The Sunbeam made no claims to innovation in its heyday, for its raison d’être was straightforward but good-looking transport at a modest cost. It was also the last wholly British-designed car to emerge from Chrysler’s troubled European operations, as well as being the star of a truly unforgettable TV advertisement.

Its debut was on 23 July 1977, only 19 months after the Government announced it would give US firm Chrysler a “state grant” of £162.5 million to maintain its British operations. These funds resulted in the company devising a new three-door hatchback, albeit made from very familiar components. 

At that time, the average Chrysler showroom line-up was about as coherent as the plot of an average episode of Crossroads. First, there was the rear-engined Simca 1000 and the front-wheel-drive Simca 1100, neither of which were in the first flush of youth. Then there was the Avenger and the venerable Hunter Chrysler inherited from the former Rootes Group, the latter now imported from Ireland.

In addition, Chrysler’s Ryton plant to the south of Coventry had recently commenced production of the Alpine hatchback, while topping the range was the Spanish-built 2 Litre, a model that appealed to very few “executive” drivers. Under such circumstances, Chrysler UK sorely needed a competitive entry-level car, and the development of the Sunbeam took a mere 19 months, with a floorpan sourced from the Avenger.