Corgi VA11304 Chrysler Sunbeam WRW 29S – Works development car, Bernard Unett and Terry Harryman

Chrysler UK’s competition manager Des O’Dell immediately saw the Avenger based, but smaller and more nimble, Sunbeam had great potential as a competition car. Before the car had even been launched his department had built two prototypes, WRW 30S and WRW 29S. Whilst ’30S developed into the first Lotus engined car and eventually into a full Group 4 machine, ’29S was intended to replace the Group 1 Avenger as an amateur or ‘clubman’ customer’s car. It was fitted with a 2-litre Brazilian-blocked pushrod overhead-valve engine mated to a close ratio four-speed Avenger gearbox. It was used to help chassis development and entered many events during 1978. Did you know? Although the Sunbeam Lotus evolved into a very successful rally machine, 2-litre Group 1 Sunbeams were successful in their class being driven by drivers as diverse as Henri Toivonen and Rosemary Smith.