6 cyl ohv 69mm X 100mm 2276cc. Coil ignition. Twin SU down-draft carbs. 4 speed ‘silent third’ gearbox. 9’ 6” wheelbase, Darracq ‘De Luxe Sports Tourer’ body. Top speed 90 mph, 22+mpg. Price when new - £675
Model History
In March 1930, Arthur Fox, having seen the new 18/70, convinced Clement Talbot that there was a fine competition car in the making: 3 lightweight bodies were quickly built by Hoyal of London, and with a little engine/chassis modification, the 90 was born, and revealed to the world at Brooklands in the Double Twelve race of May 1930. The 90s enjoyed great success with the Fox and Nicholl team in 1930, featuring at Le Mans, Brooklands, Irish Grand Prix, Tourist Trophy, and also in the hands of private owners up until the mid-1930s. The AM 90 De Luxe Sports Tourer (body by Darracq), was favoured by the enthusiastic sporting owner, exhibiting impeccable road manners with the turbine-like delivery of power from the 6 cylinder engine. It figured large at Brooklands in club events, and was equally at home whether touring on the continent, tackling the ‘Exeter’, or taking the family out for lunch; an ideal sporting car with driving characteristics second-to-none.
GX 1320
The car has had few owners since new, spending the pre/early post war years in Cheshire, before returning to London where it started life. A disagreement with a London bus in the mid-1950s led to a 17 year ‘rest’ in a scrap-yard, whence it was rescued by eminent Talbot expert Ian Polson. The present owner bought the car in pieces in 2004, and it was completely restored by Foppe d’Hane. In July 2016 it completed a tour to Le Mans and the Loire valley, driving and looking exactly as a 90 should, clocking up 3,000 miles of ‘inaugural’ motoring, after more than 60 years ‘at rest’.
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