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Sunbeam shines light on world of motoring 1926-style
THE roads were quieter in 1926. Much quieter and there was not a speed camera in sight.
Yesterday a group of Sunbeam enthusiasts put aside the moans of modern motoring to replicate a journey made that year when the Yorkshire Post motoring correspondent joined the drivers – and he was with them this time round too.
The 1926 wheelman gave his epic report in the paper of February 5. The car was a four-speed Sunbeam three litre open sports model, built in Wolverhampton and, noted the writer, "it should be sufficient to say the springs are by Woodheads, of Leeds".
Paul Wignall, from Wensleydale, owns a very similar 1926 Sunbeam, which he takes on expeditions and rallies all over Europe.
A few weeks ago he completed a 1,300-mile jaunt to Savoy without a mishap or misfire. The car was assembled from original parts by his late father-in-law, Rex Neate.
It was sold in 1973 but Mr Wignall kept track of it and in 1993 he bought it.
As much as possible we followed the 1926 route, starting in Boroughbridge then north to Topcliffe and Thirsk, spiced with a timed run up Sutton Bank and via Scawton and Rievaulx across to Helmsley for lunch, then back though Oswaldkirk and Stillington and Great Ouseburn.
The 1926 report, which was not bylined, was a road test of the first production car to have a twin cam overhead valve engine, built to compete against Bentley.
With four on board, two spare wheels and full touring kit the journalist wrote that he climbed Sutton Bank from a standing start in a best time of 90 seconds.
Then onwards to Helmsley and "the shrine of the Black Swan, where one can be certain of a smile and a meal even on the dreariest of winter days".
Lunch then cost 3s 6d (17.5 pence).
Today, they only serve lunch on Sundays, but the hotel rose to the occasion and chef Andrew Burton recreated the sort of meal the 1926 quartet could have eaten – "a 1920s toffs' menu with a 2008 twist".
We started with yellow split pea and ham broth with a poached quail egg and spinach, then poached fillet of sole with white wine and grapes, followed by slow braised short rib of beef, potato puree, bacon and shallots. Pudding was curd tart and tapioca ice cream, coffee and sweeties. The tariff 82 years on was a reasonable 25.
The 1926 Sunbeam was an inch under 16ft long and cost 1,125.
The writer found it "practically perfect in every detail...the most satisfying car I have ever driven". Above Boroughbridge he reached 80mph and reckoned the claimed 90mph top speed was valid.
"With every readiness to criticise what calls for criticism, I could find no flaw in it, either in design or performance," he said.
Mr Wignall and his wife Jayne have been competing in motoring events since the 1960s, with much success. Their stable of cars includes other Sunbeams, a 1970 Porsche 911S, Alfa Romeo's Giulia and Giulietta from the early 1960s, and a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger V8.
So, how did we do? The focal point was always going to be the ascent of`Sutton Bank.
Our first run was from a standing start. The car roars and off we go. The Japanese digital stop watch showed 126 seconds.
"There's no way at all he did it in 90 seconds," spluttered Mr Wignall.
He was backed up by Ben Yates, archivist for the Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register. "It was unlikely the car used in 1926 was quicker. Paul's engine is as good as they get."
The only explanations are that the 1926 writer was mistaken, or had a flying start, but when Paul made a flying start the time was still 116 seconds. Organised speed hill climbs on public roads were banned in 1925. The reported time set in 1914 in a stripped down Essex was 118.6 seconds so our man's 90 seconds looks highly improbable.
Just enjoy the day, then and try the Sunbeam. It is not all that easy. The front door is at the passenger side because the hand brake and gear lever are on the right. It needs deft work with the clutch pedal to change ratios cleanly. It groans and roars and howls and sounds magnificent.
In top gear I can relax slightly and it does pull well, and runs easily at 60mph. Fast enough.
Ahead, five feet of bonnet covering the mighty straight six motor. Turn the wheel, and wait a moment for the front to respond. Braking distances need respect and the turning circle is cumbersome. For such a large car it is cramped, with shoulder contact hard to avoid. A single screen wiper makes a modest arc through the rain.
"It's a challenge to drive it," said Mr Wignall. "But it is very satisfying. It's quite quick and keeps up with modern traffic. At 17 miles a gallon it is also thirsty."
What's it worth today? Around a hundred times its purchase price in 1926.
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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