1933 Talbot AW90 Alpine Tourer Coachwork by Vanden Plas

Registration No: MG 2381

Chassis No: 33638

The most successful division of the Anglo-French Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combine, Talbot might well have escaped take-over by Rootes in 1935 had it not been shackled to its weaker partners. The company's then healthy position had been achieved by a succession of well-engineered products penned by its designer, Swiss-born Georges Roesch, whose obsession with the pursuit of high performance through increased engine revolutions led to some of the most memorable cars of the 1930s. Developed from the highly successful 14/45, the 2.3-litre '90' offered rapid, comfortable transport at a competitive price and, like all Roesch's Talbot creations, was powered by a smooth and flexible six-cylinder overhead-valve engine endowed with a remarkably high output for its size. The quality of this engine was amply demonstrated by its numerous competition successes during the 1930s at classic races such as Le Mans, the Ards TT and at many races at Brooklands. The chassis was a substantial, affair featuring semi-elliptic front and quarter-elliptic rear springing and equipped with very effective brakes. The Wilson pre-selector, 'self-changing' gearbox came as standard.

Based on the sought after shorter 114” AW chassis, this model has the desirable low radiator and this particular car is unusually fitted with Talbots excellent ‘silent third’ manual gearbox. The AW90 is a rare car and even rarer with the most desirable Vanden Plas Coachwork as fitted to ‘MG 2381’ from new- nine being fitted with these bodies (four survivors) of which a mere two were fitted with manual gearboxes. Although less powerful than the 105 the 90 is arguably a superior car being lighter and more agile.

Original Clement Talbot factory sales ledgers show that ‘MG’ was dispatched to leading Talbot dealers Warwick Wright in February of 1933, fitted with engine number 237 which it retains. Vanden Plas Records show that ‘MG was then fitted with Alpine Sports Body number 1964 to their design number 846 and was completed in March of 1933, painted Green, in which it remains today, crucially it also confirms the car was fitted from new with Talbots desirable ‘Silent third’ manual gearbox.

This car has a remarkably complete history with registration logbooks going back to almost the point when it was a new car, the first known owner being Leonard Wright in November of 1935, a succession of owners then appear through the years in the logbooks, until the car is bought by John Bland in 1954.

Bland was a renowned motor engineer specialising in cars of the highest quality which although not hugely valuable at this time, other less skilled firms struggled to deal with. Amongst the many restorations he carried out were that of the 1914 Grand Prix Mercedes Benz, in all respects he was a pillar of the UK old car community being the VSCC Chief Scrutineer for many years for instance. Best known as a Talbot specialist- he became intimately involved with Talbots whilst contracted to maintain the London Ambulance fleet of Talbot Ambulances during World War II, Talbots would remain his first love.

As such it says a lot about the quality of ‘MG’ that the car would remain with Bland as his own personal Talbot throughout his life until his death in 1981.

Following this ‘MG’ passed to Michael Lawson in 1983. During Lawson’s ownership the car benefitted from much mechanical work by marque specialist Arthur Archer and our sister restoration business Talbot specialist IS Polson, the car was also re-trimmed by Connolly.

In 1998 Janet Denton, part of a well-known family of Talbot collectors purchased the car from Lawson. During the Denton family’s ownership various work was carried out on the car including an engine rebuild, during this the original cylinder block was removed from the car and sold separately.

In 2021 the car passed to Robin Shackleton, he would own the car briefly before selling ‘MG’ on to the current owner.

A serial Talbot owner and former owner of some of the greatest British sporting cars, he had been searching for a really good Vanden Plas bodied Talbot Tourer for some time and settled on ‘MG’ since he believed the AW90 was a better driving car then the AV105. Its exceptional history and originality were also a key factor, he was also attracted to the car having very unusually been fitted with a manual gearbox from new.

Initially used as purchased, however whilst he found the cars nicely mellowed appearance charming, mechanically the car really needed a complete overhaul if it was to be the long distance touring car he desired. He was also keen to track down the cars original matching numbers cylinder block if at all possible and convert the car back to a manual gearbox- a preselector having been fitted to the car many years previously.

With this in mind the car was dispatched to IS Polson with the brief to make the car mechanically as sound as possible whilst not touching the car cosmetically. Fortuitously just prior to this the original cylinder block was tracked down allowing the car to becoming matching numbers engine/chassis once again, a correct type manual gearbox was also sourced, thus allowing ‘MG’ to be converted back to its original rare and desirable specifications.

The work carried out at IS Polson at this point was most extensive and thorough, with the engine rebuilt to fast touring specification around the original block, with new connecting rods and custom designed and made forged pistons, the manual gearbox was rebuilt and re-fitted, as were the front axle, road springs, brakes, steering, torque tube and back axle- with new higher ratio crown wheel and pinion, new road wheels, radiator rebuilt, dynastart rebuilt, the car was fully re-wired and much else besides, in short virtually a complete mechanical rebuild, see many invoices on file. Following this work the way the car performed on the road was absolutely transformed.

Since then the car has been used extensively for Continental touring, most recently undertaking a trip of circa 7,000 miles from London to the southern most point of the Greek Peloponnese via Austria, the Carpathian Mountains of Romania and back to the U.K. from the south of Italy - crossing the continent and blasting up mountain passes with untroubled ease.

Only for sale because a change in the owner’s plans means he will not be able to use the car as envisaged, ‘MG’ is freshly serviced, comes complete with three spare wheels, two good Blockley spare tyres, a rare original Talbot jack and sundry running spares.

Representing a rare opportunity to acquire arguably the best of the Roesch era Talbots, fitted from new with coachwork by one of Britain’s most renowned coachbuilders and most unusually fitted from new with a manual gearbox. ‘MG’ will give the lucky new owner a truly exceptional British sporting car of the highest quality.