WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE

The Sunbeam’s a great car to drive and I feel instantly at home behind the wheel– once I remember the handbrake is on the right-hand side – a Rootes Group trademark. The engine’s sprightly, the steering’s precise and the brakes are nicely-weighted. There’s a curious lack of self-centering in the steering, but the whole thing is far more civilised than its potent 110bhp output would suggest. The airy, pillarless body is a major attraction, too.