World Land Speed Record breaker Sunbeam 1000hp restoration completed for centenary celebrations

National Motor Museum engineers have successfully restored the World Land Speed Record Breaker Sunbeam 1000hp in the countdown to its planned 100th anniversary run at Daytona Beach.

The significant landmark has come on the same week as the fundraising campaign launched by the National Motor Museum Trust to raise funds for the restoration has reached its goal.

The restoration project has taken over three years – with many additional years of preparatory work – as the museum’s workshop team was tested by such a mammoth motoring heritage project, with no manuals or documentation to help.

The workshop team, led by Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield, found more problems than expected while dismantling the front engine – one of two of the Sunbeam’s colossal 22.5 litre Matabele V12 aero engines. Extensive work has been carried out, both on and off-site, to repair the original parts and collaboration partners and supporters have worked extensively with the museum to get the project over the line.

Recent weeks have seen the second engine installed in the chassis, both engines tested and the original bodywork refitted with few additional components and new tyres added to the iconic car.

The clock has been ticking to complete the restoration for Sunbeam 1000hp to be shipped to the USA from Southampton, to take centre stage at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance in California in August.

The aim is to take the vehicle - also known as ‘The Slug’, the slang term for bullet after WWI - back to Daytona for a momentous low-speed centenary run on 29 March 2027, to celebrate Sir Henry Segrave breaking the 200mph World Land Speed Record there 100 years ago.

The focus of the museum’s fundraising efforts will now shift to raising funds for the Sunbeam 1000hp to be further displayed in the USA and subsequently back in Great Britain in 2027. The aim is to raise funds to enable the museum to undertake further restoration projects, and deliver high-quality learning, educational and community initiatives.

For details of Sunbeam’s itinerary in the USA, its history and restoration see https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/sunbeam1000hp