A ‘timewarp’ 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam which has just 193 miles on the clock is set to go under the auctioneer's hammer next month.
The immaculate 34-year-old hot hatch is expected to be a star attraction at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC, where it will be sold to the highest bidder by Silverstone Auctions with an estimate of between £24,000 and £28,000.
The left-hand drive car has spent most of its life in a private collection in Italy, and finished in Embassy Black with silver decals it looks exactly as it did when it rolled off the production line.
“It’s incredibly rare to discover a historic car that is ‘brand new’ but this is exactly what we have here. Sitting in this amazing example takes you right back to the late 70s and early 80s and the early days of the hot hatchback. This really is a time warp car, immaculately preserved. Nothing has been modified and this must surely be the only unregistered and lowest mileage Talbot Lotus Sunbeam in existence”, said Silverstone Auctions’ managing director Nick Whale.
The Lotus hot hatch version of the Talbot Sunbeam came about when parent company Chrysler enlisted Colin Chapman’s help to produce a car for Group 4 rallying, and his Lotus organisation shoehorned a 2.2-litre Lotus 16v 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed ZF gearbox into a Sunbeam 1.6GLS shell. Henri Toivonen drove the model to victory in the 1980 Lombard RAC Rally, which proved an effective marketing boost for sales of the road-going versions.
The vehicle will be supplied with a NOVA certificate for the buyer to register the car, which having been previously unregistered will make them the first registered keeper in its history. It will also come with the original set of handbooks and service books, as well as a fresh UK MOT certificate.
Silverstone Auctions will be holding a two-day sale during the Classic Motor Show, with the Talbot Lotus Sunbeam going under the hammer on the 16th November.
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