1925 Sunbeam 20/60hp Saloon Chassis no. 1033E Engine no. 1032E

1925 Sunbeam 20/60hp Saloon Registration no. HA 9165 Chassis no. 1033E Engine no. 1032E First seen in Season 2 and used throughout Seasons 3, 4 and 5 and in all three films Top-of-the range model from one of Britain's premier marques One of an estimated 45-or-so survivors Widley used in the television series Reportedly unrestored apart from a repaint Generally fine running condition Footnotes: The vendor of this car is not Carnival Film & Television Limited. 'The 20/60 was considered by many to be far superior to the Rolls Royce 20hp at a chassis price some 25% less, and it is recorded that Henry Royce communicated from his home in Le Canadel in the South of France to those in Derby, 'keep an eye on what is going on at Sunbeams', with a particular regard to this model.' - Bruce Dowell, Sunbeam: The Supreme Car. John Marston Limited's first Sunbeam production car, a De Dion-engined voiturette, was sold in 1901, but it was not until 1907, two years after the Sunbeam Motor Car Company had been formed, that the firm produced its first all-British model, the 16/20. The arrival of designer Louis Coatalen in 1909 and the pursuit of an effective competition programme enabled Sunbeam to establish a formidable reputation prior to WWI, its superbly made products enjoying a reputation rivalling that of the best from Alvis and Bentley thereafter. Introduced at the 1923 Olympia Motor Show and priced at £950 for the tourer model, the first 20hp Sunbeam of the post-war era enjoyed a production life in its initial form of only two years, being superseded by a new Twenty in 1926. The first Twenty featured a massively built chassis frame and was powered by a 3,181cc overhead-valve 'six'. This engine retained separate cylinder block and crankcase castings and was fed by a Claudel Hobson carburettor mounted on the offside, while the auxiliaries, including water pump, dynamo and magneto, sat on the nearside. The right-hand-change gearbox incorporated four forward speeds and reverse gear, with 'torque tube' drive to the rear axle, while the Twenty's suspension was typical of the day, featuring half-elliptic springs at the front and cantilever springs at the rear. According to Dowell, only 1,560 of the early-type Twenty were produced, of which only 45-or-so survive, that offered here being one of them. This rare survivor of the early Sunbeam 20/60hp will be familiar to devotees of Julian Fellowes' immensely popular and multiple award-winning television drama series, Downton Abbey (2010-2015), which chronicles the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family between the years 1912 and 1926. First seen in Season 2, the Sunbeam was used throughout Seasons 3, 4 and 5, and in all three films. Reputedly, the car's first custodian, a mill owner, got Sunbeam to fit Rudge Whitworth wheels at the rear as the originals kept getting caught in the Blackpool tram lines! The vendor advises us that the Sunbeam is unrestored apart from a repaint, and that new pistons and rings were fitted as a precaution when the engine was inspected after the car's purchase in the 1990s. Described by our vendor as in generally fine running condition, the car carries commodious seven-seater saloon coachwork and is finished in maroon with dark blue leather interior, the latter original and unrestored apart from the seat squabs. The only notified modification from factory specification is the provision of discretely concealed flashing indicators. A set of six period-correct artillery wheels shod with new tyres and tubes is included in the sale. Offered with a UK V5C registration Certificate. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing