One of some 42 survivors of 315 built
1926 Sunbeam 3-Litre 'Twin-Cam' Super Sports Tourer

• Rare, Vintage-era supercar
• Present family ownership since 1945
• Post-war competition history
• Continuously maintained
• Huge history file

Drawing on Sunbeam's considerable experience of building double-overhead-camshaft engines for Grand Prix racing, which stretched back to 1914, the 3.0-Litre Super Sports of 1925 was powered by a twin-cam 'six' featuring an eight-bearing crankshaft, twin Claudel carburettors and dry sump lubrication. The chassis specification included a four-speed in-unit gearbox, torque tube rear axle, semi-elliptic front suspension, cantilever rear suspension, and four-wheel brakes. Producing anywhere between 90 and 120bhp, the Super Sports was capable of 90mph, making it one of the fastest production sports cars of the day.

First registered on 31st July 1926, 'YP 7363' was first owned by Lt Col R E Howle, while subsequent owners may have included Messrs Shuttleworth and Marshall. In August 1939 the car was owned by one F E Heath of Stevenage. This magnificent sporting Sunbeam first came to Sir Ambrose Heal's attention in June 1945 when he learned it was being offered for sale by J Blake & Co Ltd in Liverpool. Having had the car inspected by an expert, he decided to buy it - sight unseen - and duly parted with the £175 asking price. Once the Sunbeam had been serviced it was collected by Sir Ambrose for the 200-mile journey back to the Heal family home in Denham. It managed the journey trouble-free but used up all the Heals' available petrol coupons!

The car's subsequent career included winning the VSCC 3-Litre standing-start kilometre competition at Silverstone in April 1949 and winning the Bentley versus Sunbeam three-lap race at Silverstone in July '49. It has also competed in the Prescott hill climb; the 1954 Anglo-American Rally; and the VSCC Fox & Nicholl Trophy race in 2009.

Maintenance works undertaken over the years include the following: new radiator core (1982); differential replaced (1983); new clutch plate (1989); engine fully overhauled by Mick Collis around a new cylinder block (1990/1991); and chassis patched and welded (1996). Most recent work on the engine was carried out by BB Motor Components Ltd (Bill Barrott) in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Sunbeam is finished in blue over black with a blue leather interior and painted wire wheels. The chassis and engine are mechanically sound, while the body and interior are in good patinated condition.

This car's history files are substantial in the extreme. Their contents include the 1945 bill of sale from J Blake & Co Ltd to Sir Ambrose Heal; two old-style buff logbooks; original handbook and instructions; old MoTs and tax discs; a V5C document; correspondence and all bills from the 1950s onwards; an article for the STD Newsletter recalling the Bentley vs Sunbeam race of 1949; and – last but by no means least – Sir Ambrose's own hand-written account of the car's purchase and his appreciation of the 3-Litre model in general.