Two Fins, No Problem: 1962 Sunbeam Alpine

If you want to add a classic British roadster to your car collection, you might be tempted to get an MGB, Triumph TR (or Spitfire) and maybe a Jensen-Healey…and any of those cars would be a perfectly good choice, if there wasn’t something from the Roots group called the Sunbeam Alpine. Why? Because tailfins. End of story. Find this 1962 Sunbeam Alpine offered for $13,500 in Burlingame, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

From the seller:

1962 sunbeam alpine
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 45000
odometer rolled over
paint color: white
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: convertible
For sale is my lovely 1962 Sunbeam Alpine Series II. I named her Mumtaz after the Bollywood actress from the ‘60s. These cars don’t come along very often; so here’s your chance to own this classic.

Alpines are the same vintage as ‘60s roadsters from MG, Triumph, Austin Healey, and Jaguar. But they are far less known since they were produced in smaller numbers (and much prettier than the MGBs if you ask me!). James Bond drove an Alpine in a road chase in Dr. No. Get Smart drove one, too.

A British automaker called The Rootes Group made about 70,000 Alpines for the US market, in five Series. The Series 2 is famous because it has fins (unique for a British automaker to hire a US designer). This class of roadsters is the inspiration for modern Miatas, BMWs, etc.

There is an active Facebook community, US owners forum, and many Sunbeam parts suppliers in the US (one in Campbell in the Bay Area).

Some unique features about this car:

A previous owner replaced the engine ~1990 with a brand new, 1725cc Sunbeam engine (original was 1494cc). This means you get an authentic Sunbeam engine, but with more power!

A sunbeam Series V transmission (so you get overdrive, and all synchro)

Removable hard top (this is rare among Alpines)

Fantastic running condition – significant mechanical work has been done (details below)

Fins! A very classic 50s-60s American automobile design feature

Chrome is in great condition

Upgrades completed in last 2 years (<1000 miles driven)

Head gasket and cylinder head replaced

Brand new clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing

Brand new brake master and slave cylinders

Brand new clutch master and slave cylinders

Brand new wheel cylinders

Ignition system – Installed electronic ignitor (Pertronix Ignitor), new spark plugs, new ignition cables, new distributor cap

Carburetor rebuilt and re-tuned

Radiator re-cored, new thermostat

New tires (<1000 miles driven)

Coolant catch can installed

Electrical updates (cables, fuses, ignition coil, capacitors, etc)

Previous upgrades:

Interior reupholstered, including new interior carpeting.

Electric fan in front of the radiator; helps with additional cooling

The brake hoses are better than stock, with a wire braid reinforcement.
~1990 the transmission was upgraded to a 1967 Sunbeam Alpine transmission. This is a nice because it adds a synchro transmission + overdrive (which was not available in the original Series II)
~1990 the original smaller engine was swapped with a brand new 1725cc Alpine engine that the previous owner. So you get the more powerful, and a newer engine than original, while still maintaining an original Sunbeam engine.

The next set of projects:

The car is in fantastic mechanical condition, so you are covered there

Odometer, speedometer, and tachometer need to be re-calibrated

There is a fold-away soft-top, but not sure if it works (I have never tried to use it since it has a removable hard top)

Repair rust spots behind the wheels

Logistics:

Clean title in hand

Registration valid until Jan 2022

Exempt from smog testing!

Available to show in Burlingame. SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY

I am happy to include many spares, tools, etc at a reasonable price.

See a better way to drive a little piece of British roadster history? tips@dailyturismo.com