1964 Sunbeam Alpine Sport Roadster

The Sunbeam Company manufactured Britain's first Grand Prix winner, which took victory at the 1923 French Grand Prix. Sadly, this early success did not ward off the eventual demise of the STD Motors, which Sunbean had joined along with Talbot and Darracq in 1920. In 1935, the Rootes Group - which owned Thrupp & Maberly, Hillman, Humber, Commer, Karrier, Clement, British Light Steel Pressings, and Singer - purchased Sunbeam and Talbot. The Talbot nameplate was dropped in 1954 and Sunbeam was repositioned within the company hierarchy as a sporting marque.

The Sunbeam Alpine was intended for the lucrative American export market and initially produced for just two years. They were a two-seat convertible with a low-cut windscreen and based on the Sunbeam-Talbot 90. It utilized the underpinnings of the 2.3-liter 'four' of the Humber Hawk. The Sunbeam Alpine proved its performance potential when it won the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally in 1955.

Rootes re-introduced the Alpine name in October of 1959. It wore a body designed by stylist Ken Howes, who had earlier worked at Ford and Studebaker. They were solidly built and featured components from the Rootes parts bin and based upon the floorpan of the company's Hillman Husky van. The Alpine had roll-up windows and a 1.5-liter engine.

Production continued until January 1968, during which they were carefully refined and produced through five distinct series. In 1961, Sunbeam fielded a 'Works' Alpine at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where it was driven by Peter Harper and Peter Procter. The car ran without fault to finish second in class and winning the Index of Thermal Efficiency.

This particular example is a rare Alpine GT model that has been given a frame-off restoration.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2016