MEET THE OWNER: ROY HEDGER AND HIS CHRYSLER SUNBEAM

On Saturday 23 July 1977, ITV viewers were treated to a new commercial in the commercial break of Mr and Mrs. None other than Petula Clark informed the world that the Chrysler Sunbeam would “put a smile on your face”:

And today, Roy owns the only 1. 6S Automatics still on the road in the UK.

The Sunbeam was clean-cut and well proportioned in appearance, yet it took little more than 18 months to develop. Chrysler UK commenced Project R424 in January 1976, using an SWB version of the Avenger floorpan as a base. Power was from a familiar array of 930cc, 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre engines, while the bodywork possessed genuine showroom appeal with its opening rear screen.

The Sunbeam’s main RWD rivals were the Vauxhall Chevette, the Mazda and the Toyota Starlet, although many Britons would have also considered the Ford Fiesta and other FWD superminis. Its timing was also crucial, Autocar noting by 1977, “the British Chrysler range had dwindled to the dregs of the old Arrow range, the Avenger (itself more than seven years on from its original launch, and the Ryton built Alpine”.

The press response to the Sunbeam tended to be one of respect as opposed to wild enthusiasm. Richard Hudson Evans, splendidly clad in flared trousers, concluded his report for Thames TV’s Drive In to observe that the new Chrysler was “roomy, practical and should be reliable”.

Autocar believed that while the Sunbeam was not the world’s most advanced or imaginative small car, “it has its share of good points”. Similarly, Motor thought “As an interim model to help Chrysler over a difficult period, it should have a reasonable future for the next few years”.

As befitting the flagship model, Roy’s S has, according to the brochure, “everything you’d expect from a top class hatchback’; namely full instrumentation, tinted glass, a cigar lighter, halogen headlamps and ‘brushed nylon cloth’ upholstery”. The copy is also a charming reminder of the days when a ‘brake circuit warning light’ and ‘eyeball air vents’ were deemed major sales features.

Production ended in 1981 with the closure of the Linwood factory and by the early 2000s, it seemed that every other Sunbeam had been transformed into a Ti or Lotus replica. Roy points out they are “sought after by historic rally fans, who buy them and turn them into a rally car. This is a double-edged sword, really, as the original cars are being lost, but interior trim spares are available from these stripped out rally cars”.

Roy finds his 1.6S conveys “a touch of nostalgia, as a Sunbeam was my first car after I passed my test at 17. As hardly any remain on the road, everyone comments on how they haven’t seen one in decades”. He also finds “there is great spares availability for them as well”. On the road, the Sunbeam is ‘a good motorway cruiser’ while the engine is ‘bulletproof’. In other words, it more than lives up to the promise of the 1977 advert; cue Petula Clark…

With Thanks To: Roy Hedger

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