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1914 Talbot (4 CBX)

Engine Type

1914 Talbot 4 CBX. Four cylinder side valve engine, with blocks cast in pairs. Non-detachable head. 2412 c.c rated at 12HP. Water cooled with the assistance of a water pump.
Chassis number 7279 Engine number 4CBX 76

Details of fuel & ignition system

Air pressurised fuel system with a hand pump to pressurise the system prior to starting. There is a small pump on the back of the cam shaft that maintains air pressure once the engine is running. The car is fitted with a 36mm Zenith carburettor. The car has a Bosch duel ignition system which comprises a coil and switch mounted on the firewall and a Bosch ZU4 duel magneto. The car was fitted with 12 volt lighting originally with a Brolt generator, however the ignition system only used 4 volts.

Transmission

Cone clutch lined with woven material. Four speed gearbox with a conventional H pattern gate change on the right hand side. The vehicle has internal expanding drum brakes with both hand and foot brakes side by side in large drums on the rear wheels.‎

How did you acquire the vehicle?

My father and I purchased the vehicle about 98% complete, but un-restored from from the family of a V.C.C.A member who had started to 'restore' the car prior to his passing. Sadly the 'restoration' work did more harm than good and resulted in a few bits and pieces going missing. We acquired it in 1994, but very little was done to restore it for a number of years.

Brief known history of the vehicle

The car was imported by Phizackerley's who were the Talbot agents in Sydney. The car was purchased by William Boden, who lived in Maclean and operated the Clarence Engineering Works. The car was inherited by his daughter Elsie Boden who never married. She passed away in 1975 with the car being sold at auction in Grafton in November that year. The car sold for $10,000 which at the time was quite a considerable amount for an un-restored car. It was purchased by the wife of a local publican who said she bought it for her 20 year old son who liked old cars. She also wanted to keep the car in the district.

What do you like & dislike about your car?

Likes: performs quite well for a car of its engine capacity and size and is generally quite reliable. Pleasant to drive with good steering and very good brakes for a veteran. Dislikes: the diff is way too heavy making it hard on rear tyres. Talbot tried to overcome some issues they had with the diff on the previous 12HP model (4CT) but went a bit too far. They also made some modifications to the cooling system to the previous model, which again weren't really an improvement, or certainly not for the Australian climate.

Fun facts or any other details you’d like to include?

The first trip the car did after restoration was to the National Rally in Toowoomba, which was done without too many problems, although a few issues had to be sorted both on the drive there and back again. The car was driven in the 2018 National Rally in Forbes by my two daughters who were 22 and 20 years old at the time, which with the journey there and back was over 1500km's. The original NSW registration number was 12197

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