1959-1968 Sunbeam Alpine

Ask the average person on the street to name the first classic British sports car that comes to mind, and if he or she can respond without lapsing into a blank stare (mind you, it has been about 30 years since we could last buy one new), you'll likely hear MG, Triumph, Jaguar or Austin-Healey. The number of people who will shoot back ''Sunbeam Alpine'' will likely be low, indeed.

Those who do bring up the Alpine are in on one of the best-kept secrets in British sports car motoring. A contemporary of the MGA and MGB, Triumph TR3, TR4 and TR250 and the Austin-Healey 100-6 and 3000, Sunbeam's 1959 through 1968 Alpine combined charming period style, bulletproof mechanicals, an accommodating interior and above-average weatherproofing. A small but dedicated group of parts and restoration specialists in the U.S. and U.K. continue to keep all five iterations of this Alpine in fine fettle. So if you desire the fun of period sports car motoring but don't want to see yourself at every cruise-in and car show, an Alpine is aces.

Built by Pressed Steel over the underlying structure of the Rootes Group's Hillman Husky, the Sunbeam Alpine's body was of advanced monocoque construction, with an integral under-floor X reinforcement. Also setting the Alpine apart from its home country competition were proper roll-up windows and a well-fitting, fully integrated folding soft top with a permanently attached, three-piece body color metal top cover.

The Series Is, as Sunbeam Alpines built between October 1959 and October 1960 are commonly referred, offered adequately sporty performance, courtesy of a 1,494cc overhead-valve four-cylinder with three main bearings and a cast-aluminum head; two Zenith 36 WIP2 downdraft carburetors, 9.2:1 compression and free-flowing tubular exhaust headers allowed it to make (gross) 83.5hp at 5,300 RPM and 89-lbs.ft. of torque at 3,400 RPM. This engine was mated to a close-ratio four-speed manual with optional Laycock overdrive, and Girling front disc brakes were standard equipment. Underpinning the Alpine were coil springs, wishbones, tubular shocks and an anti-roll bar up front, and in the rear, a live axle, half-elliptic leaf springs and lever arm shocks.

Noticeable visible changes in Series IV Alpines included new indicator lamps, rubber-tipped overriders and re-profiled rear fenders with smaller tailfins.

Like the Series II through V that followed, the first Alpines were nicely trimmed with vinyl seats, a combination of carpeting and rubber mats, safety-minded padded dash tops and bottoms, adjustable foot pedals and ample instrumentation. Options included 13-inch wire wheels, an aluminum hard top, a rear jump seat and the aforementioned overdrive. Series I production totaled 11,904 examples.

The outward changes to the Alpine Series II, built between October 1960 and February 1963 (1962 shown, red), were few--full-length steel side window glass channels and an altered steering wheel rake and seat position for more interior comfort--but changes under the bonnet were what counted for sports car aficionados. The handsome aluminum-topped engine was bored to 1,592cc, and its 85.5hp and 94-lbs.ft. of torque made it more responsive to the throttle. The Rootes Group put their money where their mouth was, supporting SCCA G- and F-Class Production racing, and even developing cars that ran with distinction at Sebring and Le Mans. Forty-four Series IIs shy of 20,000 were built.

The Alpine got a closed-top sibling in 1961, which was created by Thomas Harrington Ltd., a venerable coachbuilding firm that had recently branched into working with fiberglass. Harrington began building personalized Alpine-based fastback coupes; over three years, this firm built about 384 cars, split into Harrington Alpine, Harrington Le Mans and ''C'' Series, some of which came to America. To make a Harrington coupe, the roadster's rear fenders and trunk were cut away and a fiberglass roof panel, incorporating a small trunk in early cars and a larger hatchback-style rear window on later ones, was bolted and bonded on. All Harringtons were well trimmed with full carpeting, Microcell front buckets and fold-down rear jump seats, a walnut instrument panel and standard wire wheels, and Stage II factory tuning pushed their engines to 103hp; Le Mans coupes had standard overdrive and a rear anti-roll bar.

With just 5,863 examples built in the short (March 1963 to January 1964) production run, the Series III was the most refined of the tailfin Alpines, incorporating a surprising number of changes both visible and under the skin. A different windshield design and doors with fixed quarter windows were obvious, while a new steel hard top sported opening rear quarter windows. Under a redesigned soft top were supportive, adjustable new Microcell bucket seats, a telescoping steering wheel and two-speed windshield wipers. Big news was the redesigned gas tank, which was actually two inter-connected 6.75-gallon tanks mounted in each rear fender, allowing the spare tire to stand up in the trunk and leave (a comparably huge) 9.25-cubic feet of luggage space. Larger discs and telescopic shocks up front and closer gear ratio spacing were other changes.

The Alpine range was doubled with the Series III, when the convertible gained the moniker, ''Sports Tourer,'' and a new ''Grand Tourer'' model debuted; this car wore a standard removable hardtop, but didn't have a folding soft top. Taking up the space where the folded top would be was an upholstered jump seat, and up front, a burled walnut dash, wood-rim steering wheel and full carpeting made the ambiance more deluxe. A switch to Zenith W1A3 carburetors with a single air cleaner and a cast-iron exhaust manifold meant a bit less power (80.3hp and 91-lbs.ft. of torque), but more refinement.

Production of the Series IV Alpines began in January 1964, and American Sunbeam buyers could now find Alpines in some of their local Chrysler dealerships, thanks to this company purchasing part of the Rootes Group; Chrysler would absorb all of Rootes in 1967. The Series IV Alpine looked noticeably different from its predecessors because its tailfins were trimmed, and a simple one-bar grille, rubber-tipped bumper overriders and a vinyl-covered dash fascia for Sports Tourers brought the cars up to date. In a nod to the Alpine's most important market, a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic transmission became optional, and a new engine setup, in which a single two-barrel Solex replaced the two Zenith carburetors for 87.5hp, was shared between Sports Tourers and GTs. Starting in the fall of 1964, manual gearbox-equipped Alpines enjoyed full synchromesh, and when the Series V cars arrived in September 1965, 12,406 IVs had been built.

The final Series of Sunbeam Alpines provided even more of what enthusiasts want: power. The car's four-cylinder now displaced 1,725cc and made 92.5hp, courtesy of a longer stroke, and five (versus three) main bearings made for a sturdier engine. Twin Stromberg 150C.D. carburetors, a tubular exhaust manifold, a standard oil cooler, self-adjusting rear drum brakes and a negative earth electrical system were other mechanical improvements. The ''SUNBEAM'' lettering on the car's nose was deleted and the folding top lost its metal boot for a snap-on vinyl replacement, but footwell air vents improved creature comforts. When the Series V was fitted with overdrive, it became a true 100 MPH car and a real competitor to the 1.8-liter MGB; 19,122 were built before production ended in January 1968.

A well-established reputation for reliability and durability has not propelled the Alpine out of the shadows of its more famous countrymen or given it ''build from a catalog'' parts availability, but the upside of this relative anonymity is that values have remained below those of its competitors, great for people who want to pick up a nice example for a reasonable price. While a built total of roughly 70,000 is no match for the roughly 525,000 MGBs built, these Sunbeam sports cars aren't lacking in parts availability, knowledgeable specialists or enthusiastic club support.

Body/Frame

As with any unit-body roadster whose main sources of strength are its rocker panels and floors, rust in these areas is serious, and it tends to begin behind the front wheels, where moisture enters between the front fender and inner wheel arch. If the structure is compromised, inconsistent door gaps and body flexing will appear during a test drive. Lifting the carpet or rubber mat to check where the sill meets the floor, as well as the area around the accelerator pedal, is wise. As with MGBs, rust in these areas is correctible, albeit time-consuming and expensive.

Other potential rust areas include the lower front and rear fenders, door edges, inner rear wheel arches, the rear leaf spring attachment points, the trunk floor and the structural rails that terminate in the trunk. The rear corners of the engine compartment can rust in extreme cases, and late Series V cars can develop rust on top of the cowl. The GT and Series III and newer Sports Touring hardtops have been known to rust, and while patches are available, replacement of the plastic windows is expensive.

''Compared to other British cars, replacement sheetmetal is getting harder to come by,'' explains Aaron Hammond, British product manager for Victoria British. ''The Sunbeam Alpine market isn't big enough for people to make the investment in tooling. There are a handful of people in the U.K. that we can still reliably source parts from, although supply is not as consistent as we'd like.''

Repair patch panels for the front and rear fenders, rockers, rear arches and headlamps can be found, but floor pans will need to be hand-fabricated from sheet steel, and early gas tanks will require repair, as new replacements are not made.

Engines

While it's acknowledged that the Alpine-based Tiger, with its Ford V-8 engine, was Sunbeam's high-performance sports car, the 1,494, 1,592 and 1,725cc four-cylinder engines in the Series I through V Alpines performed adequately and were under-stressed and long-lived; as expected, the big-displacement Series V with five main bearings is the sturdiest, most powerful of the lot. Sourcing new and reconditioned mechanical components is as easy as picking up the telephone, with the exception of engine crankshafts, as noted by Curt Meinel, owner of Classic Sunbeam Inc.: ''Most crankshafts can be re-cut, but replacement main and rod bearings are always in stock.''

The various carburetors used on the Alpine can be rebuilt if they are worn, and a two-barrel Weber is a common, inexpensive substitution requiring a stock Series IV manifold. Rebuilt aluminum cylinder heads are available, as are many pre-made gasket sets.

New and upgraded exhaust system components can be sourced. Regarding engine electronics, Curt notes, ''Luckily like most British sports cars, many of the electrical items such as starters, switches, generators and regulators are common to other British cars of the same era, and are therefore available.''

Transmission/Differential

The four-speed manual gearboxes fitted to the bulk of Alpines are sturdy units, although the full-synchromesh actuation of Series IV and V models makes them easier to live with; rebuild kits and reconditioned units can be purchased, although some components for early Series transmissions are no longer available. It is possible to retrofit a later gearbox (along with the flywheel, clutch, clutch lever and bearing) to an earlier car, although the bulk of retrofitting that takes place these days is the addition of overdrive to the roughly 50 percent of Alpines not so fitted at the factory. Clutch master and slave cylinder rebuild kits can be purchased, as can clutch components.

The Borg Warner automatic gearbox is also sturdy, and numerous specialists across the country can rebuild it. New differentials are not available, but almost all of the components needed to refresh a worn one are.

Suspension/Brakes

Good parts availability makes keeping the relatively simple independent front and live axle rear suspensions in good form. The Series I through III front suspension, which used kingpins, requires periodic greasing, while the later version, with its Metalastik bushings, is comparably maintenance-free.

''Some brake components are hard to come by,'' Aaron notes. ''We stock pads and a handful of remanufactured calipers, but finding early rotors is a challenge. It's possible for enthusiasts to track down these components, but they may have to wait a long time for delivery.'' Rebuild kits for parts like the Alpine's master cylinder are available for order. Sloppy steering is the result of a worn steering box or idler assembly, but new steering components are sold.

Interior/Trim

Alpines with expired door, window and hardtop seals are in luck, because new replacements are being manufactured; the same goes for soft tops. Upholstery and door and interior panels are all available in original or original-type materials, but pre-formed seat foam is not made for Series I-II seats. New complete dash pads are inexpensive, and steering wheels with cracked plastic rims can be repaired. Full GT-style carpeting is sold. Replacement speedometers and clocks are no longer made, but instrument specialists can rebuild non-functioning units.

Curt paints a bright picture for someone bringing an Alpine's exterior appearance back to factory. ''Almost every trim item has been reproduced: We stock the Alpine script, 'SUNBEAM' letters, upper and lower grilles, center grille bars and more. We have reproduced all the lenses both front and rear for both the early and late style Alpines. I would have to estimate that 70 to 75 percent of all parts needed are now available to the Alpine restorer. It's true that some parts are hard to find, but these can usually be found used.''

Rick McLeod, owner of Sunbeam Specialties, explains why unique Series I and II parts are harder to replace than those for later models: ''The cars were in a rapid state of development during the early years, and parts were revised constantly then. Most things look about the same as before, but there were many changes, and many of the parts don't interchange. The most important reason, though, is that the Alpine I-II cars do not share many parts with the Tigers. Since the Tigers are much more valuable, the demand for their trim parts is higher, and Alpine III-V cars benefit from the cross-over.''

SPECIALISTS

Classic Sunbeam Inc.

607-432-2662

www.classicsunbeam.com

Sunbeam Specialties Inc.

408-371-1642

www.rootes.com/index.html

Victoria British

800-255-0088

www.victoriabritish.com

Alpine West Midlands

+44 1527 401498

www.sunbeam-alpine.co.uk

Sunbeam Spares Company

+44 01207 581025

www.thesunbeamsparescompany.co.uk

Kip Motor Co.

972-243-0440

www.kipmotor.com

PARTS PRICES

Brake shoe set, Series I-IV - $25

Bumper bracket, front, two required - $21

Carpet kit, complete with jute backing - $330

Clutch disc - $60

Carburetor rebuild kit, Solex - $25

Driveshaft universal joint - $22

Horn ring, Series III-V - $130

Main bearing set, Series I-IV - $70

Seat upholstery kit - $398

''SUNBEAM'' letter set - $40

Temperature gauge sending unit - $16

Tie rod end set - $40

Transmission rear seal, Series V - $13

Water pump - $70

Wiring harness - $385

CLUB SCENE

Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club of America

www.sunbeamalpine.org

Online club with Alpine Registry, forum, technical data and original manual reproductions

Tigers East/Alpines East

PO Box 1260

Kulpsville, Pennsylvania 19443

www.teae.org

919-484-0818

Dues: $33 (printed newletter)/$29

(electronic newsletter); Membership: ~800

www.team.net/www/rootes/sunbeam/alpine/mk1-5/index.html

Sunbeam Alpine mailing list with historical information, tech tips and factory literature

PRODUCTION

Sunbeam Alpine, 1959-1968:

Series I - 11,904

Series II - 19,956

Series III - 5,863

Series IV - 12,406

Series V - 19,122

Alpine Harrington coupes - est. 384