Lot details Registration No: EDV?84C Chassis No: 395001935OD/HRO Mot Expiry: July 2012
The original Sunbeam Alpine dates back to 1953 and was the first Sunbeam-Talbot to wear the Sunbeam name alone since both marques were absorbed by the Rootes Group in 1935. The model had a stellar rally career but, having been based on the Talbot 90 of 1948 was showing its age by the end of the '50s. A replacement was called for and in-house designers Ken Howes and Jeff Crompton were tasked with penning a sports car that would appeal to the American market. With Howes having previously worked at Ford, it is perhaps unsurprising that the resulting two-seater Alpine of 1959 bore more than a passing resemblance to the Thunderbird. Power came from a 1494cc OHV four-cylinder unit. This drove through a four-speed manual gearbox with optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive. Suspension was independent by wishbones and coil springs at the front and a live axle on semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Braking was via discs/drums. Steering was by Burman recirculating ball. With 78bhp on tap, the Series I could accelerate to 60mph in 13.6 seconds and achieve a top speed of 100mph. The model was developed through five Series over its ten-year production cycle, during which 69,251 examples were made. The final iteration saw the light of day in 1965 and featured a new five-bearing 1725cc engine fed by twin Zenith-Stromberg semi-downdraught carburettors. The output was now 93bhp.
The sale car is a right-hand drive 1965 Series V model finished in White. An original Roadster with optional overdrive, 'EDV 84C' was the subject of an older restoration and is judged by the vendor to still be in good overall condition. The Red interior was retrimmed in the original colour and the standard steering wheel replaced with an Astrali woodrim one. Bullet type mirrors were added to the doors. The Black PVC hood is said to be in good condition and the Sunbeam comes with a hood cover and full tonneau. Approximately 6,000 miles have been covered since 2008, when the brakes were extensively overhauled and the fuel pump and clutch cylinders were replaced. The car comes with a full year's tax and MOT.
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