1961 Sunbeam Alpine Fastback Coupe

Approximately 110 Harrington Alpines were produced in 1961. Thomas Harrington Ltd. was a coachbuilding firm founded at Brighton, England. Their main business was building bus bodies on chassis built by other manufacturers.
Based on the Series II Alpine the Harrington coupe fastback was designed by bus designer Ron Humphries. A pair were entered in the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans and the aerodynamic number 34 coupe driven by 'The Peters' – Proctor and Harper – won the lucrative Index of Thermal Efficiency.

This car must have caused quite a stir during the 1963 Sebring 12 Hours of Endurance. Here was a distinctly British racing car wearing the badge of Ferrari's North American Racing Team (NART). This unusual British/Italian entry was the result of a friendship between NART's impresario, Luigi Chinetti, and an Italian-born nobleman named Marchese Filippo Theodoli who had immigrated to Boston in1 948. Because of friendship and business dealings between the two men, Chinetti had invited this modest racer to be an honorary member of the Ferrari entourage to Sebring in 1963, a year in which Ferrari swept the top six overall positions. The Sunbeam, driven by Theodoli and William Kneeland, competed in Class GT9 and finished a credible 4th in class, 36th overall.

Believed to be the only left-hand-drive example produced of the 110 first series Harrington Alpine coupes, it was completed in June 1961. Theodoli flew to England to personally take delivery of this new racing car. As noted in a 1963 letter from G.H. Harrington, when delivered, this Alpine was fitted with a Stage III Hartwell-tuned engine. Theodoli first raced this Harrington Alpine at the 1962 Sebring 12 Hours of Endurance, entered by Rootes Motors, England, in class GT9, where he finished 33rd overall. The Rootes factory team that year consisted of 4 Alpines and included notable drivers Les Spencer and Ken Miles

The current livery is exactly as it rolled onto the starting grid on March 23, 1963, for the 12th annual 12 Hours of Sebring.