1921 Sunbeam 24/60

The Wolverhampton-based Sunbeam factory was founded by John Marston in 1888 for bicycle manufacturing, adding motor car production in 1901. The two businesses became separate entities in 1905, with the motor business falling under the newly incorporated Sunbeam Motor Car Company. In 1912, the company added motorcycles to its portfolio, and during the First World War, they built aero engines.

A period of slow sales, mounting losses, an expensive Grand Prix programme, and an inability to repay debts, forced the company into receivership; it was rescued by the Rootes brothers.

The company's first conventional car was largely conceived by T.C. (Thomas Charles Willis) Pullinger, who joined Sunbeam in 1902. He convinced Marston to acquire a complete chassis from the French Berliet concern, and as sales built-up, substitute components which would instead be built by Sunbeam. Eventually, all components would be built by Sunbeam. The first motorcar marketed as the Sunbeam was the 10/12, but it was not until 1907, two years after the Sunbeam Motor Car Company had been formed, that the firm produced its first all-British model, the 16/20.

Designer Louis Coatalen joined Sunbeam in 1909 (having left Hillman), and under his guidance, nearly all parts were built by Sunbeam rather than relying on outside suppliers. Quality improved, as did the company's reputation. His first design was the Sunbeam 14/20, and it was the first to use a shaft-driven rear axle. A more powerful and slightly improved version followed in 1911, dubbed the 16/20.

Coatalen was a firm believer that 'racing improves the breed.' What better way to showcase one's potential than setting a land speed record? By 1910, he was designing and building the Sunbeam Nautilus, a land-speed-record-car powered by a 4.2-liter engine with overhead valves and a pressurized oil lubrication system. It had an aerodynamic body (cigar-shaped) that incorporated several early streamlining features. The car's Achilles Heel proved to be its advanced engine design, and ultimately this idea was scrapped. The following year, another attempt was made in the form of the Sunbeam Toodles II, which incorporated an improved valve system. This time, the system worked, and earned a flying mile of 86.16 mph to take the 16 hp Short Record, with a total of 22 prizes achieved at Brooklands in 1911.

Sunbeams powered by side-valve engines placed first, second, and third at the Coupe de l'Auto race in 1912, along with many other victories and accolades, earning it an enviable competition record in the pre-World War I era. After The Great War, the firm continued to be active in motorsport at the highest level, supplying racing cars to Henry Segrave, an ex-Royal Flying Corps pilot who would win the French Grand Prix in 1923 with a Sunbeam. This victory earned him the title of being the first British driver to win a Grand Prix driving a British car.

The sunbeams raced by Segrave were equipped with twin-overhead camshaft, 3.0-liter racing engines designed by Vincent Bertarione, a former employee of FIAT. Seagrave won two additional Grands Prix driving Sunbeams in 1925. In 1925, he was part of a Sunbeam team that contested the Le Mans 24-Hour race. A pair of new 3.0-liter twin-cam Super Sports Sunbeams were entered, with one being driven by Segrave and George Duller, while the second car had works drivers Jean Chassagne and Autocar journalist Sammy Davis. Clutch troubles sidelined the Segrave/Duller car after 32 laps, while the other car finished 2nd overall, beaten only by the Lorraine-Dietrich of de Courcelles/Rossignol.

The Sunbeam 24/60
The Sunbeam 24/60 was powered by an overhead-valve six-cylinder engine with a 4,500cc displacement and fed via a dual-throat Claudel carburetor. It was paired with a four-speed in-unit gearbox, a torque tube back axle, and rear-wheel brakes on hubs and drive shafts. The suspension was by semi-elliptic springs.

The Sunbeam 24/70 that followed added four-wheel brakes and a gearbox-driven mechanical servo.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2023