STD Motors
STD Motors (Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq) was formed in 1919 by the amalgamation of three established firms:-
Sheet metal worker John Marston established a cycle factory in Wolverhampton in 1887. The factory was known as Sunbeamland. After several experimental cars the company became known as Sunbeam in 1905, and produced cars which were to hold speed records both before and after World War I. Production from 1914-18 was for ambulances and airship engines. It was a Sunbeam car which took the land speed record to 133 mph at Brooklands in 1922; driven by Lee Guinness. Malcolm Campbell bought this car, and it was revised to become "Bluebird" taking the record over 150 mph in 1926. The car is now at Beaulieu.
Talbot sold the French made Clement car in Britain as Clement-Talbot from 1903, based in North Kensington, London. "Clement" was dropped from the name by 1905 and the use of French parts gradually diminished by the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. It was a Talbot car which first passed the 100 mph barrier in 1913.
Alexandre Darracq was the third element in the group, based in Paris.
By the 1930's STD were in trouble which could not be resolved and the company passed to Rootes in 1935, which led to Sunbeam and Talbot building versions of the Hillman Minx and Humber Snipe. In 1938 the Sunbeam name was reintroduced as Sunbeam Talbot until 1953 when the name was changed to Sunbeam again.
Karrier Motors had been acquired by Rootes in 1935 and production moved to Luton. Karrier had built up a thriving trolleybus building operation and this was moved to Wolverhampton, where Karrier trolleybuses were to be built until late 1939. Huddersfield Corporation ordered 85 trolleybuses in 1936, the largest order by any British operator which may have been a good commercial reason to continue the production. During the war Sunbeam was the only British company allowed to make trolleybuses, producing almost 250 by the end of 1944. Parts were also made for various aircraft. After the war it was decided to sell the trolleybus side of the business, and by 1949 this had passed to Guy Motors. The Karrier name was retained by Rootes, but an agreement allowed marketing the vehicles as Sunbeam, which continued until the end of trolleybuses production for the UK in 1962 - the very last vehicles going to Bournemouth Corporation.
In the post-war era Sunbeam cars won the Monte Carlo Rally team prize three times and therefore won the trophy outright.
