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 and the pursuit of an effective competition programme enabled the marque 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 for 1927 and priced from £750 upwards, the first 20hp Sunbeam was powered by a 2,916cc six-cylinder engine and enjoyed a production life of just three years, being superseded by a new ‘Twenty’ in 1931, although this 3.3-litre newcomer was actually rated at 23.8hp.

There were still plentiful stocks of the ‘old’ 2.9-litre engine, so to make use of these a new Speed Model was introduced at the 1932 Motor Show, thus filling a gap in the Wolverhampton firm’s ...