On a whim, I Googled Sunbeam and my VIN number and found three entries for what is now my car.
The earliest reference was by “Cactus Masher” on the Sunbeam Alpine club website . In response to a request for a project car, he offered the car for sale in 2014. It was described as a straight, rust-free car that was mostly intact and ready for restoration. There was no record that the car was sold through the Sunbeam club.
My car next appeared on a website that
consolidates for sale advertisements. The text indicated that the car was purchased from an Arizona family that had owned it since the 1970s. The Arizona heritage would explain the red dust caked on the car’s underside when I purchased it in 2016.
The posting said that they had replaced the carpets, seat covers, and top; in addition to the cosmetic improvements, the previous owners had invested lots of money for a reliable driver, including having the engine head rebuilt,. The picture above shows a 
nice front bumper, which was missing when the car came to me, but otherwise it is clearly my Sunbeam.
Could the claims be true? I think so. the top, seats and carpet are clearly not original, and the photo to the right shows a very clean cylinder head.
But when the car came to me–albeit through a third owner–it did not run or stop. The picture to the right, which I copied from the second owner’s advertisement, clearly shows a car trailer in the background. I am guessing that the seller was unable to make the car reliable.
Sunbeam 