Engineers at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu are working hard to bring one of the classic cars in their collection back to life – the extraordinary record-breaking Sunbeam 1000hp.

See: The car and the story so far – Back in January the museum began fund-raising for the project.

Everything on Sunbeam 1,000hp was bespoke, apart from its two (yes, you read that right!) colossal 22.5 litre Matabele V12 aero engines which were spare parts from Sunbeam’s works – and neither has run for more than 80 years.

Now, after a year-and-a-half of work to strip down and take apart the rear engine, National Motor Museum engineers are ready to start its rebuild.

New bespoke engine parts have been made, while others have been re-metalled. Piston rings had disintegrated and needed replacements, while original con rods, pistons and cranks have been restored and are ready to bolt back together.

The process has been forensic, as bolts and parts have been removed, then meticulously labelled and bagged ready for the rebuild. There has been no manual or documentation to follow during the Sunbeam 1000hp restoration, so the workshop team has relied on rare pictures they have been able to find from the original design team and factory workforce.

National Motor Museum Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield said: “We have found unique engineering and a wonderful quality of workmanship during the restoration so far – but nothing has been easy to get at.”

Repairing cracks and replacing missing parts

Cracks in the engine’s crankcase were found during testing and those have been repaired using laser welding.

Unlike the manual turning handle of another record-breaking Sunbeam in the museum’s collect, the 150mph Sunbeam 350hp, Sunbeam 1000hp has an air starter mechanism and the workshop team found that most of its parts were missing – so are now making replacements.

The restoration of Sunbeam 350hp in preparation for its 90th Land Speed Record anniversary at Pendine back in 2015, has also given the engineers some useful experience.

Ian explained: explained: “After completing Sunbeam 350hp, we found [similar] problems with Sunbeam 1000hp which we weren’t willing to leave, as the custodians of its future. As oils and lubricants get older, they turn into a tar-like consistency and ‘glue’ engine parts together. That deterioration continues if it is not dealt with.

“It’s been a privilege,” he continued “because not everyone gets to work on a Land Speed Record breaker. Working on Sunbeam 350hp was one of the best things I’ve ever done and this is up there with it because it preserves these landmark cars for future prosperity.”

Each of the massive Sunbeam 1000hp engines once produced 435bhp and a forklift truck was needed to lift them from the chassis. A 1918 datemark was found on the rear engine, while the front engine has a plaque which had been attached before it became part of the National Motor Museum collection, saying: “Engine will not start owing to vital part of mechanism being removed.” It could have been a little more specific!

The front engine and exposed chassis can be seen by visitors to Beaulieu on display in the National Motor Museum.

There are plans for a rear engine start-up out of the car, before it is lowered back into the chassis. Sunbeam 1000hp can run with just one engine but once the restoration of the rear engine is complete, the team plans to begin work on the front engine – which will take a further year.

More funds are now needed to complete the full restoration project. The Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign aims to raise £300k to finish the restoration in time to take the car to Daytona Beach in Florida in 2027 for the 100th anniversary of its record-breaking run.

All donations for the Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign are enthusiastically welcomed and can be made online at https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/sunbeam-1000hp-restoration-campaign/. Sponsors and corporate donors who would like to be associated with the campaign are urged to get in touch by emailing michelle.kirwan@beaulieu.co.uk.

(All photos courtesy National Motor Museum)