The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, tells us…
(Photograph and all words from The National Motor Museum).
The mighty Sunbeam 1000hp, the first car to achieve a land speed record of 200 mph, will be heading off to the USA in 2026 and has been invited to take centre stage in next year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance.
The mighty Sunbeam 1000hp will make its post-restoration debut at the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California before attempting a centennial run at Daytona the following spring.
Organisers of the prestigious automotive gathering announced today that the Sunbeam 1000hp will Headline Special Curated Class at the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The legendary vehicle is currently being restored at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, England. The aim of the restoration campaign is to return the British engineering icon to Daytona Beach, Florida, in 2027, marking 100 years since it broke the 200 mph Land Speed Record in 1927. Significant milestones in its restoration have been met including having the colossal 22.4 litre Matabele V12 aero engine roar to life once again.
“The process of restoring a one-off car like this takes real dedication,” noted Pebble Beach Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “There is no pattern to be followed. It takes time and research, effort and expertise. We are thrilled to know that the museum intends to send the restored car to Pebble Beach, to share with enthusiasts here.”
Full restoration of the revolutionary Sunbeam 1000hp will see the two of the marque’s powerful aero engines placed at the fore and aft of the vehicle one again. The car was a turning point in automotive race for speed – driving it on the smooth sands of Daytona Beach on March 29, 1927, Harry Segrave recorded a speed of 203.79 mph.
Lord Montagu of Beaulieu says, “This car has been at Beaulieu since before I was born and feels like a member of the family, but one I never expected to run again. Watching the restoration take place has been fascinating as it has revealed so much I never knew about the car. It will be quite a thrill to have the car at Pebble Beach and a great opportunity for us to wave the flag for the National Motor Museum!”
The car’s restoration is now well underway. The rear engine has already been disassembled, re-machined, restored, and refitted into the frame—and it was first fired up before an adoring crowd at the Beaulieu International Autojumble in early September. The museum team is now focused on the front engine. When that, too, is back together and in place, the bodywork, which has already been restored, will be reinstalled.
Jon Murden, Chief Executive of the National Motor Museum says, “Over the last three and a half years, the Museum’s team have worked tirelessly to make the mighty Sunbeam 1000 HP roar again, with help from a wide range of supporters, stakeholders and heritage engineering specialists. Having experienced the first of the car’s remarkable engines running once more, we are all now thrilled at the prospect of the Sunbeam returning to the United States for the first time in a century.”
John, the second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, was a motoring pioneer, who campaigned for the rights of early motorists. In the 1950s, his son Edward founded what is now the National Motor Museum to honour him, and that museum shares a long history with the Pebble Beach Concours. Edward first showed a car—his 1913 Alfonso Hispano-Suiza—at Pebble Beach in 1981, and the following year, he donated the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy, which the Concours presents annually to the best British car shown there. And Ralph, the current Lord Montagu attended the Concours this year.
To learn more about the National Motor Museum and its efforts to restore the Sunbeam 1000 HP, go to nationalmotormuseum.org.uk.
The 75th Pebble Beach Concours will take place on August 16, 2026, and will feature a wide selection of cars, ranging from early American Speedsters to Ferraris and Japanese race cars. The latest concepts will also be on display. Tickets go on sale later this month. For more information, go to pebblebeachconcours.net.
The National Motor Museum, a registered charity, is to capitalise on the Sunbeam’s presence in the US to garner support for its role in telling the story of Britain’s automotive heritage. If funding is secured, the Sunbeam 1000hp will also visit esteemed automobile museums in the USA, as well as Daytona, before heading back to Britain.
Those wishing to follow progress of the Sunbeam 1000hp restoration and journey can visit the Museum’s website: sunbeam-1000hp-restoration-campaign/
About the National Motor Museum:
- The National Motor Museum Trust Limited is a charitable organisation founded in 1972, which runs the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in the New Forest. Continuing the work of the flagship Montagu Motor Museum, the Trust has a world-famous collection of 280 vehicles and associated motoring items, which are on display in the accredited National Motor Museum.
- The nearby Collections Centre houses and cares for a vast array of motoring artefacts, photographic images, specialist reference library and film and video library. For more information about its collection and services see www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk
- Visitors to Beaulieu can enjoy a full day out with features including the ancestral Montagu home Palace House, 13th century Beaulieu Abbey, adventure play area Little Beaulieu, and grounds and gardens. Tickets can be bought in advance. For tickets or more information, see www.beaulieu.co.uk or call 01590 612345.
- A full calendar of events and exhibitions is held at Beaulieu by the National Motor Museum. Details are available at www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/events
About Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance
First conducted in 1950, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® (www.pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and historic cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style gather to admire these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $45 million. Related events include Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance® presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™ presented by Alliant Private Client, and Pebble Beach® Auctions presented by Gooding Christie’s. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Automotive Week are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved. For more information, please call 831-622-1700 or visit pebblebeachconcours.net.