1924 Sunbeam 24/70hp Tourer
Louis Coatalen’s design work helped Sunbeam establish a formidable reputation before World War I, with the company’s superbly crafted automobiles rivaling offerings from Alvis and Bentley.
The 24/70hp represented the top of Sunbeam’s lineup when introduced in 1924, commanding £1,320 for the tourer body style (roughly double the cost of an average British house at the time). Production totaled approximately 102 examples, with only four known survivors today.
This six-cylinder model featured a 4.5-liter overhead-valve engine producing around 70 horsepower, housed in a single cast-iron block. The 24/70hp incorporated advanced engineering for the period, including four-wheel brakes with a gearbox-driven mechanical servo.
Contemporary automotive press praised the car’s remarkable handling characteristics, with The Motor noting in March 1924 that it delivered “impressions of a large car which can be handled as easily as many vehicles weighing less than half the weight.”
The model evolved from Sunbeam’s 24hp series, first introduced in 1919 with development commencing before WWI, progressing through sidevalve and overhead-valve configurations.
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