Book - Sunbeam - The Sunbeam 12-16 H.P. - 2008

The Sunbeam 12-16 H.P. (Landmark Collector's Library)- Bruce Dowell & Peter Ransom. Landmark publ.,2008. 224p. with b/w.photo's and a colour section. Oblong 28 x 25 x 2.6 cm. Hardcover with dustjack. Fine copy. --Bruce Dowell has spent a lifetime collecting photographs and other material related to the 12-16 H.P. Sunbeam. Through more than 400 photos (most previously unpublished), the associated text and a detailed appendix, he traces the evolution of Louis Coatalen's creation. We see it carrying touring, sports and formal coachwork and operating in racing, ambulance and military guises. During this period we also see electric lighting displacing acetylene and bodies transforming from the upright styles of 1910 to the super-elegant Sporting Model of 1914. Technically unremarkable but extremely successful, the 12-16 H.P. Sunbeam of the 1910-1914 period was beautifully engineered and gained a well-deserved reputation for performance, ease of use, adaptability and above all, reliability. A number of major and minor competition victories enhanced that reputation and by the end of its production life the 12-16 had become - and would remain - Sunbeam's most successful model, with a total of 4,941 chassis manufactured. This is an evocative snapshot of the pre-World War I period, incorporating the mundane, the exotic and everything in between to present a unique and comprehensive view of the 'nicest Edwardian car' in the 2 to 3-litre market.

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