Lot details
Registration No: DXT 927
Chassis No: 4094
Mot Expiry: July 2010

"The international reputation achieved by Talbot products has gained an added lustre through racing successes, but is fundamentally based upon the good repute which these cars enjoy amongst Talbot owners in all countries. The make is definitely numbered in that select group of cars of distinction which endear themselves to the heart of the true enthusiast" (The Motor, May 1935)

Arguably the last of the pure-blood Georges Roesch-designed Talbot 105 line, the BI 105 was unveiled at the October 1935 Motor Show. Shared with its BA 105 and BA 110 siblings, the newcomer's low-slung `dropped' chassis frame was notably rigid. Reinforced by the use of a massive tubular cruciform brace and additional perforated channel sections to the inner face of its main side members, the structure was equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension, Luvax adjustable dampers and large-diameter drum brakes. Among the most unprepossessing looking but technologically sophisticated powerplants of the 1930s, the BI 105's straight-six boasted a competition pedigree - if only by association with its AV105 predecessor - that encompassed the Le Mans 24 hours, Ards Tourist Trophy, Irish Grand Prix, Brooklands 500-Miles, Mille Miglia and Alpine Trial.

Displacing 2969cc, the engine housed a seven-bearing crankshaft, nickel chrome Swedish steel con-rods, four-bearing chrome-plated camshaft, vertically staggered inlet / exhaust tracts and diagonally opposed combustion chambers. Shorter, lighter and more rigid than most contemporaries, a compression ratio of 6.5:1 allowed the unit to develop 100bhp @ 4,500rpm. Fitted with four-speed Wilson pre-selector transmission as standard, the free revving Talbot was reputedly capable of 90mph plus (though, stripped down cars proved a good deal faster). A natural rival to the likes of the Alvis Speed 25, Bentley 4.25 Litre and Lagonda LG45 / LG6, the BI 105 was decidedly more exclusive. Total production between late 1935 and 1937 is thought to have amounted to just ninety-seven cars.

Sold alongside the BD 105 which debuted at the same time, the BI 105 was also referred to as the BI Speed Model. Though, as Anthony Blight states in his famous tome `Georges Roesch and The Invincible Talbot': "The only justification for the title `Speed Model' lay in its traditional Talbot appearance, less pedestrian than the `Humberised' BD; in fact the BI was not a new model at all, but simply used the 1936 chassis as an excuse for disposing of body timbers, panels, fittings and old-style vertical radiators left over from the 1935 Airline, standard saloon and sports tourer". Having taken over Talbot in 1935, the Rootes Group (parent to Humber) were keen to `clear the decks' before introducing a new model range which relied heavily on the conglomerate's `parts bin'. Thus, the number of BI 105 cars ordered and sold was restricted not so much by demand but by what remained `on the shelf' at Talbot's Barlby Road factory.

According to a letter on file from Bill Barrott of the Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register, chassis number 4094 was sold on 20th March 1937 and constructed on 8th April 1937 (though, perhaps those dates should be the other way round?). One of just four BI 105 Speed Models to be bodied in this particular style by Clement Talbot Ltd, the `XT' part of its number plate indicates that the four-seater was first registered in London. Recorded with the Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register post-WW2, the sports tourer was exported to Sweden during the 1960s where it apparently spent over forty years in dry storage. Repatriated a few seasons ago, the Talbot not only lacked any form of documentation but was also in need of extensive recommissioning by the time it entered the current ownership via Bonhams' December 2007 Olympia sale.

Treated to a new radiator, partial rewire, Kenlowe fan, refurbished wiper motor, restored / re-silvered headlamps (incorporating halogen bulbs), brake adjustment and general servicing etc over the last two years, chassis 4094 has recently passed a MOT test (quite possibly the first one it has been submitted for). Further benefiting from the installation of flashing indicators within its sidelights etc, the BI 105 has been reunited with the registration number `DXT 927'. Interestingly, removing the rear nacelle revealed the old UK number plate nestling under its Swedish replacement. Bearing the appropriate stamping 105 BI 94, the engine is said to run satisfactorily and indeed the vendor informs us that the sports tourer will be driven rather than trailered to the Haynes International Motor Museum.

The leather upholstery looks to be original and while some parts of the interior would benefit from the attention of a specialist trimmer the seats themselves have held up pretty well (though, the carpets have perished). The paint and chromework have aged and tarnished in places respectively but the hood and sidescreens appear to be more modern replacements and are in good order. Some will find the Talbot to have a charming patina, while others will doubtless consider it scruffy. Either way, this BI 105 remains a very rare and desirable Post Vintage Thoroughbred.