Classic Status Achieved: 1965 Sunbeam Alpine
You don’t need to have a degree in Classic Carchaeology (if that isn’t a thing…it should be) to know that the Sunbeam Alpine is a good looking automobile with serious future collector status. The convertible British roadster market is saturated with MGBs and TR6s, but a nice condition Alpine for less than ten grand sticks out like an instagram babe at a plumbers convention. Find this 1965 Sunbeam Alpine offered for $9,800 near Cincinnati, OH via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
The Sunbeam Alpine is probably better known by its Shelby cousin – the
Sunbeam Tiger (an Alpine with a V8). But the Alpine is a simple British roadster from the Rootes Group with classic 50’s
styling cues (tail fins!) and athletic sports car aspirations.
The Alpine is powered by a simple 1.7 liter inline-4 cylinder engine fed
via twin Zenith-Stromberg semi-downdraught carburetors and good for 93
horsepower. The seller makes the strange statement: this car has not being started , but it runs. It
is anyone’s guess as to what that means, but it would be nice to keep
this one as a simple Alpine and avoid the inevitable 289 cubic inch V8
swap, even if the current engine is fried.
This Alpine sports a mostly new interior (including weather strips and seals) and the body was resprayed in the original color about 15 years ago. It really looks like a nice car to have for a starter classic that won’t need a bunch of work.
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This one is in really nice shape! You rarely see them this nice. They are a bit bigger than the MGB and TR4 of the time, even have a small back seat. I think their extra size is what is giving them a closer look by collectors. However I think the Tigers are over valued now and these have benefitted from their huge raise in recent years. There is a reason MG and Triumph sold more cars. I'd still rather have a nice early MGB or MGC for this money.
Please stop posting cars from Cincinnati, they are just close enough to me that I want to go buy them.I think I have actually seen this car a few times at British car events in Ohio.
I think this particular Alpine has been swapped to a single Weber carb, with the Dual carb setup included as spare.
My Dad owned one of these and a few other LBC's before I was born. He drove them through the winters in New England, so they didn't last too long.