Sunbeam

Founded by John Marston in 1901, a sheet metal worker who built up the company Sunbeamland to manufacture bicycles. Marston allowed his apprentice Thomas Cureton to tinker with prototype cars, the resulting Sunbeam Mabley of 1901 being a curious cross between car and motorcycle, the four wheels being set in a diamond formation.

Soon taken over by businessman T.T. Pullinger, by 1907 the company was manufacturing the Angus Shaw designed 16/20, along with the 12/16 tourers. They quickly found success in competition work, the company expanding to a 30 acre site by the end of World War 1. In 1920 it merged with Talbot to form STD motors, allowing Sunbeam to use the far superior overhead cam Talbot engines, these being used to create record breaking racers - including Malcolm Campbell's V12 car, which set a new Land Speed Record in 1924.

The STD combine would fall upon hard times, and Sunbeam turned to the manufacture of trolleybuses, however in the early post war years it again turned to the manufacture of automobiles, the highlights being the beautiful 1959 Alpine, and potent V8 equipped Tiger.

Also see: Lost Marques: Sunbeam | The History of Sunbeam (USA Edition)

1955- 1967
The Rapier's price was not low by any means, but because of its attention to detail, performance and general roadworthiness, it was at the time very much a car above the ordinary. In factors of safety, handling and performance the Rapier appealed to those who admired the Gran Turismo type of vehicle while for the average motorist it was is a car which had appeal because of its overall running economy and ease of maintenance. More>>

1959 - 1968
Styled by Kenneth Howes, the second generation Alpine was launched in 1959 and was based on the contemporary Hillman Minx. More>>

1964 - 1968
Introduced in 1964, its soul was a V-eight version of the four-cylinder Sunbeam Alpine whose attractive open body dated from 1959. More>>

1967 - 1972
The Sunbeam Stiletto is a rare car indeed, with only around 9000 being manufactured between 1967 and 1972. The first iterations were known as the 301 series, manufactured by the Rootes group. More>>

1967 - 1976
A decade after launch the Sunbeam Rapier had changed little externally, however all that was to change with the launch of the beautifully styled Fastback Coupe, which is today a highly sought after classic. More>>

1977 - 1981
The Chrysler (as it then was) Sunbeam "hatch window" was introduced in 1977, and was evolved in a hurry from mainly Hillman Avenger components to produce a new model quickly. More>>