Highlights
- Smart-looking Alpine in favoured specification
- Extensive structural repairs carried out in 2022
- Desirable Series V with five-bearing engine
- Lovely interior
The Appeal
Up until 1959, the Sunbeam Alpine was a twee and traditional sports car, renowned for its reliability, tuneability and impressive performance but with a curvy, cuddly persona and a traditional coach-built feel.
All that changed with the new generation of Alpines, though, which borrowed heavily from American styling influences and Rootes’s appointment of former Studebaker design genius Raymond Loewy. Pointy and low, the ’59 onward Alpines were very cool.
This one is the best of the lot – a Series V car, which means it has a five-bearing engine and Rootes’s lively and tuneable 1,725cc engine, equipped with twin SU carburettors. An older restoration, the car was partly restored again in 2022 with substantial repairs to the underside totalling almost £4,000, meaning it should remain sound for the next owner.
It’s a very smart and presentable example that’s also incredibly usable thanks to the lively engine and rear-drive chassis, or alternatively the perfect example for an introduction into classic motorsport, in which 1,725cc Rootes Group cars are especially popular.
The History and Paperwork
- UK V5C
- Tax, MOT and ULEZ exempt
- Old MOTs and tax discs back to the 1990s
- Large folder of invoices and receipts pertaining to historic restoration and maintenance work
- Invoice for £3,912 covering bodywork repairs carried out in 2022
- Rootes factory workshop manual
- Long-term owner until 2023
- Sunbeam Owners’ Club documentation
The Condition
- Older restoration
- Overall in good condition with very tidy paintwork
- Stunning angular styling
- Some minor bubbles on right-hand front wing and lower valance
- Minilite-replica alloy wheels with four recent Nankang sports radial tyres
- Very good hood in fine working order
- Auxiliary fog lamps
- Chrome, trim and original badges all in good condition
- Substantial documented repairs to sills and underside in 2022, comprehensively undersealed
- Wood-finish six-dial dash in excellent overall order
- Three-spoke sports steering wheel
- Black leather bucket seats, retrimmed to a high standard
- Seatbelts fitted
- Excellent black carpets and door cards
- Original jack and tool kit
The Mechanics
- Flagship 1,725cc engine
- Four-speed manual transmission
- Stainless steel exhaust silencer
- Twin SU carbs with performance ‘pancake’ air filters
- The vendor wishes to make potential buyers aware that the car will need transporting, as it has a fuel leak that he hasn’t had chance to trace, but he believes is coming from a deteriorated fuel hose in the engine bay
- Other than the fuel leak, the car is reported to be in good working order with no known issues
BEFORE YOU BUY
This sale is subject to the Car & Classic Terms and Conditions. By bidding and/or making an offer, you also agree to the following:
✓ If the seller is registered as a private seller, consumer rights stemming from EU consumer protection law do not apply. Car & Classic’s return policy applies.
✓ A non-refundable deposit will be payable if you are the winning bidder at auction or if your offer is accepted, refer to FAQs and T&Cs for details.
✓ This vehicle is “Sold As Seen”, on an “As Is, Where Is’ basis and without warranty. A full inspection of the vehicle prior to purchase and bidding is highly recommended. Photos and descriptions are for guidance purposes only.
✓ VAT is included in the buyer's deposit. VAT may or may not be included in the final bid or offer price, as specified in the listing.
✓ UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check, to verify that they show no insurance database markers for damage or theft, and have no finance owing.
✓ Buyers are responsible for vehicle collection or delivery.
