V8-Powered 1965 Sunbeam Alpine
Description
In the 1950s, the business plan of every British car manufacturer — from Standard-Triumph to Daimler and Rootes — seemed to consist of this simple sentence: “Make a sports car and sell large numbers to Americans.” The Rootes Group (which consisted of Singer, Sunbeam, Hillman, and Humber) was a bit late to the game with a true sports car, but nevertheless it enjoyed some success, much of it thanks to U.S. buyers.
The 1959-68 Sunbeam Alpine, for example, had charming period styling, bulletproof mechanicals, an accommodating interior, and above-average weatherproofing. With pressed steel over the underlying structure of Rootes’ Hillman Husky, the Alpine’s body was of advanced monocoque construction, with an integral under-floor X reinforcement.
The builder and owner of this Series IV 1965 Sunbeam Alpine has been racing and working in the motorsports industry for 55 years, including working in the CanAm Series with Peter Revson, Bob Bondurant, John Cannon, Derek Bell, and Lothar Motschenbacher, and building GTU-winning Berrettas for Tommy Kendall and Max Jones.
Highlights
Finished in Flat/Satin Black paint over black interior
Powered by a BluePrint Engines 306 cu-in small-block V8 crate engine rated at 390 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque
Rebuilt Ford T5 five-speed transmission
Ram Cobra clutch with a Ram internal hydraulic throw out bearing
Cobra bucket seats
Robbins black canvas top
Roll cage
Bumpers removed
The original number plate (B94104300LRX) decodes as:
B94104300 – Vehicle/engine number
L – Left-hand drive export
R – Roadster
X – Non-standard export (U.S. and Canada)
Color code 86 – Forest Green exterior paint
Features
Two-door, rear-wheel-drive roadster
Rebuild completed in 2022 and included (in addition to items listed above):
Replacement rocker panels, floors, and lower fender panels
Fiberglass hood
Modified front valance modified for cooling
Edelbrock Performer high-rise manifold
Holly 600 CFM carburetor
1.750 headers Explorer V8 Serpentine belt system
Shortened Ford 8.8 rear axle
3.27 Mustang gear
Fabricated front coil-over front crossmember/suspension
Four-link parallel coil-over rear suspension with Panhard rod based on a Ford 8.8 axle with LSD
Front brakes: Wilwood 4 piston calipers with 11.75 inch rotors
Rear brakes: Ford single piston caliper 11 inch rotors
15 inch U.S. Mags wheels
Yokohama S Drive tires: 255/55R15 in rear, 195/55R15 in front
All chrome stripped and powder coated satin black
New windshield
Ididit steering column
Leather-wrapped Grant three-spoke steering wheel
3 inch seat belts (SPS date code 2020)
VDO instrumentation (220 mph speedometer with digital odometer, tachometer, voltage, oil pressure)
Rollup side windows
Single windshield wiper
Wheelbase: 86 inches
Overall length: 155 .2 inches
Width: 60.5 inches
Height: 51.5 inches (with top up)
Known Imperfections
This 1965 Sunbeam Alpine was recently rebuilt with no known imperfections present
Included
Spare windshield
Quarter window frames
Wiper motor
Taillight buckets
Original steel hood
Holly parts
Ford Motorsports ring and pinion gears
Paperwork and dyno sheet
Ownership History
The 86-year-old owner of this 1965 Sunbeam Alpine has been racing and working in the industry for 55 years, including working in the CanAm Series with Peter Revson, Bob Bondurant, John Cannon, Derek Bell, and Lothar Motschenbacher. “I took a rest, so to speak, and worked several jobs in California as a TIG welder, eventually moving to Colorado to open a shop servicing Bell Labs, Hewlett-Packard, and others. When the economy changed, I closed shop and moved to Connecticut to work for Bob Sharp Racing [in which Paul Newman was a driver].” The consigner later returned to California and worked for Cal Wells before moving to Indiana to build GTU-winning Berrettas for Tommy Kendall and Max Jones. He bought a ’65 Alpine Sunbeam body on eBay and built the car himself.
