Appeal to restore Sunbeam land speed record car hits £50k funding mark
Appeal continues in bid to get 1000hp Sunbeam Land Speed Record car running for 2027
Samantha Cook
A campaign to restore the historic Sunbeam 1000hp Land Speed Record car has reached its first milestone, and organisers are now targeting a special centenary run at Daytona in 2027.
The 1000hp was a significant feat of British engineering. Built by Sunbeam in Wolverhampton in 1926, it featured twin 22.4-litre Matabele aircraft engines and became the first non-US car to attempt a Land Speed Record run on Daytona Beach in 1927. With Sir Henry Segrave at the wheel, it was the first to reach 200mph.
The car’s engines haven’t run since before World War II, and it has been housed in recent years at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. A campaign to restore the car to full working order was launched in partnership with Brookspeed Automotive in March, and has reached the £50,000 mark. Now a series of special events are planned in an effort to raise a further £300,000 to get the car back to Daytona and running again in time for the 100th anniversary of Segrave’s speed landmark.
Special talks will be held in January featuring notable automotive historians and engineers, plus Land Speed Record hero Richard Noble. A tour of Europe is also planned, as well as using the car for educational workshops once complete.
The Sunbeam 1000hp, or ‘The Slug’ as it was nicknamed, could roar again after a full restoration project
The museum’s head of development Michelle Kirwan said: “Funds are now needed to gear-up a level to complete the second engine build and ultimately the full restoration. Sponsors and corporate donors who would like to be associated with the campaign should contact the museum’s development team.”
For more information and to donate visit: nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/sunbeam-1000hp-restoration-campaign