Sunbeam Alpine Series V

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Sunbeam, once part of the Rootes organisation, first announced its Alpine sports model in 1959. The new car was a change of direction for Sunbeam and was aimed squarely at the younger MG / Triumph TR market – principally in the US, the previous models having being larger touring cars.

Designers Kenneth Howes and Jeff Crompton came up with a clean, modern design which bore more than incidental resemblance to the early Ford Thunderbird; possibly due to Howes having worked at Ford before joining Rootes. Built on a modified floor-pan from the Hillman Husky estate car (Hillman were also part of the Rootes Group), the Alpine used running gear derived mainly from the Sunbeam Rapier, but with front disc brakes replacing the saloon car's drums. The suspension was independent at the front using coil springs and at the rear a live axle was mounted on semi-elliptic springs. The Girling-manufactured brakes used 9.5in discs at the front and 9in drums at the rear.

At first the car was powered by a 1,494cc four-cylinder engine, producing 78bhp but in the Series II of 1960 this was replaced by an 80bhp 1,592cc unit and the car was fitted with a revised suspension layout. In 1963 the Series III arrived with larger front brake discs, a bigger boot and a revised interior but the engine now developed a little less power. However, power was increased to 82bhp the following year when the 1,592 engine was fitted with a single Solex carburettor for the Series IV, easily recognised by its much smaller tail fins.

The final model was the Series V of 1965 which had a 1,725cc engine, with twin Zenith-Stromberg semi-downdraught carburettors producing 92bhp – enough to power the Alpine to a very respectable 100mph. An oil cooler and an alternator were standard fittings as was a close-ratio all-synchro gearbox. Production of the Alpine V continued until 1968, some 69,200 Alpines of all types being built in total, after which it was quietly dropped from the Rootes Group line-up shortly after the Chrysler takeover.

First registered in November 1966, this Alpine V has been on display at the Stondon Museum since 1997 and according to the V5 it has had 7 previous keepers. The only other piece of paperwork being offered with the car today is one old MOT from 1995 that states that it had 62,575 miles on the clock at that time, an online check also showing that the last tax disc expired in late 1996, presumably the last time it was in use. Riding on period alloy wheels and with a snug hardtop, it will need the usual checks before doing some serious summer posing with the proud new owner behind the wheel.