This is your chance to own not only a pioneer of the hot hatch segment , the 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam, but also a new car.
This is not a contradiction in terms, although it may seem so. The car is really from 1980, but it is said to have only covered 313 km (195 miles) in its lifetime. The main reason for that is it has never been registered. Described as being in “new condition”, the left-hand drive Talbot is offered by Silverstone Auctions at the NEC Classic Motor Show Sale in Birmingham on November 16.
The car is estimated to fetch between £24,000 and £28,000, which is more or less the price of a modern day hot-hatch. The car is left-hand drive because it originates from a large private collection in Italy. The owner didn’t bother registering it, hence the very few miles.
However, the car is factory standard and looks as it “has just rolled off the production line,” according to the sale description. Finished in the Embassy black color scheme with silver decals, the 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam is “in perfect running order” and comes with all hand books, service books and a fresh UK MoT. The new owner will also get a NOVA certificate to register the car.
“This really is a time warp car, immaculately preserved. Nothing has been modified and this must surely be the only unregistered and lowest mileage Talbot Lotus Sunbeam in existence,” said Nick Whale, managing director, Silverstone Auctions.
The Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus was born in the late 1970s when Chrysler commissioned Lotus to build an effective entrant for international Group 4 rallying. Lotus took a Sunbeam 1.6GLS shell and installed a 2.2-liter version of the Lotus 16-valve four-cylinder engine and a five-speed ZF gearbox. The result was a car that won the 1980 Lombard-RAC event. The rally car spawned a 150hp road-going version which proved quick and balanced, although it was priced higher than the comparable Chevette HS or Escort RS2000.
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