The Sunbeam 1000hp, the beast that first shoved a car past 200 miles per hour, is officially heading back to Daytona Beach for a centennial homecoming next spring. Organizers have circled Monday, March 29, 2027, for a low-speed ceremonial run on the sand, and the restored car will settle in at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America at Daytona International Speedway in mid-January before the beach events. The visit caps a multiyear restoration and a short U.S. tour that museum teams hope will reunite the car with the same shoreline where Major Henry Segrave set his record in 1927.
According to the National Motor Museum, the Sunbeam will leave Beaulieu for a post-restoration tour of the United States, including a public debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2026 and a run of dates at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles through the autumn and early winter of 2026. The museum notes the car will be packed for a sea crossing from Southampton to New York, with museum engineers and project patrons traveling alongside it to the U.S.
Local coverage reports the restored Sunbeam was loaded for shipment to the United States in late June 2026 and will serve as a centerpiece at events on the Daytona International Speedway campus, including a scheduled display outside Turn 4 in mid-January and a possible pit-lane appearance later in March. As reported by the Daytona Beach News-Journal, organizers are planning talks, meet-and-greets and community events around the centenary weekend.
A Piece of Daytona History
On March 29, 1927, Major Henry Segrave clocked a two-way average of 203.79 miles per hour in the Sunbeam, making it the first car to top 200 mph and helping lock in Daytona’s long-running nickname as the “birthplace of speed.” With twin Matabele V12 aero engines under its skin, an overall length of roughly 25 feet and a near four-ton mass, the machine doubled as an industrial engineering exhibit as much as a racecar. Contemporary accounts paint the run as loud, smoky and thoroughly dramatic. For more historical context and restoration background, both Hemmings and Octane offer detailed rundowns of the car’s mechanics and the 1927 Daytona run.
What To Expect in Daytona Next Spring
The museum’s timeline sketches out a busy week around the centenary. Plans include a museum-led evening talk on March 25, a public meet-and-greet in Ormond Beach on March 26, and a presence at the Turkey Run at Daytona International Speedway the weekend before the anniversary. On March 29, the Bandshell is set to host a midday display, followed by a low-speed re-enactment run on the beach. The Sunbeam is also slated to be on public display at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America from January 16 through April 18, 2027, according to the National Motor Museum. In other words, there will be plenty of chances to see the 200-mph celebrity even if you miss the sand run itself.
Local Reaction and Logistics
Daytona tourism and museum officials say the centenary is expected to draw collectors and motorsport fans, and that special programming is being built out to spread visitors across the week rather than pack everyone into a single day. As Wheels Alive reports, Motorsports Hall of Fame and local tourism leaders have welcomed the car’s return, arguing that the Sunbeam’s homecoming not only salutes a landmark in speed history but also ties directly into Daytona’s visitor economy.
Organizers say details on tickets, scheduling and safety plans will roll out as the dates get closer, and that local outlets and museum pages will have the latest event information. For Daytona, the Sunbeam’s return is set up as a brief piece of historical theater: a century after Segrave’s record run, the sands will once again belong to the machine that helped make the city famous for speed, even if it will be taking that victory lap at a much more relaxed pace.
