Sunbeam

GB, 1899 – 1937, 1953 to date

(1) John Marston Ltd, Wolverhampton, Staffs., 1899 – 1905

(2) Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd, Wolverhampton, Staffs., 1905 – 1935

(3) Sunbeam Motors Ltd, London W.11, 1936 – 1937

(4) Sunbeam-Talbot Ltd, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, 1953 – 1970

(5) Chrysler United Kingdom Ltd, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, 1970 to date

John Marston’s tinplate and japanware firm, which had been making bicycles since 1887, built its first 4hp belt-driven prototype Sunbeam car in 1899, followed by another machine with a twin-cylinder engine in 1901. The first model Sunbeam car to see series production was, however, the diamond-formation and allegedly skidproof Sunbeam-Mabley voiturette with 2¾hp De Dion engine, a number of which were sold for £130 in the 1901-1904 period. More conventional was the 12hp Sunbeam car marketed under T.C. Pullinger’s direction in 1903, which was based on a Berliet design and had a flitch-plate frame, chain drive with Sunbeam cars patent oil-bath chain cases, and a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine with automatic inlet valves. A 3.6-litre 6-cylinder Sunbeam car was on the market briefly in 1904, but Sunbeam cars soon progressed to Shaw-designed T-head fours, though another short-lived six Sunbeam car appeared in 1907. Sunbeam cars great years started in 1909 when Louis Coatalen joined the Sunbeam car firm from Hillman. In that season the Sunbeam car company was offering three L-head fours with chain drive, and capacities of 3.4, 4.5 and 6.3-litres, plus an odd 3.2-litre twin-cylinder Station Cart Sunbeam car. Coatalen’s first effort was a T-headed 14/18hp Sunbeam car, available with either shaft or chain drive. This Sunbeam car was followed a year later by a 2.4-litre 12/16 on similar lines, but with pressure lubrication and on overdrive gearbox, while overhead valves were tried out on a racing Sunbeam car, the Nautilus, at Brooklands in 1910. An improved 12/16 Sunbeam car of 3-litres’ capacity with monobloc engine ran in the 1911 Coupe de l’Auto race, foreshadowing an immensely successful touring development which Sunbeam car sold initially for £375. This Sunbeam car had an L-head engine and was made up to 1921. In 74bhp racing guise the Sunbeam car scored 1-2-3 victory in the 1912 Coupe de l’Auto, following this up with a 3rd place in 1913. In 1914 Sunbeam car company built Henri-inspired twin-ohc 4-cylinder racers both for the Tourist Trophy and for the French Grand Prix, and at the outbreak of World War 1 the Sunbeam car range consisted of the 12/16 in standard and sporting forms, a 4-litre 16/20 Sunbeam car of similar general design, and a 6.1-litre 6-cylinder Sunbeam car rated at 25/30hp, all offered with electric lighting. The Sunbeam car company concentrated on aero engines during the war years, though a 4.9-litre twin-ohc 6-cylinder Sunbeam ca  was sent to Indianapolis in 1916 and took 3rd place, while Rovers took over production of the 12/16 for the Flighting Services. Renamed the 16, this Sunbeam car reappeared in civilian form with full electrical equipment at £790, along with a smaller vesion of the pre-war 25/30 Sunbeam car powered by a 4½-litre engine.

The Sunbeam car company amalgamated with Talbot and Darracq in 1920 to form the STD combine, and the next five years saw an energetic racing programme of Sunbeam cars. Twin-ohc 108bhp straight-8 Sunbeam cars were made for the 3-litre formula of the immediate post-war years, followed by some unsuccessful 2-litre fours, and finally the twin-ohc 6-cylinder ‘Fiats in green paint’, designed by Bertarione, which won the French and Spanish GPs in 1923, and this Sunbeam car ran supercharged in 1924, as well as having a long and distinguished competition career in later years. Chassagne won the Tourist Trophy on a 3-litre straight-8 Sunbeam car in 1922, while one of the regular 3-litre sports Sunbeam cars finished 2nd at Le Mans in 1925. Sunbeam cars took the World’s Land Speed Record five times in the 1922-1927 period: Lee Guiness started with 133.75mph on the 350hp V12 sprint Sunbeam car, a figure which Campbell subsequently raised, first to 146mph on the 4-litre V12, a Sunbeam car which was also used for road racing, and the following year he became the first man to exceed 200mph on land with the twin-engined chain-drive 45-litre Sunbeam car. Sunbeam cars last record car, the Silver Bullet of 1930, was unsuccessful.

Touring Sunbeam carss of the 1920s were cars of great refinement if not outstanding performance. The basic 16 and 24hp types Sunbeam cars were redesigned with push-rod overhead valves in 19222, ohc sporting versions being also listed, while a more modest 2-litre 14hp Sunbeam car with unit gearbox was available at £725. Front-wheel brakes arried on the 6-cylinder 16/50 Sunbeam car in 1924, and were optional also on the 14/40 Sunbeam car which replaced the 14hp model. An impressive 3-litre 6-cylinder twin-ohc sports Sunbeam car with dry-sump engine was made in small numbers between 1925 and 1930, but the Sunbeam car was ‘too fast for its chassis’ as well as being expensive to make and buy. A big straight-8 Sunbeam car with a push-rod engine, available in 4.8-litre and 5.4-litre forms, was introduced in 1926 at prices from £1.295 up and front-wheel brakes became standard on all Sunbeam cars. All Sunbeam cars had the V-radiator by 1927, when the fours were dropped, and the standard touring sixes were the 2-litre 16hp at £550, the 2.9-litre 20hp Sunbeam car at £750, and the 3.6-litre 25hp at £950, all with plate clutches, spiral bevel final drive, and cantilever rear suspension. Thereafter Sunbeam car design changed little, and sales of Sunbeam cars declined though quality was maintained. Semi-elliptic springs were found at the rear of the smaller 1930 Sunbeam carmodels, in 1931 the Sunbeam cars acquired hydraylic brakes and radiator shutters, and the 16’s engine was enlarged to 2.2-litres. The 1932 Sunbeam cars’ silent-third gearboxes gave way to synchromesh on 1933 16 and 20hp Sunbeams. That year there was also a 2.9-litre Speed Model Sunbeam car with crash box at £745, though its main competitor was STD’s other fast tourer, the Talbot 105. The old Sunbeam car firm’s last new model was a ponderous 1.6-litre ohv four, the Sunbeam Dawn of 1934, with preselector gearbox and independent front suspension. This Sunbeam car was offered again in 1935, along with the 20, the 25, and the Speed Model, but the collapse of the STD combine brought receivership and purchased by Rootes, and an ohv Roesch-designed 4½-litre straight-8 Sunbeam car announced for 1937 never went into production. There were no Sunbeams in 1938, and when the Sunbeam-Talbot range was announced for 1939 the Sunbeam car was based on the later Rootes Talbots.

The name of Sunbeam cars did not reappear until 1953, when it was given to a sports two-seater Sunbeam car of the 2.3-litre ohv 4-cylinder Sunbeam-Talbot 90, the Sunbeam Alpine, which sold for £1.269, and this Sunbeam car collected four Coupes des Alpes in that year’s Alpine Rally, following this up with a Gold Cup (for Stirling Moss) and a Coupe des Dames (for Sheila Van Damm) in 1954. In 1955 the basic 90 saloon Sunbeam car was marketed as the Sunbeam MK III, and further laurels included the Malling/ Fadum win in that year’s Monte Carlo rally. The type Sunbeam car was listed until 1957, being joined in 1956 by a Hillman Minx-based sports saloon, the Sunbeam Rapier, with a 1.4-litre square 4-cylinder 62bhp engine, unitary construction, and overdrive as standard equipment, at £986. This Sunbeam car did well in subsequent Alpines and Monte Carlo Rallies, as well as winning its class in the 1956 Mille Miglia, and by 1958 the Sunbeam car had grown up to 1½-litres and 68bhp, acquiring a less Hillman-like grill in the process, though overdrive was now an extra. A sports two-seater Sunbeam car, another Alpine, with integral construction, was listed for 1960, and subsequent evolution was on regular Rootes lines: diaphragm clutches in 1964, with the option of automatic on the Alpine, all-synchromesh gearboxes in 1965, and 1.7-litre 5-bearing engines in 1966. 1964 brought two new developments of the basic theme Sunbeam car, an Italian-bodied Venezia sports saloon based on the Humber Sceptre, and the Tiger Sunbeam car, which was an Alpine with rack-and-pinion steering and a 4.3-litre, 164bhp Ford V8 engine, this despite the Rootes-Chrysler conncection. In 1966, the Rapier V, Alpine V, and Tiger comprised the Sunbeam car name. A 51bhp Sunbeam car-version of the Imp was available in the home market in 1967, and this Sunbeam car was followed by the more sporting Stiletto coupé for 1968.

An entirely new Rapier Sunbeam car on Hillman Hunter lines was announced for that year, its fastback styling inspired by Plymouth’s Barracuda. It had an 88bhp engine, a close-ratio gearbox, and overdrive as standard.

During 1968 the old Sunbeam Alpine was discontinued (the Tiger had already gone), and the Rapier range was rounded out, first by the H120 of 1969 with twin-carburettor Holbay-tuned engine giving 105bhp and Rostyle wheels, and then by the Alpine, a simplified version of the basic theme introduced for 1970. These three fastback Sunbeam cars were still being made in 1973, along with the Sunbeam Sport based on the Imp saloon. The Stiletto was discontinued during 1972.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Armstrong Siddeley

GB, 1919 – 1960

Armstrong Siddeley Motors Ltd, Coventry, Warwickshire

The Armstrong-Siddeley firm came into being through the fusion of Armstrong-Whitworth’s carmaking activities with Siddeley-Deasy of Coventry. Apart from the abortive Stoneleigh light car of 1922, their products were always solidly-built family vehicles emphasizing good workmanship, comfort and ease of driving rather than high high performance. Up to 1939 the Armstrong-Siddeley cars for sale were readily identifiable by their massive V-radiators (except on certain smaller and cheaper versions), multi-stud disc wheels (though wire was also used in the 1930s) and Sphinx mascots. The first Armstrong-Siddeley design was a 5-litre ohv bi-block six of 30hp. This was joined by a smaller but equally massive 2.3-litre ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 18’ in 1922, and by a 2-litre 4-cylinder ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 14’ – also ohv, but with the first of the flat radiators – late in 1923; this was quite cheap at £360. Front-wheel brakes were available on the 6-cylinder Armstrong-Siddeley cars in 1924, and these also had Monobloc engines by 1926. In 1928 a sv 1.9-litre 15hp six was introduced, followed by an even smaller one of 12hp and 1236cc in1929. Also in 1929 the Wilson preselector gearbox (already tried by Vauxhall) made its debut, first as an optional extra adding £35-£50 to the price, but as standard equipment on all types from 1933 on. The 1930 range consisted of the ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 12’, the ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 15’, a 2.9-litre ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 20’ in owner- and chauffeur-driven versions from £485, an the big ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 30’, now listed with formal coachwork only at £1450.
Armstrong Siddeley production was always on a modest scale, running at about 1.000 a year; one of the best seasons was 1932, at the height of the Depression. An interesting departure for 1933 was the sporting 5-litre Siddeley Special with hiduminium alloy engine. This 90mph machine was catalogued from £950 upward, and some 140 Armstrong-Siddeley cars were sold over the next four seasons, while in 1934 there was a handsome Armstrong-Siddeley sports coupé on the latter (1.4-litre) 12hp chassis for ‘daughters of gentlemen’. After the ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 12’ was dropped at the end of 1936, all Armstrong Siddeleys were ohv sixes and in 1939 these came in 1.7-litre, 2-litre, 2.4-litre, 2.9-litre and 3.7-litre sizes, generally with formal saloon or limousine bodywork. Despite the ‘unsporting’ character of the Armstrong-Siddeley cars, he company’s preselector boxes found many applications on competition machines, noted users being E.R.A., H.W.M. and Connaught. The last Burney Streamlines of 1932-33 used the 20hp Armstrong Siddeley engine.  
Armstrong Siddeley were among the first makers to announce a programme after World War 2. These Armstrong-Siddeley cars used the pre-war 16hp 2-litre (enlarged to 2.3 litres in 1949) engine in a new independent front suspension chassis with advanced and attractive styling. For the first time in many years a sliding-type gearbox (with synchromesh) was available as an alternative to the Wilson. The various models were named after famous aircraft produced during the war by the parent Hawker Siddeley Group: Armstrong-Siddeley Hurricane, Armstrong-Siddeley Lancaster, Armstrong-Siddeley Typhoon and, from 1949-1950, the Armstrong-Siddeley Whitley. In 1953 the firm went over to a square 3.4-litre engine with hemispherical head, the result being the Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire with a choice of synchromesh or electrically-selected preselector. A twin-carburetor 100mph version followed in 1954, automatic transmission was optional on the 1955 Armstrong-Siddeley models for sale and power-assisted steering in 1956 when the range was extended by a brace of smaller Armstrong-Siddeley models. These were the ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 234’ for sale with a 4-cylinder 2.3-litre engine based on the Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire, and the ‘Armstrong-Siddeley 236’ for sale using the old long-stroke six of similar capacity. Neither sold (or looked) well and they lasted only a couple of seasons. Last of all came the 4-litre Armstrong-Siddeley  Star Sapphire, made only with automatic gearbox, though like the latter 3.4-litre cars, it was offered as a limousine as well as a saloon. In the meantime, Hawker Siddeley had amalgamated with another aircraft group, Bristol. The Bristol cars were taken over by an independent company, but Armstrong Siddeley were less fortunate and the last Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire left the works in the summer of 1960.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com