This Sunbeam Alpine holds a lot of promise as a project car that may only need some detail work to complete. You will find it listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Trumansburg, New York, it doesn’t have a title but does come with a clear and transferable registration. It is offered in a “No Reserve” auction, with bidding currently sitting at $2,469.
The current owner took possession of this car when he purchased a local garage as it came as part of the sale. He has too many projects of his own, so this one has to go. The previous owner had begun the project, and the body had been sprayed by a man who taught auto body at the local technical college. The car is solid overall, and the seller states that it has a few chips, but that it should be able to be touched up and should then buff really well. There was some rust in the floor which has been repaired. The seller states that the new owner may well be satisfied with these repairs as they are basically sound, but they may want them redone if they are seeking perfection. He also indicates that there is no indication that the Alpine has ever had any structural rust or repairs.
The interior will require a refurbish, but the good news is that there are plenty of parts to choose from, and all of these parts are included in the sale. The car also comes with a fiberglass hardtop which will require a new headliner and two sets of top bows and a new canvas top that is still in the box.
The previous owner put a bit of work into the engine on this little Alpine. The engine has undergone a full rebuild, and at the same time, it was treated to a hot cam and a few other performance items. The car runs and drives, but there is some fine-tuning that will need to be undertaken to get the car up and running properly. While he was at it, the former owner had the brakes rebuilt, and also treated the car to new wheel-bearings. The wiring will need to be tidied a bit, but that shouldn’t be a major job.
The news only gets better. Included in the auction is a rather nice supply of parts. The seller states that there are so many parts that it is impossible to remember everything that’s there. He knows that these include five spare doors, spare seats, spare dashboards, a spare engine, and a complete spare front suspension. In fact, by his estimation, there are enough parts to fill a pickup a few times!
This Alpine is an interesting proposition. If the rust repairs are sound then it means that the majority of the hard work on this project is done. What is left is detail work and while this will be fiddly, with that fantastic cache of parts it may not be expensive to complete. It is entirely possible that the work could be completed during the Winter in preparation for hitting the road with the top down next Summer.
Thanks for the great write-up. I’m the current owner of this Sunbeam. I’ve been a big Barn Finds reader for a couple of years. If anyone has any questions, feel free to holler!
It’ll make someone a really nice car if they put the time into it.
Bill
I think I spy a Trabant kombi in the background of the 4th eBay picture!
Nice color for the Alpine. Spirited bidding on this one. Interesting to see where it ends.
Is that a Brabham rocker cover I see?
Holbay, instead? I’d want to take a magnet to this baby. 18th photo (?) on e-Bay shows a lot of bondo wrapping around that fender.
I love these little cars. If I had the room it would be on the truck on its way here now.
looks like a poor quality home restoration with a half decent coat of paint on top, I don’t like the idea of double skinned floors, they will rust out in no time, maybe replace the floors properly and waxoil the rest of the car, then waxoil it again and again, if the price stays low it may be worth taking a chance,
Or you can do this!
Any more photos? Is this yours?, from this one photo, it looks real good.
I there’s like 24 photos, just use the link to the e-Bay ad.
Just got it running not road worthy yet, 289,top loader, narrowed 9″ 3:25 ratio , 4-bar coil over, Dale’s Restoration front suspenstion, Wilwood disc brakes front and rear! All stainless exhaust from the headers to the tailpipes. And did I mention it was and still will be an Alpine!
the hardtop is worth what the car is at now
It looks to be an original Rootes hardtop which would mean it’s steel, not fiberglass.
All – this is Bill, I’m the owner of the car.
@Redwagon – yes I have two Trabants. a Kombi and a Military Kubel. Other weird stuff… an Anglia 105e, an AMC Pacer, a Barkas truck and a 55 Buick Special.
@zimme008 – yes I learned that after posting the ad! I had a lot of people write me and ask about the hardtop, then someone told me it was made of steel. I have no idea how I missed that! But yes, it is the original hardtop, and it is steel.
@pat gill – I sort of agree with you… that’s why I’m selling it. The work is probably sufficient for a driver for someone, but if I were doing this car, I’d go clear through it and redo the floors. There’s also a small spot in the corner of the trunk. But… @Scotty Mac I don’t think it has a lot of bondo in it. I think the car is pretty straight. So I really think it’s worth someone taking the time. Hopefully it could be done without too much damage to the paint because it really is a good paint job. No orange peel, smooth as glass, and a pretty color, especially in the sun.
Thank you everyone for the comments.