Photo: Silverstone Auctions
If you though that the original Volkswagen Golf GTI is the first hot hatchback ever, think again. That model only popularized the genre, but it didn't invent it. As a prime example of what I'm trying to say, the Mk1 GTI is pre-dated by models such as the Renault 5 Alpine.
But among those first-wave hot hatches, most claim that the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus was the outlander of the lot. Made in Great Britain by Chrysler and fitted with a 2.2-liter Lotus engine (hence its name), this curious contraption is a rear-wheel drive machine with 155 horsepower and 203 Nm of torque on tap.
Couple those figures with a carbureted setup and a dry weight of just 960 kilograms and you kind of get why this car is so revered even to this day. It was an original and it pushed its segment's envelope by a huge margin. So when a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is heading to auction with just 193 miles (310 km) on the odometer, it's no wonder why this particular car is such an important asset for vintage car collectors.
Slated to go under the hammer on November 16th, this vehicle is auctioned by Silverstone Auctions. Taking into consideration that this Sunbeam looks like it just rolled off the assembly line, experts are estimating this 1980s icon will sell for a little under £30,000 (€38,070 or $48,400 at current rates).
“It’s incredibly rare to discover a historic car that is ‘brand new’ but this is exactly what we have here. Sitting in this amazing example takes you right back to the late 70s and early 80s and the early days of the hot hatchback”, explains Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions. "Nothing has been modified and this must surely be the only unregistered and lowest mileage Talbot Lotus Sunbeam in existence”, he concluded.
Couple those figures with a carbureted setup and a dry weight of just 960 kilograms and you kind of get why this car is so revered even to this day. It was an original and it pushed its segment's envelope by a huge margin. So when a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is heading to auction with just 193 miles (310 km) on the odometer, it's no wonder why this particular car is such an important asset for vintage car collectors.
Slated to go under the hammer on November 16th, this vehicle is auctioned by Silverstone Auctions. Taking into consideration that this Sunbeam looks like it just rolled off the assembly line, experts are estimating this 1980s icon will sell for a little under £30,000 (€38,070 or $48,400 at current rates).
“It’s incredibly rare to discover a historic car that is ‘brand new’ but this is exactly what we have here. Sitting in this amazing example takes you right back to the late 70s and early 80s and the early days of the hot hatchback”, explains Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions. "Nothing has been modified and this must surely be the only unregistered and lowest mileage Talbot Lotus Sunbeam in existence”, he concluded.
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