Sign Of The Times, Past Tense.

Over the course of the past year I have written about many automotive discoveries I have made. I love learning about old car brands and models that I don't know. One brand that I had heard of before but didn't know anything about until I moved to France was Talbot. Created at the start of the 1900s, Talbot was an automobile company from the beginning. Unlike many early 20th century automotive manufacturers that started out building other industrial products and switched to cars later, Talbot was always automotive.

Talbot went through many changes and evolutions over the years, forming part of a three-brand group (Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq) from 1920 to 1935 before being bought out by British group Rootes. This lasted up until the end of the 1960s, when Chrysler took over Rootes, combining Talbot with Simca for their European operations. Talbot was one more time bought out, by Peugeot in 1978, but by then it wasn't much more than a brand name as opposed to a manufacturer in its own right.

Automotive historians will remember some great Talbot models from the early to mid 1900s, such as the beautiful Lago luxury coupé, but the current generation probably only remembers a few rather forgettable rebadged Talbot cars like the Horizon and Samba, if they remember any at all.

That's why I was pleased to run across this sign in front of an old garage in the region. The Talbot sign with its 'T' logo was a bit weathered and dirty, but still standing out by the street for all to see. There probably aren't many Talbot's that pass through the garage, but fans of the old brand surely enjoy a hint of nostalgia when they see this sign. There were also signs advertising Michelin tires and Finagaz propane which were equally weathered and authentic.

No car fans likes to see their favourite brands disappear, but I am glad that these signs remain to jog my memory and remind of of cars that have come before.