Beschreibung:

Odometer Reading: 52,000 MoT Expiry: Exempt After avid Brooklands entrant and St Albans garagiste W. M. (Mike) Couper had taken part in the 1933 Alpine Trial in his Talbot AW90 he suggested that the factory enter a team of three cars for the 1934 event "... to prove that the AV105 with its 3-litre Roesch-designed engine was still better than anything else in the world... which the public might tend to forget after two years' absence from competition." No rival manufacturer - including Bentley - could yet approach the Talbot's power output per litre. The Talbot engine was also more robust than those offered by Bentley and Lagonda while the recently-adopted pre-selector gearbox was a significant advantage on Alpine roads. Three new works AV105 'Alpine Racer' Team Talbots were built in the spring of 1934; BGH 21 was allocated to Tom and Elsie ('Bill') Wisdom, BGH 22 to Hugh Eaton and BGH 23 to Mike Couper. All three of Couper's team Talbot 105s finished the gruelling 1934 Alpine Trial in excellent shape and the Talbot and Adler teams were finally judged equal winners of Group II, both teams winning coveted Alpine Cups. Talbot's record of seven official entries in three separate Alpine Trials with not a single mark lost by any car, and the highest possible award won in each event, was unprecedented. After a total of 3,600 miles, Wisdom said "...fuel consumption had averaged 18 mpg and oil 1,700 mpg". Minimal maintenance was needed en route and "... no car in the world could have given less trouble or performed better ...". Several successful Brooklands seasons followed - the most significant era in Talbot history. BGH 664 was built in Talbot's Barlby Road factory in March 1934 as AV95 chassis no. 38036 with a 10' wheelbase and delivered un-bodied to Messrs Tozer Kemsley and Millbourn on 23rd April 1934. It is thought that the chassis was exported in this form to Australia and bodied there. After WW2 the car found its way to South Africa and into the well-known Talbot collection of Bryan Smith, who at the time also owned the original 1934 Alpine Team car, BGH 21, purchased by the Wisdoms after the Alpine Trial event. After Smith's death his vehicle collection, including a number of Talbots in various states of repair, was returned to the UK. Around this time, BGH 664's chassis, otherwise identical to that of an AV105, was shortened by 6" to the correct 9'6" wheelbase and re-bodied as an 'Alpine Racer', using dimensions taken from an original car. At some juncture engine no. BA697 from 1935 was fitted, along with an overhauled pre-selector gearbox. More recently, BGH 664 has been comprehensively mechanically restored for the current owner by marque specialist I.S. Polson (bills on file) with half an eye on the Flying Scotsman and other great events. Work included the fitment of a freshly overhauled and well-known engine no. 95AV95 (as installed in BGH 22 for most of the '70's through to the '90's). The car is now running well and is suitable for use and enjoyment as is, or could be further developed within VSCC regulations. Inspected for conformity by the DVLA in July 2015, the car is correctly described on its V5 registration document; it is also believed eligible for a VSCC Buff Form. A package of spares comprising the previously fitted engine block, a Dynastart and a Zenith carburettor may be available by separate arrangement To view a YouTube walkaround of this lot please click here To Schedule a video condition report for this lot please click here