Ok, so maybe I’m cheating slightly here. No; not about about the miles on the odometer. It’s just that this Sunbeam Arrow isn’t actually parked on the curb, but sits in a driveway [Ed: no problem]. But this Sunbeam is a real driver, and has done over 325,000 miles. This car is out to prove that a British car can be every bit as durable as a Toyota. Or maybe it’s proving that its owner is as durable as a Toyota. Either way, it makes for quite a story.
I spoke the owner years ago and he also had an Austin Marina with a similarly high mileage. The Marina was re-branded for North America as an Austin (Morris in UK) because it was felt Austin had a better brand image. Of course, one could make the argument that since Morris had zero brand image in the US, that might have been a benefit compared to Austin’s well-tarnished name.
The Sunbeam was a badge engineered version of parent company Rootes’ Arrow sedan. Various versions and a mind boggling array of names were used around the world, but only North America got the Sunbeam Arrow. Hillman Hunter was probably the most common of all the variants, with Singer and Humber producing the upscale versions. A sample of other names used were Singer Vogue, Singer Gazelle, Hillman Minx, Sunbeam Break de Chasse, Sunbeam Hunter, Sunbeam Minx, Sunbeam Sceptre, Sunbeam Vogue, Humber Sceptre, and even Chrysler Hunter. And you thought GM had cornered the market on badge engineering!
This particular example is a 1970 model with a 1725cc engine fitted with the factory aluminum performance head, which would be familiar to any Sunbeam Alpine owner. It also has the Borg Warner Type 35 three speed automatic gearbox, which found its way into a vast number of European cars. The owner was hoping to see it go to a good home, but sadly the car did develop a rather nasty bit of rust over its many miles. I haven’t seen it for quite a while now, so I suspect this story didn’t have a happy ending for the car.
The last English built Arrow was built as a Chrysler Hunter in 1976 and the last European one was produced in Ireland in 1979. Australia and New Zealand built their own versions from knocked down kits until the Japanese competition wiped them out, Australia in 1973 and New Zealand in 1977. The Rootes Arrow story doesn’t end in the UK but in Iran.
Way back in 1960s Mahmoud Khayami decided Iran should have its own car and after a search he decided on the Arrow. Iran National was given the nod to produce the Paykan (which is apparently Persian for Arrow) from knock down kits. A pick-up version was later added. Production lasted until 1985, first with the 1725cc engine then a 1600cc from the Avenger. After supplies of the mechanical components dried up, a Peugeot drive train and suspension was then adapted to the existing body and production of the sedan continued until 2005, and the pick-up all the way to to 2009.
On a personal note I have a slight connection the Arrow sedans as I bought one of their rear tail lights from a UK source to replace a broken one on my Reliant Scimtar GTE [Ed: could we see that sometime?]. The Aston Martin DBS more famously shares the same Lucas light cover as well. The interchangeability of the Lucas tail light is one of the bright spots in the story of that infamous brand of electric equipment.
I seem to remember having this same model in a pale yellow original Lesney Matchbox car. IIRC it had a red trailer hitch and white interior. I dont remember if It was said to be a Sunbeam on the Bottom. Was this same or a very similar car badge engineered as something else? Does anyone else remember that particular Matchbox?
I think that was a Ford Corsair. It was off-white or pale yellow with a red trailer hitch (I don’t remember the interior color). It was one of my favorites. Even then I tended toward smaller cars.
Wasn’t that Matchbox car a Cortina? Just like the car Michael Caine drove in ‘Get Carter’. http://imcdb.org/vehicle_2132-Ford-Cortina-1969.html
oops, sorry for stepping on your comment Geeber
There was a Matchbox Ford Corsair, which was a very pale yellow in color, with a plastic roof rack and boat (I believe that they were green). Matchbox never made a Sunbeam Arrow…although it did offer a 1950s Hillman Minx during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The grille and headlights of this car remind me of a Mark II Ford Cortina, which was also offered by Matchbox as a metallic light brown coupe.
Both of the Matchbox English Fords were quite common when new, and can still be easily found in mint condition at diecast toy shows.
Now that you say that, I remembered the boat too. It was green and came on a little green rack that snapped to the top of the car. I pulled all that off because I was concerned about the aerodynamic drag.
Thank you guys. I remember the Cortina too, I think I also have a Blue Metallic one in the original Superfast series. I remember the boat now that you mention it. This Sunbeam looks somehow related to the two.
Corgi made a Hillman Hunter rally car in blue with a white top, with driving lights and spare tire on the roof.
Badge engineering at its finest Rootes and BMC were the experts at this dubious endevour,Never seen a Sunbeam 4door before it must be a Nth American special. Hunters are still around over her I plan to use a 1725 to repower my 59 Minx as the blocks are the same from 57 on rootes just bored and stroked em for more power.Arrow was the body style, the cheapest model being the Hillman Minx. These won the London—–Sydney marathon backinthe day tough cars,no wonder the Iranians wanted them, Marinas were rubbish no matter the badge.a high milage one would be rare.
His high mileage Marina was the one with the bigger 1.8L engine shared with the MG B.
There is a neat re-creation of the Hunter rally car
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Hillman-Hunter-1968-London-To-Sydney-Rally-Winner-Recreated-In-Epic-Race-From-Ace-Cafe/Article/201003415583945?f=rss
Younger folk who are accustomed to modern marketing , where you can have your Ford as an econobox, a plush cruiser , or a performance car, might not understand British badge-engineering and its’ origins in the class-system.
A Hillman was a regular car. A Singer was more middle-class , but a Humber was upper-class. When all these brands came under the Rootes umbrella they had to share the same car, so a Hillman was the “stripper” , a Singer more plush , a Humber had every known extra , and the Sunbeam badge was for the sporty performance model (usually 2-door). Obviously things got mixed-up for export markets where some brands were unknown.
So if you worked in a fish-and-chips shop, and Aunt Noleen died and left you her Humber, did people think you were a bounder?
In this situation you would sell the Humber, invest half the proceeds in a flash Ford Zodiac , and spend the rest on fast women.
Uncle, I like your thinking.
BMC/BL followed a similar scheme with Austin and Morris as base models, Wolseley and MG as mid level luxury and sports respectively, with Riley combining the luxury trim and performance engine as a next step and Vanden Plas at the top.
As an aside I knew this family of cars was called the Arrow range but this is the first time I saw an actual arrow model.
The special created for NZ quota system was the Humber80 with slightly upmarket trim Singer hubcaps but little else, Griffiths motors manufactured twin carb manifolds and floorshift conversions to suit Rootes cars and they were successful at all-comer run whatya brung racinganf were only kept from racinf by the MK1 Cortina and Anglias which took over as being easily tuned and lighter.
I have to confess that I’ve driven one of these in Australia, a Hillman Hunter. I was minding a college professor’s house for 3 months. He owned a Citroen CX and a Hillman Hunter and let me drive the Hillman Hunter. At the time I owned a Datsun 1600/Datsun 510. The Datsun was a more enjoyable car to drive; less stodgy in performance and looks. I only drove the Hillman once a week (at night) so the battery wouldn’t go flat and so my friends wouldn’t see me driving a Hillman, such was its reputation.
Amazing condition for a car that has been in service for 41 years.
In the first photo, it resembles a Volvo 144. No?
I thought you might enjoy the following item from the Lucas Heritage Center.
Here is a photo of the 1969 Reliant Scimitar GTE I mentioned. It was a very early 1969 GTE. 3.0L V6 / 4spd w/overdrive. From what I remember #508. It was a project car that I never finished. Very rare on this side of the Atlantic but there is a handful kicking around North America. Last I heard my old car was being restored in Manitoba.
Interesting to see RHD wiper configuration retained in a LHD car.
My first car, $300 in 1976, was a Sunbeam Arrow, US version, that had been neglected and abused. (I do not claim to have ended the neglect, and I know that I continued the abuse.)
Thus began my education in automotive mechanics…I learned a lot about electrics, a lot about wrenching in adverse field conditions and a little bit about women. (Such as which sorts of car they find unimpressive….)
I would top up both oil levels before each drive – the crankcase oil and the oil in the carb’s damper.
I learned to drive on a 1970 Sunbeam Arrow; it was my father’s car. As I recall it had a cranky electrical system that never was sorted out. Total electrical failures occurred often requiring the removal and reinstallation of fuses, spark plug leads etc.; eventually something would get bumped or whatever and the car would come back to life. Heater did not like Canadian winters much and howled in protest until it got limebered up.
I recall this vehicle marketed in the U.S. as a Plymouth Cricket, around the same time Dodge got the Mitsubishi Colt (1970?). Which division got the better deal?
I to owned a Sunbeam Arrow as my first car! Spun a bearing but it was easy to work on!My brother and me in two nights! Many good times! It was Dark Blue with
black leatherett.
My Dad was a Rootes Dealer before Chrysler took over.
As I remember the product line up was: Humber [Top of the lux.] Equal to Mercedes
Sunbeam [Alpine Sports car and lux. sedan] Singer upgraded Hillman nicer interior
Hillman base car and wagon. Commer [One of the first mini vans and panel van.
It’s to bad that Chrysler took it all a way!