1955 Sunbeam Alpine

Lot details
Registration No: 472 FMC
Chassis No: 3502078HR0
Mot Expiry: None

The Alpine, named after Rootes' competition successes on the rallies of the same name with the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 saloon it was developed from, continued as a successful rally car. In the 1953 Alpine Rally four Alpines won the Coupe des Alpes, one of which, finishing sixth, was driven by Stirling Moss while Sheila van Damm won the Coupe Des Dames.
Launched earlier that year after the idea was developed by Rootes dealer George Hartwell of Southampton, it was the first car from Sunbeam-Talbot to bear the Sunbeam name alone since the 1920 merger of Sunbeam, Talbot, and Darracq. The Alpine used the same 2267cc four-cylinder engine as the 90 saloon, but with raised compression ratio. As well as the elegant, long-tail two seater design, hand-made by Thrupp & Maberly, the art-deco interior of these cars is a delight, and this one seemingly remains intact and tidy with all its original features including column shift, many having been converted to floor change. From 1954 an overdrive unit became standard. Most of the 3000 Alpines Mk1 and MkIII built (there was no MkII) were exported, primarily to the USA, and perhaps only 200 remain today.

This is the second of two Alpines on offer today, and this car, dating from the same year that the model was immortalised on the big screen as Grace Kelly's car in the Alfred Hitchcock movie `To Catch a Thief', looks to be basically sound, though it has not been run for a time - the last tax disc evident expired in 1966, and therefore it is being sold strictly as seen. Complete but in need of restoration (there is some damage to the radiator grille verticals), it should - touch wood - be a relatively straightforward project, and comes with a V5C, V5 and buff logbook.