1978 TALBOT SUNBEAM LOTUS Gpe 2 For Sale

The Talbot Sunbeam Lotus in rallies
Although the car arrived at a time when the history of the basic model was becoming really bad, its lightning career was to make it a myth, quite simply. It was not homolo-gated in Group 2 until 1980, by which time the necessary 1, 000 cars had been built.
For world championship rallies, the engine was increased to 250 bhp.
In March, it scored its first podium finish with Guy Fréquelin at the wheel and Jean Todt as co-driver: 3rd in the Rally Portugal. Its big breakthrough that year came at the RAC. Henri Toivonen, co-driven by Paul White, won the rally and the two Frenchmen finished 3rd. With a few points scored in Italy, the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus finished 6th in the championship.
1981: the world title
That year, the Talbot Lotus Sunbeam challenged the established manufacturers with a formidable team:
- Guy Fréquelin (main driver)
- Henri Toivonen (rising rally star)
- Stig Blomqvist and Russell Brookes on certain rounds
In 1981, Fréquelin and Todt got off to a strong start with 2nd place in the Monte Carlo Rally. Toivonen and Gallagher then took 2nd place in Portugal and the two French-men achieved a similar result in the Tour of Corsica. Better still, they won Argentina in July and came 2nd in Brazil in August. Toivonen and Gallagher snatched another 2nd place in San Remo and the year ended with Blomsvist and Cederberg finishing 3rd in the RAC.
Although Fréquelin was ‘only’ second in the drivers' standings behind Ari Vatanen (in a Ford Escort), the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus became World Rally Champion... just a few weeks before it was to be discontinued!

Talbot Sunbeams today
It's very rare to come across one. But like many popular cars of the time, only the vit-amin-packed versions of the Talbot Sunbeam have survived. So we end up with a rare car...

Dimi Mavropoulos took delivery of his car, built at the time by Talbot's Coventry racing department, from the brand's factory cars. As such, it was equipped with all the same parts as the Group 2 ‘works’ cars.
This historic Sunbeam Lotus competed in the Castrol Autosport Championship in England and the 1979/ 80/ 81/ 83/ 84 European Rally Championship.
In the 1980s, its Cypriot driver distinguished himself in rallying by becoming Cyprus Rally Champion on several occasions. He also distinguished himself in the UK in the rallycross discipline.
At the wheel of this Sunbeam Lotus, he achieved several podiums, finishing second in 1981 and 1982, and once third (in Group B) in 1984.
This Sunbeam Lotus received factory support for its construction and was one of the very first Sunbeams to be homologated for rallying. As such, it was fitted with the orig-inal factory parts, which it has retained: factory wiring harness, reinforced body, Sals-bury self-locking axle, minilite wheels, quick-release axle, 48 mm Solex carburettor, twin fans, adjustable front/ rear brake distribution, hydraulic handbrake, large radiator, dry sump.

Sold in the 1980s to a driving school near Silverstone (Rally Racing Ltd), it was ac-quired a few years later by a Swiss private individual who carried out the first major restoration work (many photos attached to the file). Repainted in white, the ATT 790T has changed from its original Castrol livery to a factory Chrysler Competition livery, easily identifiable by rally enthusiasts.
Acquired in the early 2010s by an enthusiast living in the Rhône-Alpes region, he set about restoring the car in full compliance with its Group 2 homologation sheet. It was also during this period that the owner decided to convert this Talbot Sunbeam Lotus into an LHD.

Sold in 2017 to its previous owner, a collector living in Haute-Savoie, before ending up in the hands of its current owner.
Since then, the Sunbeam Lotus has taken part in a number of test drives.
It has its original registration and has been restored to comply with the Group 2 ho-mologation form.
Eligible for the Tour de Corse Historique, Rallye de San-Remo, Rallye Costa Brava, Rallye de l'Acropole....
This Sunbeam Talbot Lotus is accompanied by an extensive history file, its FIA PTH (period I) and all recent invoices relating to the engine rebuild.

KNOWN PERIOD HISTORY OF ‘ATT 790T’ :
31 January 1981 / Wyedean Stages / Mavropoulos - Adams / 30th OA
30 May 1981 / Centurion Rally / Mavropoulos - Adams / 36th OA
27 September 1981 / European Rally Championship / Cyprus / 2nd OA
3 April 1982 / Plains National Rally / Mavropoulos - Adams / 39th OA
5th June 1982 / Centurion Rally / Mavropoulos - Adams / 13th OA
17 July 1982 / Border Counties Rally / Mavropoulos - Barnsley / 64th OA
26 September 1982 / European Rally Championship / Cyprus / 2nd OA
1982 / Goodyear Lakeland-Ford Rally / Mavropoulos - Adams / 32th OA
1982 / Sutherland Dukeries Rally / Mavropoulos - Adams / DNF
1983 / Peter Russek Manuals Rally / Mavropoulos - Adams / 20th OA
January 1984 / Wyedean Stages / Mavropoulos - Adams / 54th OA