UK vehicle statistics / Sunbeam

How many Sunbeam Rapier cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 489 licensed and 235 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Sunbeam Rapier generic-model group.

Looking at a Rapier?

Population figures cannot tell you whether one particular car is taxed, MOT-valid or safe to buy.

Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. If the car is still worth pursuing, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.

Wondering whether one particular Rapier is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the Rapier disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 513 in 2022 Q4 and stand at 489 in 2026 Q1, down 5%. That is up 2% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 235 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 724 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

A falling population is worth knowing before you buy: it usually means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply, and it is why a good example of a scarce model can hold its price while a neglected one is hard to sell at any price.

Recent quarterly trend

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q1489235
2025 Q4483234
2025 Q3485233
2025 Q2498222
2025 Q1499222
2024 Q4501213
2024 Q3510211
2024 Q2508209
2024 Q1504206
2023 Q4498207
2023 Q3503201
2023 Q2509196

Other Sunbeam models

See how many of every Sunbeam model are left

Source and limitations

Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.

Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.