almost 60 years, Leno’s 1953 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport is up and running today.

Bonham calls the Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport the French luxury brand’s “last defiant gesture”

Although it’s no longer around, Talbot-Lago was an esteemed French luxury automaker, on par with marques like Facel Vega and Bugatti. It was formed when Italian-British businessman Antonio Lago bought struggling French automaker Talbot in the 1930s. But even before that, the company earned its reputation much as Bugatti did. Namely, it crafted chassis that high-profile coachbuilders clothed. And it won races. The Talbot-Lago Type 26C Grand Prix, for example, won the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans. And it competed in the very first Formula One season, Petrolicious notes.

Unfortunately, while Talbot-Lago had some post-WWII racing success, France’s taxation policies hurt sales. But even so, in 1952 the company launched its new flagship: the Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport, Bonhams explains. Ultimately, this would be Talbot-Lago’s last road car. And in many ways, it was one of the last hurrahs of traditional luxury coachbuilding.

Talbot-Lago offered the T26 Grand Sport in two forms: the short-wheelbase Coupe/Cabriolet and the long-wheelbase Lounge. The former’s chassis is based on the pre-war T150C SS and features then-advanced features like independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes. And under the hood is a 4.5-liter straight-six engine derived from the T26C’s engine, and rated at 190 bhp, RM Sotheby’s says. That’s good for 125 mph, Top Gear notes.

The later Talbot-Lago Grand Sport Lounge used a different chassis: a lighter, shorter, redesigned version of the Record, RM Sotheby’s explains. It also had coil springs, not leaf springs, and its 4.5-liter straight-six made 210 bhp. And being a coach-built car, customers could order it and the Coupe/Cabriolet with custom bodies and interiors.

Jay Leno’s lost car had been sitting since 1965—but now it runs again

Jay Leno is no stranger to owning and restoring coach-built cars, from Duesenbergs to Bentleys. However, few have been quite as far gone as his 1953 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport Lounge. The previous owner bought it in France in 1965, then flew it to California and parked it in a garage. And it sat there, Lost Corvette style, until Leno “pulled it out” and finished restoring it in 2020.

To say that sitting for over 50 years with a full 24-gallon tank of gas damaged the Grand Sport is an understatement, Hagerty reports. The tank was so corroded that Jay Leno accidentally put his hand through it. The brake lines were frozen, the wooden door frames were rotting, the brake master cylinder needed re-sleeving, and the engine had no compression. However, the interior was basically intact. And it’s still unrestored, as is the paint.

This Talbot-Lago Grand Sport’s storage situation isn’t the only odd thing about it, though. All of the company’s cars use Wilson pre-selector transmissions, similar to the one in Jay’s Ferret armored car. However, this Grand Sport has a conventional four-speed manual that appears to be a factory installation. What’s more, its chassis code is unaccounted for in the list of recorded Grand Sport Lounge codes. Basically, Jay Leno’s Talbot-Lago is a factory racing prototype.

Unique history aside, this Talbot-Lago Grand Sport is a solid luxury grand-touring car, Jay Leno says. The unrestored leather perfumes the cabin, the engine “pulls strong…in any gear,” and it rides reasonably well. Plus, with its exhaust note, a radio is superfluous.

How much does a Talbot-Lago Grand Sport cost today?

La dolce vita!! Stunning 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport in its perfect setting #rmitaly pic.twitter.com/c6aT0RRt7o

— rmsothebys (@rmsothebys) May 26, 2017

While Jay Leno’s Talbot-Lago Grand Sport is essentially unique, the other examples aren’t identical, either. Remember, it’s a coach-built car.

It’s also an exceedingly rare one. The company only made about 29 short-wheelbase Grand Sports and 19 long-wheelbase ones before it went bankrupt. And prices vary wildly depending on which coachbuilder made a particular example’s body. Some Grand Sports have sold for slightly over $200,000; others sold for more than $1 million.

Still, considering how long this Grand Sport spent in the dark, it’s good to see it running again.

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RELATED: It’s Sophisticated, It’s French, and Jay Leno Loves Driving It

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by Gabrielle DeSantis

Ever since Lego launched their “Speed Champions” line, they have been after the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts all over the world. While some have never grown out of building Legos (myself included), many have moved on. I speculate that Lego’s Speed Champions line is a way to bring young and old back to Lego brick building through their love of cars.

However, mass-producing cool Lego sets is not quite enough to gain attention. Lego needed to do something big. What more significant way to attract attention to a car-themed Lego set than to build a 1:1 version of a car entirely out of Legos? Not only did Lego do just that, but they also did it at least three times. 

Lego Bugatti Chiron

The Bugatti Chiron was the first life-sized working model that the Lego team decided to take on. Its construction was part of the promotional campaign for the first Bugatti Chiron Lego Technic set. This Lego replica broke the internet when it was first revealed. The attention was justified considering what Lego achieved with this build.

The 1:1 Bugatti Chiron Lego replica took a team of 16 builders over 13,000 hours to complete. Lego used over a million individual pieces to complete the model. That includes 2,304 Lego electric motors combined for a total output of 5.3 horsepower and 72 ft-lbs of torque. This model did drive, and no glue was used to keep the Lego pieces together, so one wrong move could have been disastrous.

Lego McLaren Senna

In 2019 Playground Games announced that a Lego expansion would be coming to the popular open-world driving game “Forza Horizon 4.” Since the cover car for the game is a McLaren Senna, Lego teamed up with the automaker to create yet another 1:1 scale replica. Unlike the Bugatti Chiron, the McLaren Senna Lego model would use Lego bricks rather than Technic elements.

The full-sized Lego McLaren Senna was also the first 1:1 replica Lego built that used elements from the “real” car. The Lego McLaren Senna used the same driver’s seat, steering wheel, and wheels from the genuine article. Unfortunately, this model did not drive. However, because a real seat was used, people were allowed to get inside the model and even “start” it by pushing a button that activated a real McLaren Senna start-up recording.

Lego Toyota GR Supra

2021 marked the 35th anniversary of the Toyota Supra. 2021 was also when Lego decided to offer the Toyota GR Supra as part of their Speed Champions line of Lego sets. The timing was just too good to pass up for both parties, so the two collaborated on another full-sized build.

The life-sized Lego Toyota GR Supra took over 470,000 bricks to complete with a total weight of 4,156 lbs. The model has actual working headlights, a driver’s seat from a real GR Supra, and this one can drive up to 17 mph. It is currently on display at LEGOLAND Japan before going on tour with the Super GT racing series later on.

The three cars mentioned above are not the only time that Lego has built full-sized replicas of real-world vehicles, but they are the models that stuck out the most in terms of media attention and hype. I sincerely hope that Lego continues to challenge themselves with future builds. 

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