The Sunbeam car manufacturer has been around for many years. Like many car companies it got started back in the late 1800s. It was the year 1888 when the Sunbeam Company was registered by John Marston. Originally the company started out making things like bicycles and eventually motorcycles. Sunbeam motorcycles are still [...]]]>

Antique British Motorcycles

Sunbeam History

The Sunbeam car manufacturer has been around for many years. Like many car companies it got started back in the late 1800s. It was the year 1888 when the Sunbeam Company was registered by John Marston. Originally the company started out making things like bicycles and eventually motorcycles. Sunbeam motorcycles are still widely popular among collectors and bikers today. However, they soon began to manufacture cars as well. During the First World War Sunbeam also made aircrafts for use in the war. 

An interesting fact about Sunbeam is that the first British car to ever win a Grand Prix racing event was a Sunbeam. It also set a number of speed records that were impressive for cars of that time. John Marston started out working as an apprentice before starting his own business at the young age of twenty-three. He started by selling bicycles but soon started to experiment with cars. The very first cars made were never released to the consumer public. In the early 1900s he began to make cars that did sell though they did not sell very well at first. One of these cars was the Sunbeam Mabley which sold just 420 units. 

After World War I, Sunbeam merged with a French company that had already achieved some success. Once the two of them began to produce cars together the Sunbeam name really took off. They managed to successfully compete with a number of great car manufacturers including Bentley. When the Sunbeam cars were put to the test on a race track they did better than anyone could have anticipated. 

After 1935 the company went through many changes. Different facets of the company were purchased by various other investors. The Rootes Company took over Sunbeam but continued to use that name. They started out with two basic models and began to work their way up from there. After 1948 the cars began to take on a new look and style. Changes were always made in terms of machinery and industrial evolution to make each car better. After scrapping some models and introducing others, the Sunbeam became a household name. 

By 1964 Rootes had found itself in plenty of financial trouble. In response to this Chrysler bought out the Sunbeam from them. Chrysler worked hard to salvage what they could of the Rootes line. Many cars were discontinued and others brought into the market. Chrysler started making many changes that did not work out for the best, including dropping the Sunbeam name from the cars and only using the Chrysler name. 

The very last Sunbeam car ever made was called the Rootes Arrow. It was produced from 1967 to 1976. In 1978 the remaining Chrysler Europe line was bought out by Renault. The Sunbeam name has not been used since. Some of these cars may currently be worth something as antiques if they are in decent condition. Since they have been discontinued, they are something to be found on many car collectors’ lists. There are currently experts that can be contacted with any questions or concerns regarding an old Sunbeam.

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Antique British Motorcycles