As the Grantham family of Downton Abbey sail off into the sunset, you could drive off in their Sunbeam car, which is the star item in a September auction of props and costumes from the popular TV and movie drama.
The 1925 20/60hp model has been chauffeuring the aristocratic characters of Downton around since 2010 and was used in series 2 to 5 and all three of the films.
As you would expect it is a very special motor car.
The vehicle traces its lineage back to the first Sunbeams made by John Marston Limited in 1901. Those cars were based on French engines, and the first British made vehicles were produced by the new Sunbeam Motor Car Company from 1907.
You can seat seven in this lovely, high quality car that has barely been touched since it was built. Image courtesy of Bonhams.
Soon, they were among the most popular luxury cars of their time – though all cars were somewhat of a luxury in the 1910s and 20s – with Rolls-Royce considering the company serious competition.
Bonhams, who are hosting the Downton Abbey The Auction sale on September 16, write: “Introduced at the 1923 Olympia Motor Show and priced at £950 for the tourer model, the first 20hp Sunbeam of the post-war era enjoyed a production life in its initial form of only two years, being superseded by a new Twenty in 1926.”
The bell wall from the first season of the long-running aristocratic saga carries a high estimate of £7,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams.
They believe the car is one of just 45 surviving examples from a production run of 1,560. It was originally owned by a mill owner, who changed the wheels to avoid getting caught up with Blackpool’s tram lines.
The seven-seater motor is fit to drive according to its vendor and it comes with the registration documents needed to take it out on UK roads.
It’s largely original and might repay some restoration work for any buyer who wants to take a spin in it.
It seems much more likely that a collector or museum with plans to display the vehicle will pick it up. The sale coincides with the release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
It carries an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000.
In 2012, Bonhams sold a similar car, a 1925 Sunbeam 20/60hp tourer that may also have been a TV star in the 60s classic, Doctor Finlay’s Casebook.
It realised £33,350 at auction.
This Sunbeam will be sold at Bonhams in New Bond Street London on September 16.
An exhibition precedes the sale from August 18.
Alongside the car are costumes including wedding dresses and butler Carson’s suit; props like the board of servant-summoning bells; and behind the scenes such as a clapperboard and a signed script.
