Lot number | 7 |
---|---|
Hammer value | £1,700 |
Description | Sunbeam Rapier |
Registration | PLL 681L |
Year | 1973 |
Colour | Beige |
Engine size | 1,725 cc |
Chassis No. | L3.190806145QKBE |
Engine No. | L3190806145QKBE |
The Sunbeam Rapier Fastback coupe of 1967 was quite a radical departure from the homely two-door saloons that had carried that name up until that time.
The smooth-sided, rake-backed Italianate coupe was actually based on the floorpan of the Hillman Hunter estate, though the two cars shared little beyond the rear tail lights. The engine was a more highly tuned version of the trusty Rootes 1725cc OHV four-cylinder, coupled to a four-speed gearbox. Overdrive was optional. The engine came in varying levels of tune, ranging from 61bhp for the basic Minx, 72bhp for the Hunter, 76bhp for the Rapier and 79bhp for the Hillman GT.
There was also an entry-level Rapier, with the 72bhp engine and a reduced level of trim and fittings, marketed as the Sunbeam Alpine. It lost the blacked-out C pillar, some internal fittings and instrumentation, but strangely gained the fashionable high-backed front seats with their integral head-rest design.
At the top of the tree came a higher powered version of the Rapier – the H120. Tuned by Holbay (longtime tuners of Rootes engines), this car’s motor was equipped with twin Weber carburettors and produced around 93bhp. The H120 was the fastest Rapier and the fastest Rootes Group car until the Avenger Tiger arrived on the scene. Production of all rapiers ended in 1976.
The July 1973 registered Sunbeam Rapier on offer today is in the very typical period colour combination of beige over black vinyl. The car has been in the care of the Stondon Motor Museum since 2003 and had one owner for nine years prior to that. It reportedly drives well and has a mileage reading of 42,544, though this cannot be verified.
With fewer than 600 Rapiers still known to survive in the UK, these mid-market coupes are becoming increasingly rare – probably more so than quite exotic machinery of the same period. A more interesting alternative to the ubiquitous Capri, perhaps?