John Marston built his first bicycle in 1887. The story goes that the name Marston choose for his bicycle, Sunbeam, came when his wife, Ellen, saw how the black enameled frame reflected the sun. Although Sunbeam bicycles were one of the best money could buy, the automobile was the future.
Marston built a number of cars from 1899 and 1901, but no attempt was made to market them until the Sunbeam-Mabley cycle car went on sale in 1901. Approximately 130 cars were built which was respectable for the turn of the century, but surprising because of its unconventional design.
The vehicle had four wheels, one at the front, one at the back and two in the middle. The open coach was shaped like an 'S' sofa with a seat on each side facing in different directions. Marston realized that a more conventional design would be necessary to seriously produce cars.
By 1909 the Sunbeam 12/16 was introduced and widely regarded as being one of the best cars of the era. Four Sunbeams were entered for the French Grand Prix and Coupe De L'Auto in June 1912. The cars took 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Coupe De L'Auto and 3rd, 4th and 5th in the Grand Prix. Sunbeam instantly became internationally famous.
In 1922, the overhead cam sports variants of the Sunbeam 16 and 24 were introduced, and with which the marque won a European Grand Prix. The Sunbeam 3-Litre Super Sports went on sale in 1925 and was one of the most advanced cars of its day with Britain's first production twin overhead camshaft engine under the hood. Sunbeam had become a household name in the United Kingdom by breaking three land speed records, and in 1927 was the first car to reach over 200mph.
The next thirty years of Sunbeam was hampered by war, the Great Depression and the continuing change of company ownership and management. It wasn’t until the 1959 Sunbeam Alpine came on the market that the marque started to see renewed popularity.
In 1964, with Carroll Shelby’s involvement and Ford’s V-8 power, the Sunbeam Tiger came on the scene and was being referred to as the “AC Cobra Junior.” This car shared the Cobra’s 260-cid Ford V-8, but in milder tune than that 260-hp bomb.
The Tiger was fun and it was fast. Unfortunately only about 7000 were built before Chrysler purchased the Sunbeam line-up in 1967 and discontinued the Tiger because of its competitor’s power plant. The Sunbeam name was last used on the Stiletto, a version of the Imp in 1976.
In the latest Get Smart movie, you can see Steve Carrel driving a Sunbeam Tiger just like the one in the original series.
