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1916 |
Model Range Production of the 1915 range continued for most of the year until civilian production was suspended by the British Government's Ministry of Munitions on the 3 November 1916 The the 3½ h.p. Standard model continued to be produced for the War Department as a 'General Service' model (engines stamped 'GS'). The 1916 catalogue showed it used for side-car outfits. Both 6 h.p. and 8 h.p. v-twin machines were listed in the year's catalogue. The former presumably the AKD (Abingdon King Dick) engined machine from the previous year. The 8 h.p. model involved fitting a Swiss MAG engine of 996cc (82x94mm) into the frame of the 6 h.p. machine. These machines were supplied to various Allied armies as ambulance and armoured (machine gun) outfits. A belt-driven Sunbeam (the only one ever manufactured) was built to French Government specification. Its 5 h.p. rating was the result of a modified 3½ h.p. engine to give a capacity of 550cc (85x96mm) - based on George Dance's pre-war experimentations. The gearbox was also unconventional for Sunbeam, having both primary and final drives together on the nearside of the machine. Robert Cordon Champ refers to a production run of less than 1,000 machines.
Sources: |
| T H E Y E A R ' S M O D E L S | |
| 3½ h.p. Standard model / War Department GS (General Service) model no photo | No contemporary photo but Brendan
Kelly has kindly provided details of his restored 1916 General
Service model. Follow the link to the Running 'n' Riding section of the website. |
| 3½ h.p. TT model - no photo | |
| 6 h.p. (798cc) AKD v-twin model - no photo | |
| 8 h.p. (996cc) MAG v-twin
model
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Robert Cordon Champ refers to only one known survival of this model, used to drive a saw mill in the UK's Black Country. Peter Ashen recounts the restoration of his 'White Russian' MAG-engined Sunbeam in the newsletter of the North Birmingham Section of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club. The article is in two parts. The links are below:- http://www.vmcc-nbs.co.uk/extras/newsletter%20Mar%202007.pdf http://www.vmcc-nbs.co.uk/extras/newsletter%20May%202007.pdf |
| 4 h.p. (550cc) French Military model - no photo | |
| Return to: Know your 'Beams |
