Talbot Lago T26 Engine

This 1946 Talbot-Lago T26 engine is a twin-cam 4.5L straight-six. The engine is a single-carburetor, single-spark plug design, though the specific model of the donor car is unknown. It was rebuilt prior to the sellers acquisition by a late French marque specialist using original parts and is said to be ready for installation. The seller estimates the motor has been run the equivalent of about 5 kilometers since the completion of the rebuild. The radiator and engine stand are included, and the ignition system currently runs a distributor, though an unrestored Scintilla magneto is included.

The post-war T26 motor first debuted in the Record T26 passenger car in 1946 but was designed by Anthony Lago and chief engineer Carlo Marchetti in 1942. The power plant features seven main bearings and hemispherical combustion chambers, as well as a single intake and exhaust valve per cylinder driven by separate camshafts. The block and head are both steel. Exact output figures for this example are unknown, though typical horsepower ratings for T26 engines were between 170-190 horsepower.

The cast aluminum intake is fed by a large single-choke Solex carburetor. This a unique configuration, as most utilized a dual or triple carb set up. Note the cast aluminum rocker covers with the Talbot-Lago name in relief. A distributor ignition is currently installed.

No gearbox is included, but the flywheel and bell housing are mounted. According to the seller, a typical transmission pairing would have been a Wilson or Cotal pre-selector, in which gears were selected prior to shifting, then engaged by depressing a foot peddle or accelerating to a predetermined speed.

The refurbished valve train can be seen here, with pushrod-actuated finger-style rockers mounted on a central shaft, and separate cams opening intake and exhaust valves.