1930 Sunbeam Sports Special

Description

From a deceased estate; unique and beautifully built special based on a shortened Sunbeam 16.9 chassis with a fully rebuilt Sunbeam 23.8 engine; aluminium body; requires finishing touches 

The Sunbeam Motor Company of Wolverhampton produced some of the finest quality cars of the early 20^th Century. Under the inspired leadership of Louis Coatalen, they built a string of record-breaking racing machines and outstanding sports saloons. These included the fabulous Sunbeam 1000hp which set a land speed record of 203.8mph in 1927 and is now on display at the Beaulieu Motor Museum, and the smooth and potent 3-litre Twin Cam – the first twin cam production car ever made.

Noted for their excellent build quality and refinement, Sunbeam’s passenger cars incorporated this racing heritage to provide supreme luxury motoring for the well-heeled classes, on a par with sporting machines from the likes of Alvis, Vauxhall and Bentley.

First registered in May 1930, UK 8776 started out in life as a Sunbeam 16.9hp. Nothing is known of the car’s early history but in the early 1950s it was rebodied and modified by a naval officer, Lt. Commander Peter Attwood, who shortened the chassis (no. 5402L) and fitted a larger Sunbeam 23.8hp (3,418cc) engine (no. 7034P).

An old buff logbook shows that it had three further owners before our vendor acquired the car in 2005 by which time it was in a fairly dilapidated state. An experienced engineer and restorer with a collection of interesting cars, he set about turning the Sunbeam into the unique special you see today.

Over 15 years of work have gone into creating this car, the whole process being documented in many photos and invoices on file, over £30,000 being spent on parts alone. The body is aluminium with steel cycle wings and bonnet, mounted on an ash frame. All mechanical parts have been rebuilt, including the engine which has new pistons, bearings, reground crank etc.

Sadly the owner passed away in 2022 when the car was almost finished. In the summer of 2023 the family sent the Sunbeam to Jim Catnach of JC Engineering in Spalding who got it running, the bill for this coming to some £3,400. It will doubtless require some further fettling/snagging before it can be safely used on the road.

As you can see in the photos, the build has been carried out to a high standard and the car looks most impressive indeed.

For more information and for a short video of the engine running, contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com