The Sunbeam car brand was founded in 1895 by John Marston. The first car, the Sunbeam-Mabley, was built in 1899. The Sunbeam Motor Car Company was formed in 1905 and was located in Wolverhampton, England.
The company initially produced a range of two and four-cylinder cars, and later began to produce six-cylinder models. The Sunbeam brand was acquired by Rootes Group in 1935, and continued to produce cars until 1976.
The company was most famous for its racing cars, which won the first ever Grand Prix in 1906 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1924. Sunbeam also won the Indianapolis 500 in 1912 and 1922. The Sunbeam Alpine, released in 1953, was the first sports car produced by the company.