The Sunbeam Lotus is a rear-wheel-drive hatchback, developed by Talbot’s competition department
and Lotus Cars to take on the Lombard RAC World Rally Championship……and win! Powered by a
Lotus 2.2-litre twin cam 16 valve engine, this little hot hatch was able to produce 150 bhp in road
trim and a blistering 240 bhp in competition.
It is a British-built car, manufactured between 1979 and 1981 by Chrysler UK, which was sold to
Peugeot before any cars were officially offered for sale. Except for a few pre-production examples,
therefore, all cars were known as “Talbot Sunbeam Lotus”.
The basic Talbot Sunbeam was a small hatchback designed to rival the VW Golf and Ford Fiesta. It
had been engineered in record-breaking time, and to achieve this carried over the basic layout and
shortened chassis of the Hillman/Chrysler Avenger. This meant that the Sunbeam appeared with
rear wheel drive in deference to the more modern front-drive competition, but this was to have
benefits to the Chrysler/Talbot Competitions Department, who struck a deal with Lotus to buy some
of their 2 litre engines as used in Esprits/Eclats/Elites and the Jensen Healey.
Having convinced Chrysler management of its potential, production progressed with Lotus re-
designing the engine to 2.2 litres; working on suspension and exhaust systems as well as fitting the
drivetrain at a new facility in Norfolk. Early cars were only available in Embassy Black, with silver side
stripes and grey interior. Later, after some cosmetic changes had been introduced, Embassy black
was replaced by Moonstone Blue with a choice of either silver or black stripes. A further option was
provided by a small coachbuilding company who produced the limited “Avon” version, which added
dark blue to the light Moonstone base and a plush blue interior. About 2300 cars were built, of
which about half were exported to Europe.
The rally versions were homologated into Group 4 and then Group 2, before being transferred to
Group B. Outright victories on the Arctic Rally, Mille Pistes, Lombard RAC and Codasur rallies were
combined with numerous class wins that culminated in the World Rally Championship for Makes in
1981.
Text © Copyright and Courtesy of The Sunbeam Lotus Owners’ Club Limited 2023