In 1902, the British Automobile Commercial Syndicate was established under the leadership of the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot to bring to the isles such vehicles as the French-built Clément-Bayard. The latter soon became known in England as the Clément-Talbot, and within two years of its introduction to the country was well-regarded for its excellent engineering.

This was especially true of the mid-range 12/15 HP model, originally introduced as the 4V in 1904 and continuing with revisions into 1905 as the slightly more powerful 12/16 HP 4VB with an 85-millimetre bore and displacement of 2,724 cc. It offered such advanced features as mechanical inlet valves, magneto ignition, a mechanically driven water pump, four-speed selective-shift transmission to shaft drive, and a live rear axle, resulting in one of the most modern automobiles of the period and an outstanding road car. Few veterans, even in this latter part of the era, had as much to recommend them to the sporting enthusiast.

The CT4VB offered here, one of very few known survivors, was mounted with an imposing brougham body, finished in rich Royal Blue lined in red and gold, with an interior finished in black leather to the driver’s compartment and Bedford cord with braided piping in the rear compartment. Accessories included a speaking tube, for directing commands from the well-heeled passengers to the liveried chauffeur behind the wheel.

The car was acquired in the 1970s by the well-known British enthusiast, Michael Banfield, apparently from many years of storage in a carriage house, as depicted in a black-and-white photograph on file showing the Talbot to be apparently largely intact but partially disassembled. In Mr Banfield’s ownership it was officially dated in 2003 as a 1904 model by the Veteran Car Club, of which the owner was a long-time and very active member. To this day, the Talbot retains the finishes of his ownership, most prominently the distinctive crest of the Worshipful Company of Carmen on the rear doors. Ducellier brass headlamps and cowl lamps were mounted as impressive and authentic touches.

Following its long-time owner and caretaker’s passing, it was entered into the famed London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in 2016—allegedly for the first time—then in the care of Mrs Susan Banfield. Its current owner at last acquired the car from the Banfield stable in 2017, and has since upkept its attractive older restoration to the same high standards—as well as again driving it from London to Brighton with success in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2024.

Offering excellent engineering, proven by numerous successful runs over the last decade, as well as bodywork unusually capacious and weathertight for a veteran automobile, this Talbot has much to recommend it in power, brain, and comfort. It is ideal as the partner to later Sunbeam or Talbot products in a collection, or, perhaps more aptly, for the enthusiast seeking to once more drive from London to Brighton—with alacrity.