Sunbeam-Mabley Motor Sociable

The wheels of this car are not aligned with each other to make the risk of skidding as small as possible. However, this makes the chance of the vehicle overturning much greater.

This car produces four wheel tracks; the wheels are not in line with each other in order to make the risk of skidding as small as possible. However, the risk of the vehicle overturning is all the greater. And that is without even mentioning the unconventional design, which is reminiscent of a sofa or a chaise longue. Yet, at a price of 130 pounds each, almost 150 of these cars were sold. As far as is known, only four remain. The driver sits in the back and looks past the passengers, who sit at a right angle to the direction of travel. The side wheels are driven by the front mounted De Dion-Bouton single cylinder engine via a belt and a chain, and are fitted with a transmission brake. With a lever, the front and rear wheels can be steered. Bicycle manufacturer John Marston from Wolverhampton, England, who is already making bicycles under the name Sunbeam, is already working on prototypes of cars when country house architect Maxwell Maberley-Smith offers him the design of this car, allowing Marston to save on development costs. Although Maberleys name is spelled incorrectly, the first Sunbeam car is a fact. This unconventional car forms the basis of a brand that later achieves many successes in racing and in 1922 even sets the world land speed record. That year Kenelm Lee Guinness reaches a top speed of 215.182 km/h in a Sunbeam 350-HP.