Sunbeam Motor Car Company

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Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited

Sunbeam Works in Wolverhampton, pictured in 2016
Company type	Public Listed Company
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1905 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Founder	John Marston
Defunct	1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Fate	Company acquired by Rootes Group in 1934; continued as a brand until 1981
Successor	Sunbeam-Talbot
Headquarters	Wolverhampton , England
Key people	John Marston, Louis Coatalen
Products	Automobiles
Parent	John Marston Ltd. (1905–20) S.T.D. Motors (1920–34)

Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited was a British automobile manufacturer in operation between 1905 and 1934. Its works were at Moorfields in Blakenhall, a suburb of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire, now West Midlands. The Sunbeam name had originally been registered by John Marston in 1888 for his bicycle manufacturing business. Sunbeam motor car manufacture began in 1901. The motor business was sold to a newly incorporated Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited in 1905 to separate it from Marston's pedal bicycle business; Sunbeam motorcycles were not made until 1912.

In-house designer Louis Coatalen had an enthusiasm for motor racing and accumulated expertise with engines. Sunbeam manufactured their own aero engines during the First World War and 647 aircraft to the designs of other manufacturers. Engines drew Sunbeam into Grand Prix racing and participation in the achievement of world land speed records.

In spite of its well-regarded cars and aero engines, by 1934 a long period of particularly slow sales had brought continuing losses. Sunbeam was unable to repay money borrowed for ten years in 1924 to fund its Grand Prix racing programme, and a receiver was appointed. There was a forced sale, and Sunbeam was picked up by the Rootes brothers. Manufacture of Sunbeam's then old-fashioned cars did not resume under the new owners, but Sunbeam trolleybuses remained in production.

The two Rootes brothers had intended to sell luxury cars under the Sunbeam name, but by 1938 instead chose to add the name to their Talbot branded range of Rootes designs, calling them Sunbeam-Talbots. In 1954 they dropped Talbot from the name.

Sunbeam continued to appear as a marque name on new cars until 1976. It was then used as a model name, firstly for the Chrysler Sunbeam from 1977 to 1979, and, following the takeover of Chrysler Europe by PSA Group, for the Talbot Sunbeam from 1979 through to its discontinuation in 1981.