Start with what the Chrysler Sunbeam is: a 3-door hatchback with 928 , built from 1977 to 1981, as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The Chrysler Sunbeam is a supermini car manufactured by Chrysler Europe at the former Rootes Group factory in Linwood, Scotland, from 1977 to 1981. After the takeover of Chrysler's European operations by PSA, the model was renamed Talbot Sunbeam and continued in production until 1981. A Talbot Sunbeam Lotus version was successful in rallying and won the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title for Talbot in 1981.
What is underneath
The engine is 928 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 818 kg - 960 kg. Drive goes through a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2413 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the Chrysler line-up the Chrysler Sunbeam has a clear place: it replaced the Hillman Avenger / Hillman Imp; it handed the line to the Talbot Samba; the factory was Linwood, United Kingdom. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the BMW 7 Series, the GM (General Motors) Saab 900, the Toyota Supra. Nearby in the Chrysler catalogue sit the Chrysler Falcon and the Chrysler Chronos.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Chrysler Sunbeam has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.