| Sunbeam Grand Prix (1923) [1] [2] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Sunbeam |
| Production | 1923-1924 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand Prix |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 98 in (2,489 mm) |
The 1923 Sunbeam Grand Prix was an open-wheel Grand Prix race car, designed, developed and built by British manufacturer Sunbeam, for Grand Prix racing, between 1923 and 1924. [4] [5]
The European Grand Prix was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from 1993 to 2012, except in 1998. During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a country that hosted its own national Grand Prix at a different point in the same season, at a different circuit. The race returned as a one-off in 2016, being held on a street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan; this event was renamed to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017.
The Spanish Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating its centenary in 2013. The race had modest beginnings as a production car race. Interrupted by the First World War, the race waited a decade for its second running before becoming a staple of the European calendar. In 1927 it was part of the World Manufacturers' Championship; it was promoted to the European Championship in 1935 before the Spanish Civil War brought an end to racing. The race was successfully revived in 1967 and has been a regular part of the Formula One World Championship since 1968 at a variety of venues.
Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited was a British automobile manufacturer with its works at Moorfields in Blakenhall, a suburb of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire, now West Midlands. Its Sunbeam name had been registered by John Marston in 1888 for his bicycle manufacturing business. Sunbeam motor car manufacture began in 1901. The motor business was sold to a newly incorporated Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited in 1905 to separate it from Marston's pedal bicycle business; Sunbeam motorcycles were not made until 1912.
The Circuito Lasarte was an 17.749 km (11.029 mi) Grand Prix motor racing road course at Lasarte-Oria, Gipuzkoa, Spain in the Basque Country near the city of San Sebastián on the Bay of Biscay. The counterclockwise layout was used between 1923 and 1935 but racing ended with the eruption of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and after the war auto racing resumed at new tracks near Barcelona.
British racing green, or BRG, is a colour similar to Brunswick green, hunter green, forest green or moss green. It takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of the United Kingdom. This originated with the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup, held in Ireland, as motor-racing on public roads was illegal in Great Britain. As a mark of respect, the British cars were painted shamrock green.
Dario Raoul Resta, nicknamed "Dolly", was an Italian Briton race car driver. He was the winner of the 1916 Indianapolis 500.
The Coppa Florio was a motorsport race for automobiles first held in Italy in 1900. It was renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50,000 Lira prize money and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The cup was to be awarded to the car maker who gained the most wins in the first seven races, beginning with the race held in 1905. In the event, the first seven races were all won by different manufacturers, but Peugeot won the eighth race in 1925 and thus secured the cup with its second win. However, the competition for the cup continued after Lucien Rosengart, then a director of Peugeot, offered to make it available again.
Albert Divo was a Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Paris, France. In 1922, Divo competed in the International Tourist Trophy endurance race on the Isle of Man. He scored his first major victory driving for Sunbeam at the 1923 Spanish Grand Prix at the Sitges Terramar circuit about 40 km outside Barcelona.
Jean Chassagne was a pioneer submariner, aviator and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix; won the 1922 Tourist Trophy and finished second in the 1925 Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance - all in Sunbeam motorcars. He was second in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with a Ballot, and set speed records and won races at Brooklands and hill climbs internationally.
ALFA 40/60 GP or GP was a fully working early racing car prototype made by the company now called Alfa Romeo. Only one example was built in 1914, which was later modified in 1921. This was the creation of Giuseppe Merosi and was the first Alfa Romeo DOHC engine. It had four valves per cylinder, 90 degree valve angle and twin spark ignition. Usually Alfa Romeo DOHC engines are thought to be Vittorio Jano's creations but the first one was Merosi's GP car. This kind of engine architecture was very new for the time, originating from 1912/1913 Peugeot designed by Swiss engineer Ernest Henry. The history of this engine architecture is unclear, but other cars with dual overhead camshafts were made by Sunbeam, Delage and Humber. This 1914 GP car was intended to take part in the French Grand Prix of that year, but for reasons unknown this never happened. In 1921 Giuseppe Campari took part in the Gentlemen G.P. in Brescia with the modified GP car, but was forced to retire due to a leaking radiator.
Alfa Romeo P1 or Alfa Romeo Tipo P1 was the first Grand Prix car made by Alfa Romeo in 1923. The car had a 2.0 L straight-6 engine and it produced 95 bhp (71 kW) at 5000 rpms. Three cars were entered in the Italian GP at Monza in 1923, for Antonio Ascari, Giuseppe Campari and Ugo Sivocci. When Sivocci was practicing for the GP in September 1923 he crashed and was killed. Alfa Romeo withdrew from the competition and development of the car was stopped. In 1924 a new version with Roots-compressor was made and became the P1 Compressore 1924.
The 1925 Grand Prix season was a watershed year in motor racing. It was the first year for the new AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Alfa Romeo, with its P2 model.
Louis Hervé Coatalen was an automobile engineer and racing driver born in Brittany who spent much of his adult life in Britain and took British nationality. He was a pioneer of the design and development of internal combustion engines for cars and aircraft.
Colonel Piero D'Inzeo was an Italian show jumping rider, winner of six medals at the Olympic Games, and an officer in the Italian cavalry. He was born in Rome.
Kenelm Edward Lee Guinness MBE was an Irish racing driver of the 1910s and 1920s mostly associated with Sunbeam racing cars. He set a new Land Speed Record in 1922. Also an automotive engineer, he invented and manufactured the KLG spark plug. Additionally, aside from motorsport and mechanical interests, he was a director of the Guinness brewing company.
The 1924 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing spread further across Europe and North America. In Italy a number of new open-road events were held. In France two new circuits were opened – at Montlhéry near Paris and Miramas near Marseille.
The 1924 French Grand Prix, officially named the XVIII Grand Prix de l'A.C.F., was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon on 3 August 1924 and the designated European Grand Prix of the 1924 season. The race took place over 35 laps of a shortened version of the circuit used in 1914 for a total distance of 810.09 km.
The 1925 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on 26 July 1925. It was the third race of the inaugural AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship. The race, which was 80 laps, was won by Robert Benoist driving a Delage 2LCV after starting from 8th place.
The 1921 S.T.D. 'Works' Grand Prix chassis was built to the three-litre and minimum weight of 800 kilogrammes formula for that year's Indianapolis 500 and French Grand Prix de l’A.C.F. These team cars were modified by the Sunbeam Experimental department in Wolverhampton for the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, which was won by one of the cars. A few months later, and with 1916 4.9-litre engines, two of the T.T. cars competed in the Coppa Florio, Sicily and gained second and fourth position.
Charles Pierre Elie Montier was a French racing driver and automotive engineer whose race entries included the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans.