1914 Sunbeam 12/16

1914 Sunbeam 12/16

1914 sunbeam 12/16 sporting model

Cars, cars, cars. Love them, but some are more special than others.....and here's one

Background

Now a 12/16 Sunbeam isn't all that rare, but they are greatly respected. However this one is really something special.
Sunbeam, under the leadership of Louis Coatalen had a good idea, and one that's been copied many times since. That was, why don't we build a racing car, have it win some big prestigious event, and reap the reward of all the publicity and kudos that it will bring us?
In 1912 they entered three identical cars in the Coupe de L'Auto event held in Dieppe, run in conjunction with the Grand Prix at that time, and they came in first, second and third!
Not a bad result at all! Already a successful company, this cemented their name in history and made them one of the highest profile car makers on the planet.
So what has that to do with the little car in the picture?  Well it differs from other 12/16's in several ways, and has a little mystique about it. Mainly its about the engine. It appears to be fitted with a factory made but uprated engine. It's thought in some cases that this is in fact a Coupe De L'auto spare or development engine fitted in a standard car.
Whether it is or isn't doesn't really matter, but we know it has bigger valves, bigger inlet manifold and carb, and bigger exhaust manifold. The webs are cut out at the bottom of the block casting between the cylinders, and there is no provision for a cover over the valve springs. It also has extra cooling to the head, not seen on any other, and it goes like a bomb! All of these bits are featured on the racing engines.
That's all well and good, but it only has brakes on the rear wheels, and they are operated from the hand brake, so it can be a handful at times.
Its a sporting model two seater, and that makes it rare as well, but it also features what looks to be a factory copy of the radiator fitted to the Coupe De L'Auto racers. Its distinctive, as its tall and narrow, and has an obvious peak at the top. This affects the whole look and stance of the car.
It sits nicely on the road and the lines are somewhat more purposful than other 12/16's of the era.

Photo from around 1920 of the same car

History

The photo above was taken around 1922 and features the then owner Mr Byrne. It looks great in the darker colour, so that may be something to think about in the future.
As far as we can find out, the first registration was in 1919 and the car was sold by Paddon Brothers in London, to a Mr. Gordon Lang. The registration was in County Sligo in Ireland. This is all a bit odd. The car is clearly older, and by 1919 Sunbeam had stopped making this model, so what was it doing before?
The Sligo registration was apparently not uncommon. Gentlemen who owned sporty cars often registered them at 'sympathetic' locations to delay possible contact from the constabulary, if they were spotted driving 'erratically', in the days when all communication was by post!

1912 Coupe De L'Auto Sunbeam at Dieppe

It could have been that the first world war delayed the registration, or that the car was put together closer to that date, but at the moment its all supposition.
It was then sold to Mr Byrne who owned it for a few years and is pictured above in the car.
After that it was owned by  another gentleman and then left in a barn for 30 odd years before being discovered by John Olleronshaw from Norwich. He acquired the car and rebuilt it and then used it at many events for over thirty years. He had a lot of affection for the car and called it Miranda, and I have been lucky enough to speak to him personally about it. He was fascinated by the history and had first hand correspondence with Gordon Lang, who was the first owner as far as we can tell.
After that it briefly belonged to Mr. Pritchard who sadly died, and it was then acquired by my father in 2003.

Engine

The engine is 4 cylinder and 3016 cc, it has a four speed gearbox, plus reverse, with a cone clutch. At some point the fan has been modified to put it closer to the radiator. We think that back in the day, these were susceptible to overheating which is why this may be the only engine left that's working, and this was done to improve things. The racing cars had no fans fitted at all. I now run it with Evans waterless coolant, which helps even more to prevent boiling, and 'after boil', a phenomenon which occurs when a hot engine stops and the residual heat boils the water in the block, and without the pump turning etc the effect produces steam which conducts the heat away less efficiently, and compounds the problem. This can cause fatigue in the castings and eventually a failure.

Its a beautiful little car, with two seats and a 'boot' which looks like it may have been an occasional dickie seat, however it folds up towards the front, so anyone sitting in there is in danger of being sliced in half!
The condition is quite original, although it was refinished (rebuilt in fact) in the early '60's, but it has developed a lovely patina now, and is a long way from being immaculate, but perhaps all the better for it

On the road

Well currently I have broken the starter motor so we are back to swinging it. The car starts fairly easily but with the big manifold it takes a couple of goes to get the fuel up! Once started she will tick over at around 280 rpm. The advance and retard lever for the ignition has to be set carefully retarded for starting and then advanced when on the road.
As with a lot of cars of this era, first gear is very short, so its only good for a few mph before second is needed. Third gear is good for about 35, and then there is quite a gap up to fourth. If you are going uphill on this change, it can make quite a difference.
The car tops out just over 50 mph, and cruises at around 45, that equates to about 1750 rpm.
The steering and handling are superb! When you consider the car is a hundred years old, motoring through the country side (with good forward vision) is a joy. The car turns well and produces very little body roll, something I haven't been used to on other cars I've driven from this era.
However if you are going for it and the road gets bumpy, then you do get buffeted about. Once again the brakes really are the limiting factor and cause you to be looking further up the road for obstacles than you might expect
Anyway, for now, I am looking after it, and enjoying it immensely. Its is beautiful, usable, fun, and till now unique!