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

Volkswagen

D, 1936 to date

(1) Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche GmbH, Stuttgart, 1936 – 1937

(2) Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Volkswagens, Berlin; Stadt des KdF-Wagens, 1937 – 1938

(3) Volkswagenwerk GmbH, Berlin Wolfsburg, 1938 – 1960

(4) Volkswagenwerk AG, Wolfsburg, 1960 to date

The development of the Volkswagen car is closely linked with the name Ferdinand Porsche. After World War 1 he tried to realize one of his favourite schemes: a small economical car for a wide public. One of his attempts was the Austro-Daimler Sascha. He continued his efforts while working for Daimler-Benz at Stuttgart. His plan was brought a step nearer to fruition when he set up his own office at Stuttgart. There he designed small cars for Zündapp in 1932 with 5-cylinder radial engines, and for NSU in 1933 with 4-cylinder horizontally opposed units. But neither Zündapp nor NSU were able to invest vast sums during the Depression years and neither design was put into production, although a few prototypes were built.

In 1934 Porsche was directed by the Nazi government of the day to develop a small car and to build three prototypes. These prototypes Volkswagen cars were constructed by Porsche and his team in his own garage. They were ready in 1936 and the design became known as the VW3. Another series of 30 prototypes Volkswagen cars (VW30) was built in 1937 by Daimler-Benz and in Porsche’s newly founded workshops at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, the site of the present Porsche works. In 1938 the final version Volkswagen car, the VW38, was introduced. These types Volkswagen car had 704 or 984cc air-cooled engines. Also in 1938 the foundation stone for the new Volkswagen car factory was laid, and the name KdF-Wagen was officially adopted. KdF was the abbreviation for ‘Kraft durch Freude’ (strength through Joy), the Nazi organization which sponsored and financed the development of the Volkswagen car, controlling it through its newly founded Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Volkswagen cars. 

In his Stuttgart workshops, Porsche built three streamlined, Volkswagen-based sports cars with tuned engines for the intended Berlin-Rome Race of 1939, but this event was cancelled as a result of the outbreak of World War 2. They can be regarded as the forerunners of the Porsche sports car which appeared after the war. Until 1939 no Volkswagen cars were available for the public and only prototype Volkswagen cars existed. During the war the Volkswagen car was built in various versions for the armed forces with an increased engine capacity of 1.131cc. The Jeep-type Kübelwagen and an amphibious Volkswagen car, the latter with 4-wheel drive, were produced in large numbers and were the first Volkswagen cars to become widely known. After the war the Volkswagen car factory came under British control and a number of Volkswagen cars were assembled from parts. In 1945 a total of 1.785 Volkswagen cars was produced, this number being increased to 10.020 Volkswagen cars in 1946, all of them delivered to the British army. These private versions Volkswagen cars used the 1.131cc engine, developing 25bhp. In 1949 the Volkswagen car factory was released from British control and returned to German administration.

The Volkswagen car works themselves produced only the saloon version Volkswagen car but several convertible Volkswagen cars were offered by various firms. The four-seater convertible Volkswagen car by Karmann – one of Germany’s oldest coach-building firms – and the Karmann-Ghia two-seater convertible and coupé versions Volkswagen cars became part of the official sales programme. The Volkswagen car became known as a car which made no changes in body style although the technical details of the Volkswagen car were constantly improved. In 1954 the engine of the Volkswagen car was developed to 1.192cc and 30bhp and a further increase in engine output to 34bhp came in 1960. In 1961 the five millionth Volkswagen car was produced. In the same year a new model Volkswagen car was introduced, the Volkswagen 1500 with a 1.493cc 45bhp engine and new body, followed two years later by the 1500S Volkswagen car developing 45bhp. 1965 saw the ‘Beetle’ Volkswagen car with a 1.285cc 40bhp engine and the introduction of another new model the 1600TL Volkswagen car with a 1.584cc 54bhp engine. Since 1966 the Beetle Volkswagen car has also been available with the 1.493cc engine. The 1968 versions Volkswagen car of the 1500 Beetle and 1600 were available with a selective automatic transmission; at the same time 12-volt electrics were standardized on all Volkswagen cars save the basic 1200. In 1969 Volkswagen cars attempted to broaden their range with the Volkswagen 411, still an air-cooled flat-4, but this Volkswagen car was now featuring unitary construction, McPherson strut independent front suspension, and a new type of semi-trailing link independent rear suspension already tried on 1600s. The 1.679cc pushrod engine of the Volkswagen car developed 68bhp, and the Volkswagen car was sold as a 4-door saloon or estate car. The 1970 Volkswagen cars could be had with fuel injection. Another new Volkswagen car was the VW 181, an open jeep-type vehicle available in civilian or military guises. Sales that year were 1.621.197 Volkswagen cars. Prices for the Volkswagen cars ranged from DM4.626 for a 1200 saloon up to DM8.755 for the most expensive 411.

The Volkswagen 411, however, did not prove a great commercial success, and for 1971 Volkswagen cars took advantage of their ownership of the Audi-NSU combine to issue the latter firm’s piston-engined Ri80 derivative, the K70, under their own imprint. This development smacked of heresy at Wolfsburg, for the new Volkswagen car had a vertical 5-bearing water-cooled 4-cylinder ohc engine mounted at the front and driving the front wheels. The Volkswagen car came in 75bhp and 90bhp forms; other differences from the NSU prototype were the 4-speed manual gearbox, a wheelbase 6½in shorter, and a far lower price – DM 9.450 as against the DM17.300 asked for the Ro80. The Volkswagen Beetle was now available with a 60bhp 1.584cc engine and front disc brakes, McPherson strut front suspension being used on this version Volkswagen car. During 1972 the Volkswagen car firm began production of electrically-propelled light vans and Kombis. On 17 February 1972 the Volkswagen Beetle officially broke the Model-T Ford’s record of 15.007.003 units of an individual model. The 1973 Volkswagen Beetles had panoramic windscreens, an came in 1.2-litre, 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre sizes, with disc brakes available on all Volkswagen cars but the 1200. At the same time the 411E Volkswagen car with fuel injection was replaced by an improved 412E. The 1600 series Volkswagen car, the Karmann-Ghia coupés and the K70 were continued, as was the open VW 181.

Volkswagen cars are currently manufactured or assembled in several foreign countries and is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; HON  

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