The Rt Hon the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, KCVO had hansom-cab interests in London and was an enthusiastic user of Panhard-Levassor and Clement-Bayard cars. In 1904 he decided to get into the expanding motor industry, and formed Clement-Talbot Ltd, for the manufacture of cars at a new and lavishly-appointed factory and headquarters at Edinburgh Road, later called Barlby Road. The first Clement-Talbots were made here, London-built but with strong Anglo-French undertones.
As the smaller models gave way to larger cars, going up in nine steps from 12 H.P. to 50 H.P., these cars became very well established. In 1905 C R Garrard became Works Manager, and by the beginning of 1906 an entirely British 20 H.P. Talbot was being made at Barlby Road, the work of Garrard.
A successful day at the Fromes hill-climb led to the “Invincible Talbot” trade mark being adopted. After Garrard had left to join the Sheffield-Simplex Company, his place was taken by G P Mills, and in 1911 George Brown, from Austin’s, came to work for the Talbot organisation under Mills. By this time the rather confusing range of models was still being made: four-cylinder 12, 15, 25 and 35 H.P. chassis, and a 20 H.P. six-cylinder.
Our Slider is an example of the 25 H.P. model, with elegant limousine landaulette coachwork.
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