SUNBEAM1000hp

04/11/2026

World Land Speed Record breaker Sunbeam 1000hp restoration team is shortlisted in Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards

Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield and the workshop team at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu have been shortlisted as finalists in the prestigious Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards 2026.

They have been recognised for their remarkable achievement of bringing World Land Speed Record Sunbeam 1000hp back to life, after a complete restoration of the car and its two huge 22.5 litre Matabele V12 aero engines.

The project has been a labour of love over the last three years, with nearly a decade of preparatory work beforehand and no manuals or documentation to help. The team’s knowledge and expertise were put to the test to complete the restoration through hard work, ingenuity and dedication, with support from collaboration partners and supporters. See more here: https://youtu.be/NBWX2rJC-Hs

The winner of the Personal Endeavour category of the Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards will be announced at a celebratory dinner at Pall Mall on November 19.

Ian will follow in the footsteps of Sir Henry Segrave, when he takes the honour of driving the Sunbeam, affectionately known as The Slug, along the beach at Daytona for the 100th anniversary of breaking the 200mph barrier there in March 2027.

Ian said: “It will be a privilege to be behind the wheel at Daytona Beach, especially as the only other recorded driver of the car was Sir Henry Segrave when he set the World Land Speed Record. It would mean the world to me to win this award, as not everyone gets to work on such a unique car and we are so proud of what we achieved with our workshop team and volunteers.”

The Sunbeam 1000hp has also been shortlisted for two further awards in the International Historic Motoring Awards 2026: the Restoration of the Year award will be decided by an expert panel, while the Car of the Year is chosen by public votes. Celebrating excellence, innovation and dedication across the global historic motoring community, the awards shine a spotlight on preserving, promoting and enriching shared motoring heritage and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Peninsula London on November 13.

The challenges faced in the Sunbeam restoration were immense, as engineers encountered more problems than expected while stripping down both engines and needing to source replacement parts which maintained the car's historical integrity. Getting its completion over the line on time has been a testament to the team’s vision, determination and engineering excellence.

The Sunbeam 1000hp is now on show in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, after making a star appearance at the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. To follow Sunbeam’s itinerary in the USA, its history and restoration see https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/sunbeam1000hp

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19/10/2026

19/10/2026

IT IS EASY TO VOTE FOR THE SUNBEAM1000hp
To vote, individuals need to:

1. Visit www.historicmotoringawards.com/vote
2. Enter their first name, last name and email address.
3. Select SUNBEAM 1000HP from the voting options by clicking on the photograph of the Sunbeam car.

THANK YOU 😁

The Sunbeam 1000hp has been shortlisted for Restoration of the Year in the International Historic Motoring Awards 2026, presented by Lockton The World Land Speed Record car was expertly restored by the National Motor Museum workshop team. The iconic car is currently at the Petersen Automotive Museum ahead of its centenary celebrations in Daytona Beach in 2027.

Read more: https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/news/sunbeam-1000hp-shortlisted-for-prestigious-international-historic-motoring-award/

Sunbeam 1000hp has also made the shortlist for International Historic Motoring Awards Car of the Year. To add your vote to help secure the esteemed award visit: www.magnetomagazine.com/articles/vote-now-for-the-esteemed-2026-ihma-car-of-the-year-award/.

19/10/2026

IT IS EASY TO VOTE FOR THE SUNBEAM1000hp

To vote, individuals need to:
1. Visit www.historicmotoringawards.com/vote

2. Enter their first name, last name and email address.

3. Select SUNBEAM 1000HP from the voting options by clicking on the photograph of the Sunbeam car.

THANK YOU 😁

The Sunbeam 1000hp has been shortlisted for Restoration of the Year in the International Historic Motoring Awards 2026, presented by Lockton The World Land Speed Record car was expertly restored by the National Motor Museum workshop team. The iconic car is currently at the Petersen Automotive Museum ahead of its centenary celebrations in Daytona Beach in 2027.

Read more: https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/news/sunbeam-1000hp-shortlisted-for-prestigious-international-historic-motoring-award/

Sunbeam 1000hp has also made the shortlist for International Historic Motoring Awards Car of the Year. To add your vote to help secure the esteemed award visit: www.magnetomagazine.com/articles/vote-now-for-the-esteemed-2026-ihma-car-of-the-year-award/.

14/10/2026

The National Motor Museum is proud to announce that the has been shortlisted for Restoration of the Year at the 2026 International Historic Motoring Awards.

National Motor Museum’s Sunbeam 1000hp restoration project has been recognised in the 'Restoration of the Year' for its workshop team’s expert restoration of the revolutionary World Land Speed record car and its contribution to the preservation of motoring heritage.

About the awards

The International Historic Motoring Awards, the most prestigious accolades in the world of classic and historic motoring, are proud to reveal the shortlisted nominees for the 2026 awards.
Celebrating excellence, innovation and dedication across the global historic motoring community, the International Historic Motoring Awards shine a spotlight on individuals, clubs, organisations and events that preserve, promote and enrich our shared motoring heritage.
This year’s nominees reflect the passion, expertise and creativity that continue to drive the historic motoring sector forward.

The winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on 13 November 2026 at The Peninsula London hotel, where leading figures from the international motoring world will gather to celebrate outstanding contributions to the preservation and enjoyment of motoring history.

Restoration
The restoration project has taken over three years – with many additional years of preparatory work, with the Museum’s workshop team expertise being tested with such a mammoth motoring heritage project, as there were no manuals or documentation to help.
The workshop team, based at Beaulieu, led by Senior Engineer Ian Stanfield found more problems than expected while dismantling the front engine – one of two of the Sunbeam’s colossal 22.5 litre Matabele V12 aero engines - and extensive work was carried out, both on and off-site, to repair the original parts. Collaboration partners and supporters have worked extensively with the Museum to get the project over the line.

National Motor Museum Chief Executive, Jon Murden says, “I’m so proud of this achievement and the Museum workshop team. I’m delighted that Ian Stanfield and his team’s expertise and perseverance secured this restoration. We are thrilled to be recognised by the International Historic Motoring Awards. To be shortlisted among such an esteemed group of nominees is an honour and reflects the hard work and passion of our team/community.”

The Sunbeam 1000hp has also made the shortlist for International Historic Motoring Awards Car of the Year. To add your vote to help secure the esteemed award visit: www.magnetomagazine.com/articles/vote-now-for-the-esteemed-2026-ihma-car-of-the-year-award/.

The Sunbeam 1000hp is now on show in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after making a star appearance at the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

To follow Sunbeam’s itinerary in the USA, its history and restoration see https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/sunbeam1000hp.

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13/10/2026

A Castrol Classic Oils visit to the pre

07/10/2026

05/10/2026

01/10/2026

Six-month countdown to World Land Speed Record breaker Sunbeam 1000hp centenary run

At this time in history a century ago, work had not yet even started on constructing World Land Speed Record breaker Sunbeam 1000hp.

Yet within just four months the massive machine, powered by two colossal 22.5 litre Matabele V12 aero engines which shook the building during testing, was created from start to finish in the Sunbeam works in Wolverhampton.

Work under the watchful eye of chief engineer Captain J.S. ‘Jack’ Irving began on the legendary Sunbeam on 11th November 1926, as he brought Louis Coatalen’s concept to life. And by 2nd March 1927, the car was being loaded with 18 crates of spares on the Berengaria liner in Southampton, bound for New York.

There can only have been limited time for testing, which showed the car’s rear lifting in the wind tunnel at speed and the drive chains running almost red hot during tests. Any problems needed quick solutions, as the engineering team worked to create a machine capable of smashing the Land Speed Record with Henry Segrave at the wheel.

In March 1926, Segrave had already set a record at 152.33mph in another Sunbeam, the red 4-Litre Tiger nicknamed ‘Ladybird’, though within six weeks it had been taken by John Godfrey Parry Thomas driving ‘Babs’ on Pendine Sands close to 170mph. Segrave wanted to not only top that but break through the 200mph barrier.

‘The Slug’, as it was affectionately known by the works team, had only run a few hundred yards in Britain before its first test run on Daytona Beach in front of 10,000 spectators. After that initial run on March 21st, there were only days left for modifications before the record attempt on March 29th.

The speedy construction and arrival of the strange beast in Florida led to the American press dubbing it the ‘Mystery’ when it appeared on their shores.

Award nominations as countdown begins

There are now just six months until the restored Sunbeam 1000hp runs on Daytona Beach once again to mark the 100th anniversary in 2027.

A painstaking heritage project by engineers at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu has restored the entire car and twin engines back to working order and is now earning the dedicated team, led by Ian Stanfield, nominations for top awards.

Sunbeam 1000hp has made the shortlist for International Historic Motoring Awards Car of the Year.

ADD YOUR VOTE, to help secure the esteemed award visit: www.magnetomagazine.com/articles/vote-now-for-the-esteemed-2026-ihma-car-of-the-year-award/

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26/09/2026

Join the team at Ormond Garage , from 18.00 on Friday 26th March. Three days before the SUNBEAM1000hp runs on .