1965 Sunbeam ALPINE

Offered in its original colour of Alpine White with a black hood, a red interior and sitting on wire wheels, we think our latest auction car might just have the perfect Sunbeam Alpine colour scheme.

Showing only four previous owners, and originally registered in 1965, it was restored around the turn of the century and re-registered in 2001, at which time it was given the ‘G’ plate it wears now. The car’s third owner then owned it from March 2005 through to 2015 before selling it on to a chap who put it in his garage and didn’t use it.

It was rescued in early Feb 2019 and put back on the road before being sold to the vendor in April 2020. Bought on a whim, he was annoyed to discover that, at 6’ 2” and in his seventies, he’s too tall to easily manoeuvre himself into and comfortably fit behind the wheel.

Restored but not concours, it is a solid car whose doors stay in position and still open freely when car is jacked up, something that enthusiasts will tell you isn’t always the case with rotten and poorly restored examples. Fitted with the earlier screen and hood frame, this arrangement allows the hood to fold neatly inside the car rather than remaining perched on top. It also comes with the rare and valuable aluminium hardtop.

Registered with the SAOC club, it is being offered with a very sensible reserve, a reserve so reasonable that it might just be the cheapest James Bond car you can buy in the UK today.

The white bodywork looks great as you walk up to it with decent paint and good panels that are free of dinks, dents and ripples. It’s got a good shine to it and only a modest smattering of stonechips, all of which are consistent with only light use.

The chromework is good, being pretty straight and well-fitting but it is lightly tarnished in a few places, so it would benefit from an intensive session with a tub of Autosol. Still, you’re probably not up to much at the moment so you might as well be a bit productive before your lunchtime livener, eh?

Interestingly, the chap who restored the car used a few of the earlier series components, which we think makes this car much more desirable than a stock Series V. So, it has the early windscreen, which allows the aluminium hard top to be used, as well as the earlier interior, so that the soft top can be stored in the hood bin.

This does mean that the car also comes with that rare aluminium hardtop. Finished in black and with a good headlining, it is the earlier and more desirable shape rather than the angular, steel variety that takes two people to lift. The owner estimates its value to be around £1000 by itself.

The front indicators and side lights have been upgraded to LEDs and the lenses and gaskets have been renewed. A new centre grill badge bracket and front number plate brackets have been added as well as new number plates.

The wire wheels have also been refurbished, which involved having them powdercoated and then fitted with new rim bands and new chrome spinners. As you can see, they look great and are fitted with matching tyres, all of which still have a very good tread depth.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Work to do depends on the new owner’s attitude towards originality. Because, while the majority of the bodywork has been restored to a good standard, someone has been a little free-and-easy with the filler on the lower offside – and then a little shy with the sandpaper. It’s a little wibbly and does rather let the rest of the car down a little. As does the front valence, which is a little buckled but otherwise okay.

Oh, and the fastenings for the hardtop at what would be the B-pillar appear to have gone AWOL as it arrived wired in place; please see the photos for details.

As we mentioned earlier, the Sunbeam has the earlier interior, including the early type steering wheel. This makes the car unique and, to our eyes at least, much more appealing that the standard car. The fittings include the rare early steering wheel, which is in great shape and looks terrific.

The recovered red leather seats have been piped in white, and look great. They’re in good shape too, being comfortable and decently supportive while still be relatively easy to get in and out of. The tiny rear seat is more of an occasional arrangement for small children, or a useful place to put your coat than a full-size usable seat.

The matching door cards are very good, as are the carpets. The car’s previous owner also refreshed the dashboard, so it’s looking pretty sharp, albeit with a little pitting to some of the instrument bezels.

The side panels in the boot have been retrimmed, and the car comes with a spare wire wheel with a good tyre, plus the original jack and an hexagonal spinner spanner. Lifting it all out shows solid metalwork underneath.

The engine is a rare Holbay 1725 fitted with a Weber carb and inlet manifold conversion in place of the factory Stromberg. The work included changing all the throttle linkages, which were supplied by Alpine Innovations. The owner tells us that the engine’s tickover needs to be higher than usual until it is warmed up due to the high-lift Holbay camshaft, but it does start normally when the engine is warm. It is said to have good oil pressure.

An electric Facet fuel pump upgrade has been fitted by a previous owner, along with an electric fan and a stainless-steel exhaust.

The engine was serviced in May 2019, work that comprised a new oil filter and oil, new HT leads, and a new rocker cover gasket after having had the cover plate refurbished.

The car was also given a change of antifreeze, new wiring from the ignition coil to the distributor, plus a new fuel filter, brake servo and breather pipe hoses including new fire traps.

The front anti-roll bar has been refurbished. A new clutch master cylinder was also fitted in February 2019. as well as new rear wheel cylinders, points, condenser, and thermostat.

The overdrive gearbox was overhauled in August last year by SAOC guru J Roseby. The work included a new overdrive wiring loom and relay and we are told that the overdrive is now operated via a non-standard switch.

The rear differential was rebuilt by Tameside Transmissions in December 2019. The rear axle casing is restored, along with the back plates, drum covers, handbrake rods, and cables. Replacement rear dampers have been fitted.

The original 1725 engine comes with the car, and we are told that it has matching engine block number B395.007.045. It also comes with an aluminium head, pistons, rods, crankshaft etc., and is said to be almost complete and in parts ready for new owner to rebuild if desired. There is also an assortment of other spares for the car included in the sale.

The underside of the car looks to be solid and neatly undersealed, although the rear of the offside sill does appear to have suffered slight damage at some point in the car’s past.

The Sunbeam Alpine doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The car comes with a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it plus a photo album of the restorative work being carried out. Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

This is a very nicely presented Sunbeam Alpine that will offer its new owner a very good interior and well fettled mechanicals, wrapped in a body that is better than average, even if it falls a little short of being perfect.

That said, it looks to be solid so the lower offside might just need a little TLC to bring the cosmetics up to the same standard as the rest of the car; if so, then its condition is good news for potential bidders as the car’s reserve price has been set with the need for this work in mind.

As to an estimate, we think the hammer will fall somewhere between £11,000 and £16,000, at which price point it offers some headroom for the new owner to add value.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.