SOLD – Who here hasn’t dreamed of owning a Shelby Cobra? They are incredible machines that will sadly cost you an arm and a leg. Which just so happens to be the main reason Sunbeam Tigers have also gone up massively in value. It makes perfect sense though, it’s a British sports car with a good old American V8 crammed in it. Sadly, they really didn’t build that many Tigers, which brings us to reader Robert C’s car. It’s an Alpine, the car that the Tiger was based on, and it looks to be quite original. The limited supply of real Tigers means there are lots of Alpines out there that have been chopped up to make room for a V8. While Robert’s car looks like a good candidate for a Tiger clone, it’s originality means it really deserves to be preserved. He’s asking $3,500 or best offer and the car is currently located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. If you’d love to give this barn find a new home, be sure to message him via the form below!
From Robert – Pretty solid body, #1 cylinder stuck, but only a little rust blob so should be easy to free. Body has great patina. Five wire wheels. Mismatched seats. Will need new convertible top & windshield but everything else appears to work. I literally found it in a barn! Had been sitting 10 years. I need to find this pretty little thing a new home!
As you can see, it has some issues, but it actually looks to be complete and in fairly solid condition. There are some rust bubbles in the typical places that you will want to address before they get any worse. Given the desirability of Tigers these days, repair parts are readily available. We were even able to find Alpine short blocks if the engine rust proves to be more of an issue than believed.
Yes, most collectors want Tigers, but the Alpine is really a great little car that is starting to go up in value. This one looks like a great project, whether you decide to restore it or turn it into a Tiger. We would hate to see it modified like that but if that’s what it takes to keep it on the road, then so be it. So would you leave it as an Alpine or would you drop a V8 in it and take it racing?
We want to thank Robert for listing his Sunbeam with us and we wish him the best with finding a good home for it! Hopefully, one of you will snatch it up and keep us posted on what you end up doing with it. And if you have a classic that needs a good home, please consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
Location: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Asking Price: $3,500
Mileage: 50,400 (keep in mind it’s a 5 digit odometer)
Title: Clean
Nice car. Used to see them a lot growing up in Canada. GLWS…wish it wasn’t so far from me
GLWS; Good Luck With Snow?
I test-drove a stock Tiger on the West Side Highway in NYC back when it was nearly new and found it to be way overpowered for its suspension, steering, and handling capabilities. Couldn’t wait to not buy it and I haven’t driven one since. I will admit to being young at the time and maybe it was just overpowered for my diving abilities but seemed like the rear end was trying to pass me most of the time.
They say the Griffith 400 (TVR w/hipo 289) was an even wilder monster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwiUrMg2HeA
Bye bye, little Lotus!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-9YbPNeLKg
scottymac – The Griffith certainly was…
Then there are the 4-banger tuner types that can extract monster horsepower. “Oh, you have an Alpine. Don’t you wish it was a Tiger?” Nope…. bub bye!!
V8s sound great, but pay for the weight. A Honda powered 4 or 6 Alpine would be a blast. As for me, I’d leave her stock. Truly a fun sports car.
I would love one of these with a modern 4 fuel injected 4 cylinder and an automatic.
A favorite swap used to be the Capri/Mustang II 2.8 litre V-6 drivetrain.
I keep seeing Maxwell Smart pull up to the building in his red one!!
In 70-71 l owned 3 Alpines, they were so cheap back then l bought 1 for parts to keep the other 2 running. They had the worst electrical components ever.
You must be right because all the ones that appear here, have the dash ripped apart and wires dangling out.
Poor photos, the bubbles mean trouble, no pics of the underside where rust always is on these. Needing an engine job, an interior, brakes and bushings, tires, exhaust and fuel tanks cleaned and coated, $3500 is way too much for this one. If it had overdrive maybe,but. Ask $1200 and take $750.
Well worth the money and a great car to restore, they were way ahead for design in their day to, great looking car. If I was there I would be all over that for the money.
Excellent , makes a change to see a car priced very fairly …… good luck to the seller and the buyer !
Loved my Alpine, lots of fun driving and shows. Went to a new home here in CT, the new owner is taking it to the next level and beyond. Can be done, this one can be a good driver with some work
LD71 :D
One of our customers just bought a red Alpine of this vintage, mostly restored and highly desirable. If this one is solid whoever buys it won’t lose any money on it.
May take a minute, though.
I have a Tiger project I bought it 2 years ago with an alpine parts car for 5k it needs a LOT of work but I’m into that sort of thing. I always liked the looks of these . To me they look like little T birds then someone told me that the man who designed the T bird designed the Alpine as well which would explain a lot. The 3,500 is a bit steep in my eyes, 1,500 – 2,000 would be fair
One of my most favorite memories of my young life was riding in my friend’s Alpine. It would only start by popping the clutch. He was a courier and I would sometimes ride along. Once we had to make a delivery to an office with a parking garage. When we left we pushed the car to the edge of a spiral ramp, jumped in, and zoomed all the way to the bottom, popping the clutch just as we got to the street. Never forgot it. Always wanted one of these since.
always thought the Tiger was a 289, now hear it’s 260 like ol ‘chero’n others. What gives?
“Shaken not stirred.”
I think it was a Sunbeam Alpine c 1962, in Dr No with James Bond/ Sean Connery driving
Dad owned a ’61 Alpine when it was new. He raced it in rallies and drag racing. Back then, there were “real” car clubs that competed with each other in real races – not street racing (Hamilton, Ontario). Both he & the Alpine are long gone. From what I gather from his stories, the car was pretty much done by the time it was 5 or 6 years old due to it being driven hard. It was last seen sitting in a farmer’s field after he sold it. Could still be in existence, but I highly doubt it. These cars were scrapped then, not collected. Probably the most memorable thing about the Alpine my dad mentioned was back when his car was new in ’61, sports car purists didn’t consider it a “real” sports car. The reason? It had roll-up windows. Wonder what those purists would say today about sports cars having power windows and fixed roofs? For those of you too young to know, there was a time when “true” sports cars all had two seats, a ragtop, and no side windows. You had to dome up the clear plastic flap to try to keep the elements at bay. I’d love to own an Alpine or a Tiger. One day, perhaps, but I would have to get rid of one of my existing toys.
Strongly suggest you watch the motion picture ‘Dr No’ with James Bond driving one of these.
The last 535 Tigers were equipped with the 289 engine in 1967.Prior to that all of the others were 260’s.Total production was 7,067.
I owned a ’67 Alpine back in 1970 – it was fun when it ran…. First thing I’d do if
I wanted this to be a driver is put the wire wheels on the shelf – they really don’t like spirited cornering. It doesn’t take long before things loosen up a tad and from behind it looks like your wheels are as true as the edge of a potato chip. Of course if you enjoy taking them off and truing them every couple of months, then by all means have at it. ( The same is true with most of the 13″ wires on British cars – Spridgets & Spitfires included.)
These are basically a Hillman engine and chassis with an alloy head and dual carbs – the 1725 was fair for the time, but not really sturdy, and God help you if the slave cylinder for the clutch gave out – definitely time for the tow truck, as the gearboxes are pretty fragile. The Prince of Darkness did his usual fine job of supplying intermittent electrons, and the overall build quality was slightly better than a Fiat, which may have been influenced by labor issues after Rootes Group was bought by Chrysler. Much easier and less expensive to find parts and service for an MGB of the same era, and you’ll probably end up with a car you can actually drive off in for a worry free weekend.
I had a ’67 Alpine and it was a fun little car for a single guy on the West Coast for sure! Converting to Tiger means trouble – the frames of Tigers would eventually warp as they were not up to the torque the 260/289 engines (either could be installed) would produce. Then there is the issue of being too much HP for the steering and suspension. Best to accept the fact that you have a two-seat fun car and forget getting 6 seconds in the sixty?