Lot Ended
Description
Fully restored between 2006 - 2013 at vast expense and only
12,000 fine-weather miles since; floor-change gearbox; two former keepers,
both in the same family; one of only 391 made in RHD; a magnificent example
of this gorgeous sports roadster at a 'come-and-get-me' guide price
Forever
associated with Grace Kelly cruising the French Riviera in the Hitchcock classic
To Catch a Thief, the Sunbeam Alpine was perhaps the most glamorous
British car of the 1950s, a welcome ray of sunshine in an otherwise pretty grim
era of scrimp-and-save austerity.
Launched in
1953, the Alpine was based on the existing Sunbeam-Talbot 90 saloon but with
styling input from Raymond Loewy to add the sparkle needed to attract the vital
American market. The curvaceous Roadster body was largely hand-built by
Thrupp & Maberly while the 2,267cc four-cylinder overhead-valve engine
received a power boost to 80bhp courtesy of a revised cylinder head.
A further blaze of publicity was achieved when,
on its first competitive outing, an Alpine driven by Sheila van Damm won the
Coupes des Dames in the 1953 Alpine Rally, Stirling Moss adding to the Alpine’s
allure when he achieved a 120mph flying kilometer record at Jabekke in the same
year before winning the Alpine Rally Gold Cup in another Alpine in 1954.
Only 1,192 Alpines were made (801 in LHD and 391
in RHD) before it was replaced by the MkIII in October 1954 (there was no MkII)
and it is thought that only around 200 still survive today.
This fabulous Alpine must be one of the finest examples remaining and
looks absolutely gorgeous in Sapphire blue with a cream hide interior and period
whitewall tyres.
First registered in March 1954,
we are told that it has had just two former keepers, the first being a lady in
Gloucestershire who kept it for many years before passing it on to her
granddaughter. Our vendor acquired the car at a charity auction in 2006, at
which point it had been in storage for around 25 years.
It has since been treated to a total-nut-and-bolt restoration which
took seven years to complete. The bodywork alone cost over £50k, as detailed in
various photos and dozens of invoices on file from KA Developments of Westbury,
and what a fantastic job they did. It still looks wonderful 12 years later with
excellent panel gaps and a superb paint finish.
The original engine and gearbox were in poor shape so our vendor
bought an Alpine MkIII for spares and the engine, which is a stronger unit than
that in the MkI, was fully rebuilt and fitted into this car. Our vendor also
disliked the awkward column-change gearbox that was standard in the MkI so a
floor-change Hillman overdrive gearbox was fitted which makes the car much nicer
to drive (the original engine and gearbox are included if desired, although they
will need to be colleced from the North Wales area).
All other mechanical aspects were rebuilt as required, most of this
work being done by Charles Russell Classic Cars of Warminster. The interior was
retrimmed by master craftsman Larry Piper of Sparkford who also made the hood
and tonneau cover and refurbished the sidescreens. The dash instruments were
refurbished by Adrian Sidwell of Gillingham. Other features include five new
whitwall tyres and a new stainless steel exhaust system.
Since the restoration was completed in 2013, this Alpine has covered
some 12,000 fine weather miles and we are told that it drives as well as it
looks. Although it is of course MOT-exempt, it has been put through this test
five times since 2013, always passing with no advisories, the current MOT being
valid until August 2026 which was another clean pass.
As you can see in the photos, this Alpine is in superb condition
throughout and has been starting promptly and driving beautifully on site, with
a smooth and torquey engine, healthy 50psi oil pressure, easy gearchange and a
remarkably supple and rattle-free ride, dismissing the pot holes at the bottom
of yard far better than most modern cars do.
Retaining its original, transferable Gloucester-issue number plate,
MFH 56 is only reluctantly for sale due to the advancing years of the owner and
has barely been driven in the last five years. It may interest bidders
to note that the magnificent Jaguar MkII 3.8 elsewhere in this catalogue
(Lot 24) comes from the same fastidious owner so we urge you to look at that car
too in order to better appreciate his exacting standards.
Given that the last four Alpines MkIs that
we have sold all made £43k - £53k, this expertly restored Sapphire Blue beauty,
which is easily the equal of the best of them, looks an absolute steal at
the modest guide price suggested.
We absolutely
love the look of this car and the way it drives too, so make sure you come
and see it!
PLEASE NOTE: If bidding on this lot over £25,000,
you will need to increase your bid limit within your
account.
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com