Amazing history of the Sunbeam

It's a record breaker! We had plenty of response from readers after we published this photo from Shrewsbury's Russell Mulford, who wanted to know more about this car on the back of a Sentinel steam wagon, writes Toby Neal.

The photo was taken in Shrewsbury, and this vehicle, which set a new land speed record, was displayed at Wales & Edwards' garage on Wyle Cop.

Bob Hadley, of Broseley, rang in to say: "The car is a 1,000hp Sunbeam, built in Wolverhampton. It was the first car to attempt a speed of over 200mph.

"It did that in the hands of Henry Segrave, who subsequently was knighted. He took the car to Daytona in 1927 and took the land speed record to 203mph - nearly 204mph.

"The Golden Arrow that was mentioned in the article was a 925hp car, again driven by Segrave, but that was much later.

"The Sunbeam came back to this country and only ran once more, at the race track at Brooklands."

It is now at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.

Tim Greenhous, from Shrewsbury, also rang in with similar information. And Geoff Copson e-mailed in to say the red Sunbeam was powered by two V12 Sunbeam "Matabele" aero engines of 22 litres each, one at the front and one in the rear.

"The car weighed four tonnes and, because of its poor aerodynamics at speed, handled badly. However, on March 27,1927, in Daytona it did 203 mph and broke Campbell's record of 174mph made a month earlier at Pendine Sands.

"Incidentally Parry Thomas, born in Wrexham and educated in Oswestry, died at Pendine on the March 3, 1927, attacking the same Campbell record in his 27 litre Liberty aero-engined Babs."

Segrave died when his boat capsized as he set a water speed record on Lake Windermere in 1930.