1914 Sunbeam Tourist Trophy

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.

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.

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 Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2024

Sold for $1,105,000 at 2024 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach.
Matthew Wills acquired this 1914 Sunbeam Tourist Trophy Race Car from the factory in June 1921 and subsequently registered it as 'DA 5852.' After passing through several owners, it was converted to a two-seater coupe. Around 1940, Anthony Heal recognized the historical significance of this car and added it to his collection. Nearly a decade later, it was acquired by C.R. Abbott, who restored it and returned the Sunbeam to its original Tourist Trophy specifications. A year later, in 1950, Stanley Sears purchased the Sunbeam and actively raced it, winning the Edwardian Class at Prescott in 1951 and securing 3rd Place in the 1952 VSCC Silverstone Itala Trophy race. Podium finishes were also achieved at events such as Prescott and the Pomeroy Trophy contest.

Stanley's son, Jack, joined his father in vintage car racing in 1951 at VSCC Silverstone, where he began his journey with the Sunbeam TT. Among the accolades he achieved were an overall victory in the 1954 and 1963 VSCC Pomeroy.

Stanley Sears sold the Sunbeam TT in 1969 to its current caretaker, who continued to compete with the car, including achieving 'fastest Edwardian' at VSCC Silverstone in 1986.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2024