1927 Sunbeam 20.9 restoration (1)
You may have gathered I'm interested in cars. The vintage car is my main area of interest. They were made upto 1930. I consider the vintage car as the supreme achievement of the industrial age. They mix art and engineering in equal measure, and the cars look so "right". I have a vintage project in the garage, a 1927 Sunbeam 20.9hp sports-tourer. It's rather difficult to forecast a finish date, due to missing parts and lack of time...
history
The chassis of the project was found on a farm in the 1970s near Eaton Bray in the northern Chiltern hills. It was being used as a farm trailer, with a large wooden platform bolted to the top. It was pulled from field to field by a tractor. Here are a couple of photographs just prior to rescue.
It is a tribute to the Wolverhampton engineering qualities that it stood up to this agricultural abuse very well. Apart from the obvious rust, the only major areas of convern were: masses of play on both rear axle trunnions (one had cracked), the steering arm had been hacksawed off (a common problem for ex trailer Sunbeams) and the steering tie rod was virtually broken in the middle from where it had been roughly converted to central steering control - direct from the towing arm (pivoting on the front beam axle - luckily utilising a bracket that had been bolted on).
The chassis had been coverted to farm use by a company run by two brothers in Tring, probably making them in the war, when the lack of petrol for private motoring meant many large cars such as this Sunbeam 20 were worth next to nothing. The brothers were responsible for at least two other chassis being converted including one other Sunbeam (also a 20) and a Delage. My father was able to rescue the hubs and wheels from this chassis, whilst I was able to purchase two wheels from the second Sunbeam chassis. Therefore we have both got parts from at least three of these conversions!
It is a sobering thought that it existed as a car for only 15 or so years, in its 80 year history. Our Sunbeam was carted away by myself and my father for a small price.
Now all we needed to get was an engine, gearbox, steering column, instruments, radiator, dashboard, body, tyres, bonnet, lights, wings, hood, petrol tank and seats.
By the late 1970's an engine and gearbox had been found (bought from Cecil Bendall, a famous Vintage Sports Car Club personality). The unit was in a terrible state as the rain had got into the engine. The cylinder head was cracked and the pistons were useless. In the 1980's a radiator and cylinder head turned up. In the 1990's other missing items have come to light like replacement wheels. (The original rims had failed to weather the 30 years standing in the open).
body dilemma
The 20.9 Sunbeam was produced with many different types of body on it. Most of them were relatively un-sporting, with the emphasis on comfort and ease of use. Many of the bodies that were originally fitted have grace and charm, particularly the Sunbeam-built examples, of which a few still survive. But what kind of body should I build for the Sunbeam chassis? It was plain an original one would not be found. Here are a examples of bodies that were fitted to 20.9's...
A Sunbeam 20.9hp saloon dating from 1927 or early 1928. It is a "Weyman" fabric body. It is a tribute to the workmanship and skill of the original craftsmen that this body still exists. Many Weyman bodies have long since rotted away. There are no records of what kind of body was fitted to my car, but it is a fair bet that the bodywork was like this. This example was photographed in Ipswich by me about 1988.
Sunbeams were a make that catered for the middle classes, where money wasn't an issue. Their customers would include company owners and landed gentry. Sunbeams weren't cheap, but on the other hand they wouldn't wear out so easily. They were exported all over the world, so they were known to be dependable in 'cononial' conditions (bad roads, soaring temperatures...). They were also less ostentatious than the Rolls-Royce 20hp.
This is the standard Sunbeam "Five-Seater Open Tourer" bodywork.
Several remaining 20.9s have this style of bodywork.
This is the 'Light Four-Seater" body built on the 20.9 chassis in 1927. (Thanks to Ben Yates for these images). A handsome looking body, with similarities to both Alvis and Lagonda bodies of the same period. The differences to the standard body include:
- raked windscreen
- space for two adults instead of three on the rear seat
- smaller doors
- narrower body from the windscreen back
- lower sides
- lower seat backs on all seats
- (possibly) a different dash layout
favourite styles
I haven't got a body for my Sunbeam. I will have to build it myself. To what style? That will be difficult to decide. But I can defintely rule out building a saloon - I don't have the skills or time. So the best approach for me would be to build a body based on the 'Light Four-seater' above. Here are some other Sunbeam body styles.
This is a Sunbeam Super Sports of about 1927, photographed at Silverstone around 1995. The Super Sports was the exotic twin-cam three litre that Sunbeam built for several years in the mid to late 1920's. One achieved a second place at Le Mans in 1926 after the Bentleys had all retired with mechanical ailments. Most domestic market open bodies have cycle wings, three-quarter length running boards, rear mounted twin spares and a two-door bodywork fashioned in aluminium over an ash frame. Although the twin cam and the 20.9 chassis look identical, there are differences. The twin cam wheelbase is 10 ft 10 inches, while the 20.9 is 10 ft 4.5 inches. The axles are inexplicably different, as is the steering box and springing detail. Why Sunbeam didn't share more components across their range is beyond me. The engine size of 2916 cc is even the same as the 20.9!. I wonder if a twin cam body would fit the 20.9?...well, it seems it can:
This is a 20.9 chassis with special bodywork by Mick Collis of Halcombe Engineering (modelled on their twin cam body). This example has the advantage of axles and engine from a 23.8 chassis, giving it both more pulling and stopping power than the standard 20.9. The 23.8 parts would be from around 1932.
This is another view of the 20.9 / 23.8 special.
This is the "Sevier" Speed 20 Sunbeam. It is a special originally developed in the late 1970's to early 1980's by Roy Sevier and Bill Barrott. It was photographed at Silverstone about 1985. The basis is a Speed 20 Sunbeam, a type that was manufactured by the Sunbeam company from 1931 to 1935. Only around 120 were built in this time, making it a rare model. Few exist today. Speed 20 engines were updated 20.9 components, differing only in details of inlet and exhaust manifolding, carburation, and fuel pump. A couple of millemitres (?) were shaved off the head to attain a higher combustion ratio. It is estimated around 85 bhp was produced (The vintage 20.9 put out around 75 bhp). While the engine was much the same as the earlier Sunbeam from six years before, the chassis was a new design that was of 10ft wheelbase with conventional semi-elliptic springs at the back.
This particular example has been developed as a Vintage Sports Car Club racer, and has a few performance enhancements over and above the standard vehicle. The manifold is two thirds "E" type Jaguar, and it has an oil cooler. The body is from a 4.5 Ltr Bentley. The back axle once employed radius rods and parallel arms. This car raced at Silverstone and other venues obtaining respectable results, beating several vintage Bentleys in the process. It is the only 20.9 engined Sunbeam to have been used in competition (as far as is known).
restoration progress
It has got a full set of new (second hand) wheels and tyres that Karen has nearly forgiven me for buying. Note the clean design of the engine. It has been placed in the chassis to check for alignment, and above all, to check that the engine and gearbox we bought in the 1970s actually fits.
The next job is to rebuild the engine. It had been in a field prior to dad purchasing it, with the head off, so the internals are all virtually on their last legs. Strangely, the bores are very good!
Thanks to James Fack for more information regarding 20.9 body styles. October 2002 and I have now received the oil pump which looks beautiful, back from Bill Barrott's restoration firm. The pump now has: new gears, new walls, new end plate, new bush and new bolts.
Sunbeam links:
www.sunbeam.org.uk - home of the Sunbeam Club in Britain.
www.sunbeam.org.au - official Australian site.
