1950 Sunbeam-Talbot/Sunbeam 80

The Sunbeam-Talbot 80 and 90 Mk.1 are four-seater saloons and tourers produced from 1948 to 1950.

The Sunbeam-Talbot 80 and the 90 were four-door saloons or two-door tourers with box section steel frame, Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes and beam axles fore and aft with semi-elliptic cart springs at the front and rear semi-elliptic leaf springs. The 80’s engine was a 1.2-litre S4 side valve unit derived from the Hillman Minx while the 90 was powered by a 2-litre SV S4 plant based on the pre-war Humber Hawk unit.

The Sunbeam-Talbot 80 and 90 replaced the Ten and 2-Litre saloon respectively in July 1948. The coachwork was similar in profile to the outgoing models but featured Packard-inspired integrated front wings and the chassis had a wider track. Standard equipment included a sliding roof, a multi-adjustable driver’s seat and fog lamps. The 80 cost £888 16s. 1d and had a top speed of 72mph. Many drivers opted to pay £953 for the 90, which was capable of 80mph.

As an alternative to the standard four-door saloon body, both the 80 and 90 were also available in exceedingly attractive drophead forms, the convertible bodies being made by Thrupp and Maberly, which cost £991 for the 80 and £1,055 for the 90.

In 1948 Norman Garrad established the Rootes competition department and George Murray-Frame’s Sunbeam-Talbot 90 won the Coupe des Alpes cup at that year’s Alpine Rally, followed by a Team Prize in 1949.

The Sunbeam-Talbot 80 was discontinued in 1950 and the 90 was updated as the Mk. II.

The engine for the 80 was a 1,185cc unit and the 90 was powered by a 1,944cc plant. The transmission in each car was a four-speed box with a steering column lever and synchromesh on the top three ratios.

The charms of the Sunbeam-Talbot 80 and 90 are many, from the Art Deco fascia to the rear-hinged back doors. The 80 is no ball of fire, to put it mildly, and the Sunbeam-Talbot does feel most compact by modern standards but they are gracious touring cars, especially in drophead form.

The spiral bevel final drive can be vulnerable and gearboxes often suffered from worn synchromesh. Check around the saloon’s sliding roof and the floorplan of the convertibles for corrosion, in addition to the door bottoms, rear wings and wheel arches.

The Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Mk.1 is a car with an appeal of its own, in addition to hinting at the future potential of the model while the 80 is a Sunbeam-Talbot that is utterly suited to B-road motoring on a Sunday afternoon.

Rivals to the 80 included the Jowett Javelin, the MG Y saloon, the Riley RMA, the Singer SM1500 and the Wolseley 4/50. The Sunbeam-Talbot 90 competed against the Riley RMB, the Rover P4 75 and the Wolseley 6/80.