Sunbeam 1000hp: First Engine Start-Up of the 200mph Land Speed Car

Historic Restoration Project

• 💡 The Sunbeam 1000hp land speed car, nicknamed "Mystery" or "The Slug," was the first to exceed 200 mph in 1927 with Henry Segrave.
• 🎯 The National Motor Museum is restoring this historic vehicle to running condition for its 100th anniversary in 2027, with ambitions to return it to Daytona.
• 🔑 This video details a significant milestone: the first test start-up of the newly rebuilt rear engine after over 90 years.

Rear Engine Rebuild Details

• 🛠️ The V12 engine assembly involved fitting pistons, four blocks of three cylinders, and four camshafts with complex timing gears.
• ⚙️ The engine features four magnetos for redundancy, characteristic of its aircraft engine design, ensuring continued operation even if one fails.
• ⛽ A custom test bed dashboard was created, including a rev counter, main and camshaft oil pressure gauges, and a fuel pressure gauge.

Overcoming Technical Challenges

• ⚠️ A major challenge was the air start mechanism, which required approximately 600 PSI of pressure, significantly higher than initial estimates.
• 🧩 Timing the camshafts was difficult due to the absence of clear original timing marks, requiring meticulous alignment during reassembly.
• 🔧 The rear engine was a snug fit when installed back into the chassis, requiring careful persuasion, but original shimming was maintained.

Successful First Start-Up

• 🔥 Before starting, the engine was pre-oiled using an electric starter to build oil pressure and prime water pipes.
• ✅ The public start-up at the Beaulieu AutoJumble was a great success, with the engine firing up quickly after only a few revolutions.
• 👏 The team expressed immense satisfaction with the smooth start, especially given their unfamiliarity with the original air start mechanism.

Future Restoration Plans

• 🚀 The team's next major task is to begin the rebuild of the front engine, which was also seized but has now been unseized.
• ⏳ They hope the front engine rebuild will be quicker, leveraging knowledge gained from the rear engine, to meet the project deadline.
• 🔩 The car incorporates modern radiator cores for better cooling at slow speeds, while retaining the original fuel tank and most other components.