THE Sunbeam-Talbot 90 of 1948 really was like a ray of sunshine into the UK car market after years of wartime austerity.

The 90 was a curvy stunner of a car with a rear end that looked just as good as the front. For Sunbeam the 1930s look had gone for ever.

This was a neat sporty saloon built under the auspices of the Rootes Group in Ryton, Coventry.

It was launched in 1948 along with the smaller engined Sunbeam-Talbot 80 but despite its modern look many features harked back to the pre-war Sunbeam-Talbot Ten.

The body was completely new and everything was softened into sweeping lines to create one of the best looking cars of its day. It was also a performer with 80 mph in its sights which was excellent for its day.

The initial model was available as a four-door saloon or two-door drophead coupé.

The saloon featured a "pillarless" join between the glass on the rear door and the rear quarter window.

A stylish cabriolet was later added before production was stopped in 1957.

It was the last car to bear the Sunbeam-Talbot name but the Talbot part of it was dropped with the introduction of the Mk III in 1954.

The original version had a 64bhp 1944 cc side valve four cylinder engine derived from a pre-war Humber engine carried over from the Sunbeam-Talbot 2-Litre.

The chassis was derived from the Ten model but with wider track. The brakes were updated to hydraulic operation and rear wheel openings were covered by metal spats.

The Mk II of 1950 got a new chassis with independent front suspension using coil springs and the engine was enlarged to 2,267 cc with the cylinder head changed to overhead valves.

Power was up at 70bhp and the front of the body was modified. The headlights were higher and there were air inlet grilles on either side of the radiator. The rear spats were also dispensed with.

The Motor magazine got hold of a test model in 1952 and recorded a top speed of 85.2 mph and 0-60 mph acceleration in 20.2 seconds. A bit slow by today's standards but you have to remember this was the early 1950s. The car returned a reasonable 22.5 mpg

The model quickly moved with the times with fashionable duo-tone paint schemes being available later in the car's production run which ended in 1957. Eventually engine power was increased to 80bhp and overdrive became an option.

Another road test report on a Mk III recorded an admirable top speed of 93.6mph and a much better 0-60 sprint of 17.4 seconds.

Needless to say the car lent itself to motorsport rather well with a Mk II driven by Sir Stirling Moss taking second place in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally.

A Sunbeam Mk III also became outright winner of the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally.