Race Retro Classic & Competition Car Sale 2023 24th - 25th February 2023

16 Race Retro Classic and Competition Car Sale 2023 - Cars Registration: CTA 410Y Chassis No.: T4DCYBL425455 Estimate: £22,000 - £26,000 Lot 309 1982 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus Launched in 1979, the high-compression 2174cc twin-cam engine breathed through two twin-choke Dell’Orto carburettors, developed 150bhp (but was easily tuneable to well over 200bhp for rally use), and delivered excellent performance, offering 0-60mph in just 6.6 seconds. Lotus wasn’t just an engine supplier; it was also involved in designing the suspension and exhaust system. As soon as it qualified for inclusion in international rally competition, the Sunbeam-Lotus proved extremely effective, finishing 1st, 3rd and 4th at the 1980 Lombard- RAC rally, Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship. In 1981, the Sunbeam Lotus brought the entire manufacturer’s championship to Talbot. For the Series 2 cars in 1981, a big ‘T’ was placed in the middle of the grille, the engine was mildly tweaked, the fuel tank and headlights were enlarged, and the wing mirrors were changed. Only 1,184 right-hand drive examples of the Sunbeam-Lotus were ever built, approximately half the total number, however, today you’d be lucky to find 80 of these special cars according to the Owners’ Club. The car presented here is a 1981 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus (T4DCYBL425455) and, according to its accompanying Production Certificate, was one of less than 400 UK-cars in Moonstone Metallic. It came off the factory line at Linwood in May 1981, the week before production of this model ended and the factory closed. Transported to Lotus in Norfolk for completion, it was then put into storage awaiting sale. Prior to leaving for the dealer (Renwicks of Exeter) in October 1982 it underwent final preparation at Talbot’s Stoke service workshops. With registration ‘CTA 410Y’ applied, it would have cost £7,948 plus on-the-road costs in 1982. By 1987, CTA 410Y, like lots of these special cars, had been used in motorsport with some interesting provenance already. According to an article (and photoshoot) in the popular magazine ‘ Cars and Car Conversions ’ (October 1987) its then-owner was Mr Mike Robertson, who acquired it from Eagle Racing in early 1986. At this time, the car had been properly kitted out, with the suspension set up done by Iain Gardner, one of Scotland’s top road racers of the period; it was in basically Group A tarmac rally specification, with uprated road springs and anti-roll bars at both ends, DS11 pads all round, but retaining the standard ZF 5-speed gearbox. The engine was both lightened and balanced, with Mike adding an Agra Engineering head with half-race cams (giving c.205bhp at the flywheel). Used mainly on the road by Mike, and still with a car-phone plumbed in (a fact that was said to have impressed the race scrutineers!), it was used in sprint events and even an auto-test. Further deatails can be viewed on our website. A great introduction into historic rallying, an intriguing car with some interesting provenance; recently serviced and ready to enjoy. Consignor: Joseph Watts Telephone No: 07779 082707 More Details Lot 309 Bid On Lot 309