Sunbeam 1000 hp
Encyclopedia
The Sunbeam 1000 HP Mystery, or "The Slug", is a land speed record
-breaking car built by the Sunbeam car company of Wolverhampton
that was powered by two aircraft engine
s. It was the first car to travel at over 200 mph. The car's last run was a demonstration circuit at Brooklands
, running at slow speed on only one engine. It is today on display at the National Motor Museum
at Beaulieu, Hampshire
, having been presented to the new museum by Sunbeam in 1958.
's Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq team was short of funds and so little new development was possible. The engines were a pair of Sunbeam Matabele
22.4 litre aircraft engines, previously used in a powerboat
. Although best known as the "1000 HP" car, its actual power was closer to 900 hp (670 kW). One engine was mounted ahead of the driver, one behind. The rear engine was started first by compressed air, then the front engine was started through a mechanical friction clutch. Once synchronised, they were locked together with a dog clutch
for the record attempt.
The car was designed by Captain Jack Irving, having new features such as all-enveloping bodywork that assisted aerodynamics. The car also had specially-made tyres capable of withstanding 200 mph, although only rated for 3½ minutes at these speeds. One more primitive feature was the final drive to the rear axle using a pair of chains. Only weeks before the record attempt, J. G. Parry-Thomas had been decapitated
when a similar chain in his car Babs
had broken at speed. Although the Sunbeam's chains were enclosed below an armoured steel housing, these covers had been designed from the beginning, they were not added after Parry-Thomas' accident.
for a land speed record
attempt. On 29 March 1927 Henry Segrave
drove the car to a new land speed record of 203.79 miles per hour (327.97 km/h), the first car to reach a speed over 200 mph (320 km/h).
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
-breaking car built by the Sunbeam car company of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
that was powered by two aircraft engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
s. It was the first car to travel at over 200 mph. The car's last run was a demonstration circuit at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
, running at slow speed on only one engine. It is today on display at the National Motor Museum
National Motor Museum
The National Motor Museum is a museum in the village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of the New Forest, in the English county of Hampshire.- History :...
at Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
, having been presented to the new museum by Sunbeam in 1958.
Design
Louis CoatalenLouis Coatalen
Louis Hervé Coatalen was a Breton automobile engineer.Coatalen was born in the Breton fishing town of Concarneau and went on to study engineering at the Ecole des Arts et Métiers at Cluny ....
's Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq team was short of funds and so little new development was possible. The engines were a pair of Sunbeam Matabele
Sunbeam Matabele
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
22.4 litre aircraft engines, previously used in a powerboat
Powerboat
A powerboat is another name for a motorboat. Powerboat may also refer to:* Powerboating* F1 Powerboat World Championship* Offshore powerboat racing...
. Although best known as the "1000 HP" car, its actual power was closer to 900 hp (670 kW). One engine was mounted ahead of the driver, one behind. The rear engine was started first by compressed air, then the front engine was started through a mechanical friction clutch. Once synchronised, they were locked together with a dog clutch
Dog clutch
A dog clutch is a type of clutch that couples two rotating shafts or other rotating components not by friction but by interference. The two parts of the clutch are designed such that one will push the other, causing both to rotate at the same speed and will never slip.Dog clutches are used where...
for the record attempt.
The car was designed by Captain Jack Irving, having new features such as all-enveloping bodywork that assisted aerodynamics. The car also had specially-made tyres capable of withstanding 200 mph, although only rated for 3½ minutes at these speeds. One more primitive feature was the final drive to the rear axle using a pair of chains. Only weeks before the record attempt, J. G. Parry-Thomas had been decapitated
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
when a similar chain in his car Babs
Babs (Land speed record car)
Babs was the land speed record car built and driven by John Parry-Thomas. It was powered by a 27-litre Liberty aero-engine.Babs began as 'Chitty 4', one of Count Louis Zborowski's series of aero-engined cars named 'Chitty Bang Bang'. As it was built at Zborowski's estate of Higham Park near...
had broken at speed. Although the Sunbeam's chains were enclosed below an armoured steel housing, these covers had been designed from the beginning, they were not added after Parry-Thomas' accident.
Record
The Sunbeam 1000 HP was the first non-American car to run on Daytona BeachDaytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set...
for a land speed record
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
attempt. On 29 March 1927 Henry Segrave
Henry Segrave
-External links:* * * * *...
drove the car to a new land speed record of 203.79 miles per hour (327.97 km/h), the first car to reach a speed over 200 mph (320 km/h).
External links
- Contemporary cut-away side illustration, possibly from The Autocar
- National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
