Sunbeam Sunbeam-Talbot 90 / Mk III History

The Sunbeam-Talbot 90 launched in 1948 as Rootes' upper sporting saloon, sharing its body with the smaller 80 model but powered by a modified Humber Hawk overhead-valve 2,267 cc four-cylinder. It went through continuous improvement: the Mk II (1950) brought a new chassis with independent front suspension and headlamps raised to meet US regulations; the Mk IIA (1952) removed the rear wheel spats. For 1954 the 'Talbot' name was dropped, leaving the car badged as the Sunbeam Mk III through its final year, 1957.

The 90's competition record was exceptional for a production saloon. Stirling Moss drove one to class victory in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally, and the model was a consistent class winner in Alpine Rally events — the name 'Alpine' was given to the two-seat roadster that grew from its platform precisely because of these competition successes. A Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Mk IIA is preserved in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.