1961 Sunbeam Alpine

Sunbeam-Talbot produced the Model 90 from 1948 through 1954 and then the Sunbeam MK III from 1954 to 1957. This was the last car (the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 MK IIA) to bear the Sunbeam-Talbot name. The Sunbeam Alpine was introduced in 1953 and was derived from the 90 Saloon with its name in recognition of the success of the Sunbeam-Talbot saloon in the Alpine Rally during the early 1950s.

The Sunbeam Alpine was a two-seater sports roadster powered by a 2,267cc four-cylinder engine from the saloon, but with a higher compression ratio. It was the first vehicle from the Sunbeam-Talbot Limited to bear the Sunbeam name since the 1935 takeover of Sunbeam and Talbot by the Rootes Group. Production continued until 1955, and then 1959 to 1968. The Alpine name then appeared on a two-door fastback from 1969 to 1975.

The Mark I and Mak III (there was no Mark II) wore hand-built coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly and was in production for only two years. During that time, 1,582 examples were produced, with 961 exported to the U.S. and Canada, and 445 remained in the U.K. The remaining 175 were sent to other markets around the world.

Ken Howes and Jeff Crompton were tasked with performing a complete redesign of the Alpine in 1956 with a design that would appeal to the lucrative U.S. market. Throughout its production cycle, the Alpine was manufactured in four subsequent revisions through to 1968. Production stopped shortly after the Chrysler takeover of the Rootes Group.

The Series II of 1960 featured a revised rear suspension and an enlarged 1,592 engine producing 80 bhp. When the second series production came to a close in 1963, a total of 19,956 examples had been made.

After 1959, coupe versions were hand-built by Thomas Harrington Ltd. In 1961, a coupe version won the Le Mans Index of Efficiency, inspiring Harrington to build fastback versions of the 'Harrington Le Mans' equipped with a tuned 104 horsepower engine.

The Rootes Group marketed a three-door variant of the Alpine, called a shooting brake, in 1960. With a price tag that was around twice the cost of the open roadster, the production of the shooting brake was very limited.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2020