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Some cars exist because a rulebook demanded them, and the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is one of the best. A Moonstone Blue example, the only color on offer by 1982, is live on Collecting Cars with five days left, and it has had a single registered keeper from new.
What Makes the Sunbeam Lotus Special
The Sunbeam Lotus was a Chrysler and Lotus collaboration built to go rallying. Lotus fitted its Type 911 engine, a 2.2-liter twin-cam 16-valve four with twin Dellorto carburetors, to a Sunbeam hatchback and paired it with a five-speed ZF gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Motor Sport rated the road car at 150 horsepower. It debuted at the Geneva show in March 1979.
It paid off on the stages. Henri Toivonen won the 1980 Lombard RAC Rally in a Sunbeam Lotus, and in 1981 the car took Talbot the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title.
Why Moonstone Blue Matters
Early cars were Embassy Black with broad silver stripes. In 1982, Moonstone Blue became the only color available, according to the Lotus Drivers Guide, so a blue car is a late one. Total production was about 2,300, with 2,308 commonly cited and 1,184 of those right-hand drive. Nobody publishes a clean count of how many wore Moonstone Blue, so we can't say how rare this exact color is, only that it comes from the final stretch of a short run.
The Rest of the Spec
The listing describes black side stripes, a black and grey striped cloth interior, 13-inch alloy wheels, driving lights and winding windows. The seller says the pop-up sunroof was fitted by the original selling dealer, so it isn't a factory option. The odometer shows 40,000 miles, described as indicated, and the seller supplies a dated mileage log that starts at 5,057 miles in December 1982 and runs to 39,999 in April 2026.
The seller reports the car was dry-stored from 1993 until June 2019, when it was recommissioned. It was serviced in April 2026 with an oil, filter and timing belt change, and it passed its most recent MOT on May 15, 2026, a clean first-time pass. The seller calls it unrestored.
What to Weigh Before Bidding
The 2019 recommissioning is reported rather than documented, and the mileage claims are the seller's own, so use the 256-photo gallery and ask questions in the comments. Collecting Cars has marked the listing as verified, but descriptions are the seller's.
If you like small, limited-color cars, see this 2006 MINI JCW GP that deleted the rear seats and offered one color, or this 1993 Mazda RX-7 R1, one of 350 in a yellow sold for one year only.
The bid sits at £15,000 as of this writing, and the auction ends on November 9 at 2:16 p.m. ET. The car is in Leicestershire, UK, and is right-hand drive with a five-speed manual.
