Here’s a Sunbeam Alpine Series V project car, ready for a new garage. Fall is coming – it’s a perfect time to start work on this roadster, aiming for Cars ‘N Coffee by spring. These “series” Alpines were conceived about four years after the Talbot-based Alpine that we are all familiar with from the movie To Catch a Thief, with Grace Kelly at the wheel. But the two cars couldn’t be more different. Rather than seeing component contributions from a successful rally saloon, the new Alpine was based on the more pedestrian Hillman family cars. Styling, though, reflected the times: Kenneth Howes, formerly with Raymond Loewy Studios, penned a narrow grille and definitive fins – reminiscent of the Studebaker Starliner and Hawk cars. Almost 70,000 copies of the “series” Alpines were made over five generations from 1959 through 1968 – a successful venture for British carmaker consolidator, The Rootes Group.
The Alpine’s four-cylinder engines were successively enlarged, from 1494 ccs when the Series I arrived, to 1592 ccs for the II through IV, and finally, 1725 ccs when this car hit the pavement. Two Zenith-Stromberg carburetors were supplied from the factory, though owners often substitute one or more Webers. A four-speed manual transmission was standard, though this car has the overdrive option. The original kit will generate about 95 hp, giving a top speed of around 115 mph. It’s unclear from the listing whether this car runs or not. The seller notes that the battery and the ignition have been replaced.
The Alpine arrived in the marketplace at a time when most roadsters were just that, with spartan interiors and side curtains for windows. Its interior offered abundant comfort, full instrumentation, roll-up windows, even a hard top. This example’s interior is nice, given that the car has apparently been stored since 2001. The seller has never removed the hard top and assumes there is a soft top under there; for a buyer, it’s worth finding out if at least the top frame is present.
The seller indicates that the body is solid, but the passenger floor is rusted through. The red paint was applied several years ago and is driver quality. The original color was Holly Green. The original wheels have been replaced – no word on the tires or whether the factory wheels are available. This 1967 Alpine can be found here on eBay, with bidding at $2600. The verbiage in the listing indicates that this is a no-reserve auction, but a reserve is noted anyway, equal to the seller’s “investment” in the car. The market will speak, but it’s a rare owner that recoups 100% of his expenses in the sale of a relatively common British roadster. What do you think it will take to find this one a new garage?
Please tell me i’m not alone hearing the “Get Smart ” theme.
Bidding ended at $2600 and under reserve.
I like the looks of that car. Would be an interesting project but I’m not a welder.
Having learned the hard way, I am always leery of “solid” cars with “fresh” paint and rusted out floors. I’d want to go over this entire car with a thickness tester before I even asked about anything else.
Welding in new floors is one thing; stripping out 11 pounds of Bondo and redoing the body is something else entirely.
I went thru a slew of British sports cars back in the day: MGA, TR4, Bugeye Sprite, and a Sunbeam Alpine. The Alpine was the most fun to drive!
Russell, I, too, have been through the whole slew of British cars as you mentioned, and also came to the conclusion that the S. Alpine was the smoothest shifting, easiest driving and by far the most comfortable seats in all these mentioned sports cars. And, the first to introduce roll-up windows! It is the ONLY one that my young wife actually cried about when I sold it. (in fact, the buyer felt badly and backed out, not wanting to make her feel sad! —and I was dealing hard for an upgrade to an older xke!!)
I bought an Alpine shortly after getting out of the service. It was a 67’ like this one. No hard too and it had wire wheels.
Loved that little car. The only issue I had was it went through clutch throwout bearings about every six months. Bearing was a misnomer. It wasn’t a bearing per se, but a graphite surface that disengaged the clutch.
But the killer was it started to rust out and being young and not having an equipped shop doomed my ownership.
Fun little car!!!