An honest shed find with a price that’s hard to beat, this 1962 Sunbeam Alpine is advertised here on Facebook Marketplace. Located in Coolville, Ohio, and with an asking price of just $500, it’s hard to see how an Alpine enthusiast could go too far wrong with this one.
The first Sunbeam to wear the name Alpine was a variant of the Sunbeam Talbot. Only produced from 1953 to 1955, these are relatively rare today. In 1959, the name was given to the sports car that Rootes hoped would take on the MGA and Triumph TR3 in the lucrative American market. These would be produced through 1968, transitioning between no less than five distinct series. Like many Rootes offerings, the Alpine dug deep into the parts bin: the chassis was borrowed from the Hillman Husky, with most other components coming from the Sunbeam Rapier saloon. Front brakes, however, were upgraded to discs from the Rapier’s drums, giving the car a bit of a leg up compared to the MGA.
The car under consideration would be a Series II Alpine, and would have left the factory equipped with a slightly larger engine and a revised rear suspension compared to the Series I. Output from the 1.6L inline four actually dropped a bit, despite roughly 100cc more displacement: it now made an even 80 hp, rather than the previous generation’s 83 hp. Nonetheless, the new engine still provided a top speed of just under 100 mph and a zero-to-sixty of 13.6 seconds– decent performance for 1962, and comparable to its main market rivals. The gearbox remained a four-speed manual with optional overdrive and no synchro on first, as was the custom. What was not according to custom was having wind-up windows, which debuted on the Series I and was, arguably, a first for a British sports car.
The seller states that it’s being sold as a parts car, but it does have a title. A determined owner might even be able to put it back on the road; the little convertible looks to be in surprisingly good shape. The drive train is all there, and when you look at how snug that I4 is in the engine bay, it does make you appreciate the amount of creative geometry (and innovative language) it must have taken to wedge a Ford V8 in that space with the Tiger. The floors are gone but the trunk looks pretty good, gas tank notwithstanding. The seller states that all the trim, lenses, and seat frames come with it. Lots of folks might hesitate to sit down at a roulette table, but this one might be worth the gamble– $500 on red.
In the chat about the TR6 listed a couple days ago was room. If you want a roomy car these have quite a bit more than either a TR6 or MGB.
So sad to see her in this state
Has anyone ever cloned a Tiger? Hmmmm
It needs everything anyway. A small block Chevrolet Alpine that you steer with the throttle.
Parts car, no title.
Sorry– could have sworn when I read it the ad said it had an Ohio title. I stand corrected!
Adv. States car has a title. However the amount of work required to fix this one you probably be better off finding one with a bad engine or no engine /trans.
Bless its heart
Sad state for such a great car. Maybe it will be bought and LS swapped.
It’s not as good as it might look. Have a careful look down the side and you see that the driver door, though it could be ajar, really is sagged at the b-post. That means the rockers/ inner sills are very badly shot and, likely, the cruciform member too. (Cruciform is the real name given to the x-shaped box-section stiffener, beneath the floor and attached to the tunnel and sills). Stay away from this unless you only need it for parts, love welding and fabrication ( and are STINKING good at it, or have a boatload of cash and nothing else to do.