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The sportiest Sunbeam was the Rapier H120 model, though this shared its specially tuned Holbay engine with the Hillman Hunter GLS. Sunbeam Arrow, Sunbeam Break de Chasse, Sunbeam Hunter, Sunbeam Minx, Sunbeam Sceptre and Sunbeam Vogue were used for export markets where the Sunbeam name was more familiar or deemed more likely to succeed.
The Arrow Rapier – or Fastback, as it came to be known – launched in October 1967, [11] was a four-seat coupé based on the chassis of the Hillman Hunter Estate. Although the Rapier used the tail lamps and rear valance from the Hunter Estate, the rest of its superstructure was unique.
Holbay Engineering was a small family run British engineering company specializing in engine modifications and race tuning. Although they enjoyed much success during the 1960s and 1970s with their competition race engines, they are best remembered today for their work on the Rootes 1725cc OHV engines as used in the Hillman Hunter GLS and Sunbeam Rapier H120.
It was a reduced specification version of the Hillman Hunter. [29] Saloon and estate versions were produced, initially equipped with a 54 bhp 1496 cc 4 cylinder engine. [29] A 61 bhp 1725cc engine became available in 1968. [30] The final Minx was replaced by a Hillman Hunter De Luxe model in 1970. [30]
The best known example of the latter was the Iranian-built Paykan, based on the Hillman Hunter. In 1950 it acquired Tilling-Stevens , a truck and bus manufacturer based in Maidstone , Kent. Rootes successfully sold a range of cars priced at a slight premium to their major home market competitors, justified on the basis that they offered a level ...
Sunbeam Rapier is a Raymond Loewy designed two-door hardtop variant of the Hillman Minx available from October 1955. [15] Later sold as a convertible it displayed the Sunbeam-Talbot signature rear side-window on its first hardtop version. In 1967 it was replaced by a two-door fastback version of the Hillman Hunter which stayed in production ...
Admittedly the Hunter is the "parent" vehicle, but since some of the other models (the Sunbeams and the Hillman Minx) have their own pages already, I strongly feel that the Hunter page should be reduced in scope and much of this content should be moved to the Arrow page. If nobody disagrees I propose to go ahead and do this in the future.
At the end of 1984, the Alpine hatchback and its related Solara saloon were re-badged Minx and Rapier, depending upon specification rather than body shape. The new names were inherited from the Rootes Group; Rootes had previously produced the Hillman Minx and Sunbeam Rapier. The new versions were produced until 1986.