1979 Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus

The Talbot Sunbeam Lotus was in production from 1979 until 1981. Styled in house, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive hatchback range seating five adults.

Beloved of Greater Manchester Police as an undercover pursuit vehicle, the Sunbeam Lotus was a development of the existing Chrysler Sunbeam Ti. Based on the GLS, it had stiffer suspension, a bigger anti roll bar, and a larger transmission tunnel to accommodate its new gearbox. That gearbox was part of a new drivetrain which utilised the Lotus 907 engine as also seen in the Lotus Eclat and Elite. Sunbeams were shipped from Linfield to Norfolk in a partially completed state to have the engine and ZF gearbox fitted. The result was 150bhp and 150lb.ft of torque. Unveiled in 1979, the car launched as the Chrysler Sunbeam Lotus was in fact marketed as a Talbot following the rebranding of the former Chrysler interests in Europe by PSA. All early examples were black with a silver stripe, though later cars also came in Moonstone Blue. Not only was it popular with the press, public and police, but it enjoyed success in the World Rally Championship. In 1981, Talbot won the manufacturers’ championship.

Just 1184 Sunbeam Lotuses were made in right hand drive, with a further 1100 or so made in left hand drive for the European market. It’s believed that approximately 10% of these cars are still on the road. The Sunbeam Lotus wasn’t directly replaced, but Lotus would later create another roadgoing superhero out of a family car with the Lotus Carlton.

There are few hot hatches as aggressive as the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. Vauxhall’s Chevette HS shares the same basic engine owing to the Lotus unit’s Vauxhall heritage, while other competitors might have included the MK2 Ford Escort RS2000 and – if budgets were higher – possibly the more refined BMW 323. These days it’s popular with historic rallying enthusiasts, so early examples of the Mitsubishi Lander Evolution and Subaru Impreza Turbo might be worth a look as alternatives.