The Sunbeam Alpine was an English 2-seat sports car built on two occasions by Roots Group, from 1953 to 1955 and then from 1959 to 1968. The car may have become most visible to U.S. buyers from its appearance on the TV series Get Smart (Maxwell Smart drove the similar Sunbeam Tiger with a V8 engine). This example from 1968 (our long-time reader Chuck Foster believes it could be a ’66) looks to have been out in the woods for a long time and risks succumbing to Mother Nature. It’s available in Bunn, North Carolina, and here on craigslist for $1,000.
Five series of the Alpine were produced in the late 1950s/late 1960s with Series V appearing first in 1965. A new engine came on board, a 1,725cc (105 cubic inches) inline-4 that used twin carburetors and delivered upwards of 100 hp. A manual transmission was the only one offered (previously an automatic had been optional). And, production through 1968 amounted to just over 19,000 units. Series V was nearly as popular as Series II which was in production from 1960-63.
The seller doesn’t tell us much about this car other than it needed both a starter and a clutch when it was left where you see it. No doubt that was many moons ago and its surroundings will surely consume it if the vehicle doesn’t move soon. He/she says the Sunbeam “needs a lot of TLC” which is an understatement. We assume rust is a major issue and we doubt that it’s going to do much with just a new starter and battery. The price would be right for a parts car, but what could you take off it that would help another project? Is it worth the gamble at $1,000?
Have bought several cars like this one for parts without much outlay that have provided things like suspension and drive line parts. Engine blocks and cylinder heads are hard to come by for older cars and, like us who race two early race cars, stuff like this is invaluable.
It could use a good detailing…
As far as $1000 goes… It all depends on what the prospective new owner needs. It certainly does not look like a restore project but may be invaluable for body panels, chassis parts and little ‘fiddly stuff’ that you just have a tough time buying and finding. There’s an a** for every seat!!
That’s a car salesman’s line, along with “lips for every face” …
I’d agree with BobHess, for $1,000 this would be a viable proposition as a parts car. Anything that’s been parked over damp grass for any length of time is going to be largely trashed underneath – but there are usually plenty of solid parts within the drivetrain and other key components that are usable. By definition, parts like transmission, engine and diff are oily on the inside, and with older classic cars, often on the outside too ! and will stay in serviceable shape for years even in adverse environments.
For someone out there restoring an old Alpine, (or racing, where mechanical parts are likely to wear out or break) then having a second parts car to fill in for those missing/failed items, is a very sensible tactic.
The seller should honestly be ashamed to ask money, for this Sunbeam.
Judging by the license plate lights, this is a very late production Alpine. Without pictures of the engine, rockers. or floors, not to mention under carriage, this is scrap value only. These are cool little cars that are overlooked and under rated by many. There is great support for after market parts. Hopefully it is good enough to rescue.
To bad it’s on the other side of the country, I just happen to have a good floor section and trunk floor for sale…
As we all know, any vehicle CAN be restored. There is a bit of hope with this one in that it appears to be under the cover of a shed and from the left side view, the rockers don’t appear to be in bad shape (looks can be deceiving, we all know). Perhaps the tire are not really buried in the ground and that’s just weedy detritus alongside. Are they holding air? However, that 6″ Wisteria? vine growing alongside it with the bedframe interspersed suggest that it’s at least 10 years sitting there and likely more. If I didn’t have 5 projects ahead to be started or completed, I’d go there with a chain saw and a trailer with a few hundred dollar bills in hand. I would then try to part it out unless a wild hare attacked me.
Given the tree growth and the depth the wheels are set in the ground, I’m guessing that Alpine has not moved in at least 5 years… and having some experience with cars left out in the elements over dirt, I’m guessing the bottom frame structure looks like swiss cheese… if there is even that much left. Parts car only… Maybe if it was a Tiger it would be worth bringing back… maybe.
I had an Alpine and even without having it sit in the woods, it rusted pretty badly. I can’t image what sitting in the wet dirt would do to that thing after 5 years. Not 1000 dollars of part left or worth bothering with.
It’s ROOTES Group.
Poor thing, reminds me of the MGB I found in my city the other day sitting in a yard with the top down rotting away next to Mazda miata with the top up but Windows down turning what could be a fun car into scrap metal.
sad
Drove a Series V as a parts gofer for a local garage in 1970. Nothing like being a 16 yr old and putting your foot into it! Those were the car days and even I knew it! The owner also had a 2 door Galaxie 500 fastback…I think it was a ’65 with a center console and buckets.
This poor Alpine reminds me of the ’59 MGA I was given by a girlfriend around the same time. Someone in her family had pushed it into a tangle of trees and there it sat until I tried unsuccessfully to revive it. Can’t win them all.
Given its an Alpine it might be worth a thousand bucks in parts…..maybe
I would gamble a thousand bucks and a 1200 mile round trip just to try to save it but the seller leaves no way to contact him.I gave $1200 for a 77 MGB a few months ago and now have a dependable attention getter that we call “The Hot Lil Mess”….just a few months time and $8k…
The People that are selling this car are pretty rude , i moved on after a couple simple questions .
Creepy.
It appears that it wasn’t parked in the woods. The woods is growing around it.
Years ago, we dug into a slope, removed top soil and went deeper (nothing could grow in this material), packed road gravel with heavy equipment, added millings (ground black top) packed with heavy equipment and thought it was a permanent place for storing parts cars.
Now years later, it looks somewhat like where this Sunbeam is with trees growing around the cars.
Mike Wolfe could make an episode of American Pickers just pulling this one out of its resting place.
Is that show still on?
Came across an article a few weeks back that claimed ratings really tanked of late and the History Channel / Mike had stopped filming… I lost interest about the time Frank’s health went south and he left (or was kicked off the show)… There was apparently some drama between Mike and Frank at the end… Frank has since had a stroke, is partially paralyzed and can no longer speak. Sad… Like all things, it apparently ran its course…
Yes, It’s on the History channel.
Anyone purchasing this piece should negotiate a cord of firewood with it. The firewood would actually double the value of this deal.