The 1925 Sunbeam Tiger
His pen on paper fairly flew as he
Did scribe the calculations that he knew
Would help build a car; from nineteen twenty five,
A scaled version, a Sunbeam racing car
That had broken Campbell’s land speed record
On U.K.’s Southport sands, . . . inside his workshop.
With dimensions drawn on the workshop floor,
Richard machined component parts before
The car began taking its shape within
His shed at home, beside the River Tamar.
Machining parts with precision, and skill,
Working tirelessly on the lathe. . . within his workshop.
Richard’s self-built, V12, alloy engine,
Purred, quietly, exactly as he had imagined,
As confirmation of what could be achieved
From magazine photos, without drawings to guide.
The body too, was made with love and care,
Red paint, wire wheels, completed, . . . on the workshop bench.
Richard’s capacity to bring vision to reality,
His perseverance, purpose, and goal setting ability,
Created an eye-catching, five eighths working model
From yesteryear, as a replica of times long past!
A tribute to the skill and craftsmanship of Richard,
Who brought his plans to fruition, . . . on the sands at Bellingham.
Richard is my brother.
Three X 5/8s
Richard’s working replicas, three in number,
Are sources of wonder at country shows.
Patrons stare at each model on display,
Waiting to see whether each vehicle goes.
Richard proudly starts each five-eighths model,
Then he stands to one side, because he knows
The patrons’ faces will all crease with smiles,
And observes them as their demeanour glows.
Created on the workshop floor, piece by piece,
Beside its full size 1950 counterpart,
The first of his models was the Land Rover.
When you hear the baby Land Rover start
There is no mistaking the Rover sound;
Overhead inlet, side exhaust, at the heart
Of that versatile, go anywhere vehicle,
Authentically built, by one who’s smart!
The second model built was the Sunbeam,
A five-eighths scaled version of the race car
That first took to Southport Sands in 1925.
The V12 engine, is well on a par
With anything built in a backyard man cave!
By any means, Richard may be called a star,
As the Sunbeam Racer was drawn and built
From magazine pages, – clever by far!
The little crawler tractor came to be
After many trips to Lebrina farm
Measuring the Farmer’s full size tractor,
Five-eighths again, for size that had its charm.
The tractor quickly began taking shape,
Piece by piece, each unit, in Richard’s palm.
Electric start on the high compression
Diesel engine saved its creator’s arm.
The results of many hours in the shed,
Not to mention the meticulous work
On the lathe and hours of fabrication,
Part by precious part, no room for guesswork,
As each replica took its final shape,
Despite some worries, he’d done the legwork
To ensure that each would take its place,
A lasting tribute to his handiwork.
Bill Edmunds,
December 2018
Bill Edmunds 