Lotus Sunbeam
The Lotus Sunbeam brand first entered into market with three variants; the 1600cc, the 1300cc and 930cc models.
The latter model was a derivative of Hillman Imp engine. The demands of the market forced the Lotus maker to finally settle on the 1600cc model. The alloy wheels on this model are a very crucial highlight. The same case applies to sporty seats and rear spoilers.
The 1600cc engine is capable of 100bhhp and can accelerate from 0 to 60mph within 10 seconds. This is what made the model a much respected car in the late 1970s. In fact, the designers of the car wanted to handle various challenges that faced the rallying world by making it as sporty as possible. They hoped that the model could beat the HS Chevettes and Ford Escorts RS.
One strong point that was noted on the Sunbeam was its potential to gather serious power within a short time. The best way out to getting this power was to make use of 2-liter engines similar to the ones that the maker had been supplying to Jensen Healey; a company had already ceased operating. The modified version of this car could attain 230bhp which was a lot higher than its predecessor which was only capable of 160bhp.
In terms of rallying, the car has many achievements, the most significant one being in the 1980's Lombard RAC Rally. This event had initially been highly dominated by Ford but the Talbot team whose member were using only Lotus Sunbeams finally carried the day with an astounding victory. The same momentum went on in the year that followed, where the model won in the makes category during World Rally Championships competition. Since then the 4-cylinder engine with a capacity of 2172cc has earned respect to this day.
Black Lotus Sunbeam
White Lotus Sunbeam in Action
Another Black Lotus Sunbeam
