The roots of Sunbeam (you know, like the Sunbeam Tiger) go back to the marque Talbot (not the French automaker it was sometimes confused with, but the British one). Back in the early 1930s, Talbot developed four works race cars, with registration numbers starting with “GO.” This is one of those four examples, with racing history that includes the 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans.
At Le Mans, Talbot brought two cars. One of them podiumed, finishing third. The other, this one, ended its race early, 18 hours into the event, with a cracked chassis above the rear axle. It was driven by two drivers who won at Le Mans: Brian Lewis (1930, class) and John Hindmarsh (1935, overall).
GO51 has a known ownership history, with the last caretaker having it for more than 20 years. It’s eligible for historic events such as Le Mans Classic, Goodwood and the Mille Miglia. The Talbot comes with a period trophy, too, the third-place hardware from the 1932 Duke of York Trophy race.
Find this 1931 Talbot AV105 Works ‘GO51’ for auction at RM Sotheby’s, with an estimated value of $1,000,000-$1,300,000.
