13th Jan 2005, 06:45
I was the original poster.
After I took it off the road, it was to be converted to a grass track racer - unfortunately it disappeared and I am still owed £50 for it!
However if I could have kept it a couple of more years I think I could have sold it as a restoration job.
But it did need due to tinworm : New door panels, new front chassis rails, & inner wings.
It was starting to get difficult to MOT due to the twin carb and cam on emissions.
I ended up buying a Vauxhall Carlton - another very good car which no one remembers, my current anonymous mobile is an Omega.
The best bits were the suspension and the engine & box - it was fun out accelerating an MG Metro or GTa (not sure which) when I was towing a trailer!
25th Oct 2006, 13:09
I owned a 1981 Talbot Sunbeam for a couple of years between 1991 and 1993. It was a completely standard 928cc model which I used for regular commuting across London. Of course, it was a complete rustbucket - both sills replaced, (found an old Capital Radio t-shirt stuffed inside a previously filled repair when the old sills came off!!) rear nearside corner by the wheelarch actually fell off whilst I was driving home from work one evening. Exhaust valves burnt away and had to replace them, get head skimmed etc. Glass fell out of headlight, and clutch cable pulled through the bulkhead requiring welding to repair. Vacuum advance hose connection split and it took me AGES to figure out what the problem was.
Bizarrely I have very fond memories of this car and loved driving it (although engine was utterly gutless). Replaced it eventually with a Citroen AX.
9th Feb 2009, 08:12
The 928cc engine was a development of the Hillman Imp unit.
By the standards of the day it was a nice engine, but far too small to power the Sunbeam.
20th Dec 2004, 10:01
I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who tell me they love the Sunbeam and yet it's the car that time forgot. The rear suspension is a four linked, coil sprung set-up as standard so naturally handles better than an Escort in standard trim. The 1.3/1.6 engines although no technical tour De force were solid and reliable (up to about 130BHP).
Sadly though, the dreaded tin worm killed off many and its difficult for owners like myself to find new or good second hand parts, but many Avenger parts are inter-changeable, which does help.
I owned three Sunbeams at one point, but now down to two. One for road and one for rallying.