Restored Sunbeam set to fetch £28k
It fetched just £795 when it was sold back in 1934. But this classic Sunbeam car is expected to sell for a staggering £28,000 when it goes under the hammer later this month.
It fetched just £795 when it was sold back in 1934. But this classic Sunbeam car is expected to sell for a staggering £28,000 when it goes under the hammer later this month.
The 20hp motor was one of 750 created in Wolverhampton during the early 1930s and is believed to be one of only 37 remaining.
An advertisement for the car when it originally went on sale read: "Like all Sunbeam models, this 20hp coupe preserves the elegant lines which distinguish Sunbeam coachwork.
"The front seats are of the sliding adjustable type, the rear seat of full width and fitted with arm rests and wells in the rear floorboards give maximum leg room. Enclosed luggage boot at rear with special locker for tools."
The car stills features its original 1930s numberplate, XJ 8284, but the original sliding roof had to be replaced after falling into a state of disrepair.
The car has been completely stripped down and loving restored to its former glory since it was snapped up by its current owner back in 1968.
A new engine was fitted and running by 1981 as the restoration took shape to renew the back door pillar and fit new front and rear wings. The car was delivered to the paint shop to be finished with two-tone Trafalgar blue and navy blue in 1983 before a new hand-made dashboard was installed, its instruments repaired and new carpets, hood lining and hood bag installed.
The car will be auctioned off by Bonhams at the National Motor Museum, in Beaulieu, Hampshire, on September 13 and bosses are hoping it will fetch 35 times its original value.
Sunbeam expert Colin Weyer said: "Throughout the past 40 years no expense has been spared with regard to repairs.
"The car's original £795 price tag might not sound a lot now, but in the early 1930s that sum represented two or three years' wages for some Wolverhampton workers." It is the latest Wolverhampton-made historic car to go to auction.
In April, a rare £451.50 Sunbeam car dating back more than 100 years has been snapped up for a colossal £243,500.
The Edwardian four-cylinder five-seater Sunbeam Tonneau was made in 1905 and is so rare the Veteran Car Club say it is one of only three known examples of its kind.
