As the motorcar evolved, an endless revolving door of champions emerged, with some enduring at the forefront of automotive racing longer than others. While some relied on brute force, others focused on innovation, lightweight componentry, and efficiency. Among the innovators was a small bicycle company named Sunbeam that would compete at the highest levels of motorsport competition, on the world's greatest racing venues, and even vie for world records. Its exploits in racing and its accomplishments against the greatest marques of the era defined the company, established its reputation and influenced and benefitted its road-going products. Sunbeam's enthusiasm for motorsports was largely led by their chief designer, Louis Coatalen, a pioneer of the design and development of internal combustion engines for cars and aircraft. Under his guidance and racing cars of his design, Sunbeam took the first three places in 1912 in Dieppe's Coupe de l'Auto 2-day race for 3-litre cars. Sunbeam cars won the Tourist Trophy races in 1914 and 1922 and had a 1-2-3 finish in the 1923 French Grand Prix.
Remaining at the forefront of Grand Prix competition was expensive, ultimately leading to the company's receivership in 1934, when it was rescued by the Rootes brothers.
Sunbeam
Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited was founded by John Marston and was in operation between 1905 and 1934. Marston was an avid cyclist who established in Sunbeamland Cycle Factory in 1897 and began Sunbeam motor car production in 1901. This motor business was sold in 1905 to the newly incorporated Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited. The Wolverhampton-based Sunbeam factory primarily focused on four-cylinder models, and its first conventional car was largely conceived by T. C. Pullinger. These early automobiles were built using parts supplied by outside suppliers. After Coatalen joined Sunbeam from Hillman-Coatalen in 1909, he reorganized production, with parts being produced in-house. The first Sunbeam built under his tutelage was the 14/20, the company's first automobile to use a shaft-driven rear axle. It became the 16/20 in 1911 after receiving a larger engine.
Land Speed Records
Coatalen's influence on Sunbeam production was immediate, with a new model introduction and the pursuit of land speed records. His Sunbeam Nautilus was built shortly after his arrival at Sunbeam as a purpose-built land-speed-record car. It was equipped with a 4.2-liter version of the engine residing in the 14/20, with overhead valves and a pressurized oil lubrication system. This was followed a year later, in 1911, with the Sunbeam Toodles II that would eventually earn Coatalen 22 prizes at Brooklands in 1911 and also achieved a flying mile of 86.16 mph, earning the 16 hp Short Record.
1914 Sunbeam Tourist Trophy Race Car
The Sunbeam racing team achieved remarkable success in short order, catapulting to the forefront of automotive racing and securing victories against cars with significantly larger engine capacities. Their 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finishes at the 1912 French Grand Prix and winning the Coupe de l'Auto marked the first continental triumph for a British manufacturer in a decade.
The pace of change was relentless, with many innovations led by Jules Goux, Georges Boillot and Paolo Zuccarelli - 'The Charlatans'. Along with engineer Ernest Henry, they created a new four-cylinder engine for the Peugeot Grand Prix cars in 1912. These were the world's first dual overhead camshaft engines - the ancestors of all high-performance engines to follow. These engines had the cams located above the valves, with four valves per cylinder and pentroof pistons. It had superior airflow and combustion, resulting in higher power, efficiency, and rev limit over its competitors. With displacement sizes of 7.6 liters, these engines were introduced in 1912 at the Coup de l'Auto, where Georges Boillot drove his L7.6 liter Peugeot to overall victory. Smaller displacement versions followed, conforming to rules imposed by the Automobile Club de France (ACF).
The revolutionary Peugeot engine prompted others to follow suit including Vauxhall, Nagant, Humber, and Delage. Coatalen recognized the engine's potential and rather than creating a new solution from scratch, he acquired a 1913 Coupe de l'Auto Peugeot, disassembled it, and studied the design. Adding his own design features and improvements, his version had a 3.3-liter displacement size and produced 85 horsepower. The engine was paired with a four-speed gearbox and installed in a traditional ladder frame. Live axles, semi-elliptic leaf springs and Houdaille friction dampers provided the suspension, and braking was provided by drums at the rear.
The 1914 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) race, held on June 10th and 11th, was a grueling 600-mile endurance competition. Twenty-two cars would start the race on the opening day but only 13 finished. Sunbeam's squadron of drivers included Dario Resta, Sir Algernon Guinness, and Kenelm Lee Guinness each piloting a 3.3-liter, DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder Sunbeam Race Car. The car driven by Resta was among the early retirees, sidelined due to a broken big-end bolt. K.L. Guinness and his Sunbeam finished 1st, followed by Sir Algernon just three minutes behind his brother.
After ten laps on the second day, the number of competitors had dwindled down to eight, including the Guinness brothers who maintained their lead. Sir Algernon was just three laps away from the finish when a broken lubrication pipe ended his day early after a promising 2nd place standing. K.L. Guinness retained his lead and would finish nearly 20 minutes ahead of his closest competitors (only six cars had survived the ordeal). He had averaged 56.44 mph during the race and was awarded the Henry Edmunds Trophy for the fastest mountain climbs.
After the 1914 Isle of Man TT, the three Sunbeam TT cars were modified to compete in that year's French Grand Prix. Now powered by 4.5-liter engines and having slightly longer wheelbases, the Sunbeams performed admirably but could only manage a 5th-place finish by Dario Resta, as the team was outclassed by Mercedes and Peugeot. The other two Sunbeam cars entered in the race were forced to retire due to engine malfunctions.
As World War I brought an end to racing in Europe, two of the Sunbeam French Grand Prix cars were sent to America, where they participated in the 1915 Indianapolis 500. After the race, they were sent back to the Wolverhampton Sunbeam factory, where they were dismantled and stored until peacetime resumed. After the Great War, the Tourist Trophy cars were rebuilt by the factory using new chassis and sold as sporting cars for the road.
Three of the 1914 Sunbeam TT have survived and are highly coveted for their racing accomplishments, their 'Ernest-Henry' twin-cam engine design, and their association with Louis Coatalen.
by Dan Vaughan