Classic Brit roadster
There was something special going on in the British car industry of the late fifties through to the sixties, with gems such as the Jaguar E-type and the far more affordable MGB, or even the Morris Mini having a huge international impact.
Less famous but very much in the mold of the more popular MGB was the Sunbeam Alpine.
It was the classic mix for the period: A nicely-styled two-seat roadster body matched to a 1600 four-cylinder engine and four-speed transmission.
The Alpine went on to accept V8 power and become the Tiger.
In the meantime, the parent company the Rootes Group dabbled with endurance racing with the Alpine and the Harrington hardtop variants.
According to our feature: “After proving the Alpine’s suitability for endurance racing by running it round the MIRA proving grounds for 24 hours straight, Garrard was given the green light to develop a two-car package for Le Mans. One car, he decided, would remain virtually standard, while the other would be based on a new Alpine-based grand tourer that was being cooked up by renowned coach-building firm Thomas Harrington Ltd.”
This 1959 example has had a restoration which includes a new soft-top and the factory detachable hardtop.
It’s with Muscle Car Warehouse in Sydney and is priced at $49,000.