From the birth of the automobile to the start of World War II, a host of French and British automobiles were linked by a convoluted series of company failures, schisms and buyouts. As an example, The Clement Talbot Ltd. company was founded in 1903 under the patronage of the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot to import the popular French Clement car into Britain. From 1905, Talbots were also produced in London and the marque was very successful in competition and sales, in the years leading up to WWI. Talbot was subsequently taken over by the Paris-based, but British-controlled, Darracq company in 1919 and in 1920 this joint company amalgamated with the Sunbeam company to form STD Motors. Thus, the iconic prewar marques of Sunbeam, Talbot, Darracq, and later, Talbot Lago are all linked and share a core lineage.
This month’s featured Website is the official site of the Sunbeam Talbot Darracq (STD) Register of the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Some of the features of this site include histories for each of the marques, as well as Talbot Lago; a news section; related links; and parts for sale. Though a fairly circumscribed site, this is a good launching point for learning more about these historic automobiles.
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