This twisted hulk from the Roger Baillon barn find collection was once a 1949 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport by Saoutchik. At the Artcurial auction in Paris on Friday, it brought a staggering $1.9 million. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ The U.S. automotive industry added 6,700 workers in January, increasing employment in the sector to 913,200 workers, the most since 2008. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Mercedes-Benz sales jumped 14 percent in January to a record 125,865 units, enabled by double-digit gains in Europe, China and the United States. More at Reuters.
+ At the season opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, Shawn Langdon took Top Fuel honors, Matt Hagan won the Funny Car category, and Pro Stock was claimed by Jason LIne. More at NBC Sports.
+ Shares of Tata Motors Ltd. of India plunged 5 percent in Mumbai trading due to weak Jaguar sales in China, the brand’s largest market. More at The Detroit News.
+ Ford Motor Co. reports that it has nearly completed the final phase of a $2.6 billion expansion of its manufacturing operations in Valencia, Spain. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ At the much-anticipated Artcurial auction of Roger Baillon’s hoard of 60 rare vintage cars stashed away in the French countryside (read the story here), notable sales included a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that brought $18.5 million and a 1949 Talbot Lago hulk that sold for $1.9 million. More at Yahoo! Autos.
+ A Nissan GT-R driven by Katsumasa Chiyo, Florian Strauss, and Wolfgang Reip claimed victory in Australia’s classic Bathurst 12-Hour. More at the Sydney Morning Herald.
For the previous Executive Briefing from February 6, click here.
What? You don’t think that’s worth two million dollars? It didn’t roll ALL the way over, and it’s all original paint. You just don’t understand art. Probably didn’t even go to an Ivy League.
I thought twisted hulk was a flat, objective description, no spin at all. Really, what you are buying here are the car’s physical coordinates in the time-space continuum. You send the pile over to Crosthwaite and Gardiner and two years later they send you back a new Talbot Lago.
And in that auction, what about the 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB California Spider sold for $18.4 million?
I understand we live in a degenerate world now…
For those that haven’t seen it, this is the left side of that Talbot-Lago
http://theoldmotor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/art4-1080×650.jpg
That’s some creative lighting right there. Doesn’t make the car look at all like your worst nightmare.
Well all I can say is that somebody’s got a great basis for a rat rod. It’s already been chopped and from the look of things it’s got a Carson top. The side trim is off a ’56 Buick and I recognize the rectangular pieces up front as the hot air vents from my old apartment. All ya gotta do is drop a ’36 Pontiac grille in there and it’ll be a real sweetheart of a ride.
Just goes to show some people have more money than brains. That sucker was ugly before the wreck!