Highlights

Quintessential 60s British sports car
Three owners from new
Impressive series 4 in white with a period black interior
Plenty of paperwork including the original handbook
Contrasting soft top and hard top included

The Appeal

The first of the open two-seater Alpines, based on the Rootes group’s Hillman 14 and Humber Hawk, the Alpine roadsters were a fusion of American tastes - thanks to the likes of ex-Studebaker designer Kenneth Howes - and good old-fashioned British open-top sensibilities. The result was a seriously stylish, neatly-lined little car, perfect for the American market.

This example, part of the 4th series, comes to us in a stylish white and black colour scheme, maintaining a fabulous level of originality.

The History and Paperwork

First registered in 1965
In current ownership since 2014
Only three owners from new
In 2015 the engine was rebuilt
In 2017, the car underwent some further restoration and mechanical work
It also underwent some paint touch-ups in the same year
MOT exempt and was last tested in 2018
Currently indicates 94,816 miles
According to the MOT history, less than 3,000 miles have been covered since 2007
The car’s paperwork includes:
- V5c document
- Two original ‘65 handbooks
- A collection of tax discs from 1999 to 2012
- Huge selection of MOT certificates
- Plenty of invoices dating back throughout the current ownership
- A selection of invoices from earlier in the car’s life
- Two sets of keys

The Interior

Period black interior with light, understated styling
Dashboard is clean and well-kept with only light signs of wear
Period Jaeger dials in very good condition with light patina
The clock is not working
Impressive wire-spoke wheel in good order with light wear
Switchgear in good condition with a non-prototypical Jaguar wood-trimmed knob
Door cards have some light scratches and marks
Seats are largely in good order, though the driver’s seat bolster is quite worn
Carpets were replaced in 2017 and still look in great condition
Interior of the hard and soft-top look in solid order
Includes tonneau cover, which zips to allow driver access if required
No sun visors - these are easily found online

The Exterior

The vendor informs us that the car is wearing its original 1965 paintwork
Bodywork is in fair order with some corrosion on the sills and arches
Paint is in decent condition with age-commensurate wear
Some overspray here and there in need of polishing
We can’t see any dents or dings in the bodywork
Brightwork, trims and branding carry a patina throughout
Glasswork and lenses are free of chips and cracks
The black hard-top is showing some signs of age-commensurate wear
Soft-top appears in good order
The car is sitting on period-accurate wire spoke wheels, which carry some wear
The car is wearing Nankang tyres
Underneath, we can spot some signs of surface corrosion throughout
The car was undersealed in 2015
However, we can’t spot anything of major concern

The Mechanics

Powered by a 1.6L I4 powerplant
Manual gearbox with synchromesh on the first gear
Overdrive to 3rd and 4th gears working properly.
The engine was fully rebuilt in 2017
New clutch master cylinder installed in 2015
Solex carb was overhauled in 2015
Engine bay is in good order with age-commensurate wear
The engine itself looks in good condition with no faults we can spot
The vendor reports that work is required on the half-shafts
This is due to an intermittent click on gear changes
However, the car itself is running well with no major mechanical issues

Summary

Highly drivable, with an eyecatching level of retro styling, this Alpine is ready and waiting to hit the road. We’re convinced that this eyecatching little car has a very bright future ahead of it with the lucky buyer.