1948-1957 Sunbeam Talbot 90

The body of the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 was a modern envelope in four-door sedan form, with a vertical grille, sweeping semi-integral front fenders, flush rear sides, and rounded contours. The original 1944cc overhead-valve four engine was enlarged to near 2.3 liters for 1951, and its power was boosted in later years.

Most Sunbeam-Talbot 90s had a column-mounted gearshift, but a floor-control conversion was offered later along with optional overdrive transmission. The Sunbeam-Talbot 90 was a product of the Rootes Group, which campaigned it very successfully on the European rally circuit in the '50s.

Pluses of the 1948-1957 Sunbeam-Talbot 90:

• Solid chassis engineering
• Rally-winner image
• Neat, inoffensive styling
• Stability and road manners

Minuses of the 1948-1957 Sunbeam-Talbot 90:

• Not very fast
• Parts in short supply
• Seldom seen in the U.S. (editor's note: we see this as a plus!)

Production of the 1948-1957 Sunbeam-Talbot 90:

• Mark I: 4,000
• Mark Il: 5,493
• Mark IIa: 4,312 (1952; total 1952-1954 approximately 15,000)
• Mark III: approximately 4,000

Specifications of the 1948-1957 Sunbeam-Talbot 90:
Wheelbase, inches: 97.5
Length, inches: 168.0
Weight, pounds: 2,725-2,925
Price, new: (1953 £1350) **
0-60mph 18.4sec (2267cc)**

Enginesfor the 1948-1957 Sunbeam-Talbot 90:

* Gross