Introduced in 1965, the Sunbeam Alpine Series V remained in production until 1968. The Series V included a number of minor trim and cosmetic changes over its predecessor, but the big news was under the hood. The Series V featured a new engine, and the Alpine was no longer available with an automatic transmission. The owner has this 1967 Alpine Mark V for sale with an asking price of $9,500. Located in Laguna Beach, California, you will find it listed for sale here on craigslist.
The appearance of the Alpine is extremely good. The panels and paint are in great condition, while all of the exterior trim looks to be present and in good order. The owner provides a number of photos of the underside of the car, and the floors and frame appear to be rock solid. The soft-top appears to be present, but I’m unsure of its condition. The wheels that are fitted to the Alpine aren’t original, but I think that they suit the car quite well.
It was under the hood that the biggest change occurred on the Series V Alpine. Gone was the old 1,592cc engine, and in its place was a new, more powerful 1,725cc unit. This new engine also resulted in a power increase of around 17hp, which is not to be sneezed at in a car with less than 100hp. The owner says that this engine has undergone a rebuild, and it also now sports a Weber carburetor in place of the original Zeniths. The motor has also been fitted with a billet aluminum machined timing cover, front seal and matching crank pulley, electronic ignition, twin electric cooling fans, and the factory optional engine oil cooler has also been rebuilt. The front brake calipers have also been rebuilt and new shocks and brake hoses have been fitted to all four corners. It also appears from the photos that all of the original parts that have been removed are included in the sale.
The interior of the Alpine presents really well, with the seats, upholstery, and dash all in good condition. There are no obvious cracks, tears, or significant wear visible. The door trims don’t appear to be original, but they are still tidy and clean. If the new owner is concerned about originality, then replacement trims are actually fairly easy to source.
This Sunbeam Alpine is a neat and clean car that offers the new owner a couple of options. The majority of the components that would be required to return the car to its original state are present, and reinstalling them would be a straightforward process. The new owner could also choose to just drive the car as it is and to make the most of a nice little convertible classic once the Summer sun emerges. Personally, I’d probably go with the second option.
Special thanks to Nicholas B for listing his Alpine with us! If you have a classic that needs a new home, please consider listing it here on Barn Finds.
These cars are very comfortable and nice drivers. Good to see one in good condition that the owner doesn’t see it as a pot of gold.
Agree that they are comfortable. Having owned several Triumphs and a couple of MG’s it surprised me how much more room these have on the inside while looking about the same size in the outside.
Best of luck with sale! My first Alpine was a ’61 – race and rally prepped in YVR (Royal City Sports Car Club, to be exact). Rally champion BC in 1962. Moved to SEA in Oct 1963 with new ’63 Alpine. Gave up rallying and racing to concentrate on career – that worked – bot my ’67 Tiger MK II in May ’68 (which I still have) with bonus from tax season. Bot and sold my third, fourth, fifth and sixth Tigers somewhere along the way. Just working on a POR15 ’65 Tiger. The real distinction – the Tiger has “performance”; the Alpine has “elan”. The ’67 Alpine is absolutely a sleeper car – parts are readily available, and prices are not outrageous. Great driver material. And they can be modified to go fast!
SO glad to see another Alpine that has not been Tigerized! That 1725 gives a good bit of spunk, if not exactly neck-snapping power. Its humble sibling, the 2-door Hillman Husky wagon, was one of my early tutorials in the “Slow Car Fast” method of driving, and with much more poo and no heavy roof up there the Alpine ups the action by a good bit. I also will never forget that one of our Alaska SCC members had an Alpine that was all but unbeatable in ice racing. All stock specs, if carefully assembled and maintained, the relatively soft springing and better weight-transfer characteristics let the Alpine drive around bends on the ice that all the lower-slung, stiffly-sprung cars were sliding through.
Here, an hour or so away from Laguna Beach, I could hardly care less about ice racing, but I sure wish I had room in the stable and a Yes vote from the other half of the family – this is one pretty Alpine, and I don’t even care that much for red!
Nice car and not bad on price.
Looks like it is sitting a bit high . . . or it may be my imagination. No mention of wheel/tire size in the ad or story.
Tires look to be low profile, not original size.