I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The CC Cohort is a great place for a surprise, and this is one in several ways. This is a predominantly North American site and audience, so any British car is relatively rare. If I just wanted to see pictures of British classics, there are plenty of places I could go but the Cohort keeps pulling me back, and with examples like this you can see why. But it comes with a puzzle.
A Sunbeam Alpine roadster, one of my favourite Rootes cars, registered in Murtal in Austria, spotted by by Roshake, who I think is based in neighbouring Hungary, and badged as Series IV. CC has seen the Alpine previously, so there is no need to cover the history in full – just a reminder that this was Rootes’s competitor to the MGA and later the MGB. The first cars came in 1960; production ended in 1968 after the Chrysler takeover. It also spawned the Ford V8 powered Tiger derivative.
Alpine assembly was by Bristol Siddeley (at the Armstong Siddeley facility in Coventry) initially and then by Rootes in-house from 1962. Technically, it was closely based on the contemporary Hillman Minx and Sunbeam Rapier, though using the shorter wheelbase Hillman Husky floorpan. Modest underpinnings then, but then so were the MGB’s.
The initial styling was by British stylist Ken Howes, ex-Loewy and Ford, where he had worked for Studebaker in South Bend and on the Thunderbird. He was lured back to Rootes in 1957 with a brief to design a sports car, and did so without picking up any contemporary Rootes themes. But he got inspiration elsewhere – just look at the fins. Or brought it with him from the US.
And this is where the conundrum comes in. As much as I admired the car, something jarred. Roshake had done a typically thorough job with his photography and captions on the Cohort, and caught not just the car but the Series IV badging (Rootes liked adding a new badge with each series…) but that doesn’t means it’s accurate. If you have followed the Alpine on CC, you will recall that the Thunderbird like fins lasted only until the Series III, which was superseded in 1964 by the Series IV, when the key difference was the considerably toned down fins.
More contemporary for 1964, but perhaps less distinctive. Or maybe it added a bit of almost Italian elegance? But, is anyone going to say this was not the best looking car Rootes ever built?
But the puzzle remains – why is this car badged as a Series IV? It is clearly a Series III – big fins and quarterlights demonstrate that. My best guess (and it is a guess) is that it started life as a Series III with a 1592 cc engine and has been retrofitted with a later 1725cc engine from a Series V (1965-68) and that maybe the owner understands this to be effectively a Series IV?
Perhaps, I’ll have to make a submission to the CC Travel Budget for a trip to the Alps to find out?
More about Ken Howes, his life and work in the US and at Rootes here
Weird – the grille and bumpers say it’s a series 3, too.
The big fins were to fit the Minx tail lights, 1724 cc engines not actually 1725 are a popular retrofit into all Rootes Minx based cars plus all the Alpine go faster bits bolt right in, camshaft, cylinder head, manifolds and the 5 main bearing engine is very tough and tunable. Neat little car I like it, but you knew that already.
Sorry, but it is the revised version (s.IV & V) that uses the Minx/Super Minx rear lights. The originals were unique to the Alpine. One slightly unusual feature was the way the reflector was cut inwards to create a vertical surface without protruding.
Orginal tail lights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbeam_Alpine#/media/File:1963_Sunbeam_Alpine_Series_3_rear_4.28.18.jpg
Revised tail lights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbeam_Alpine#/media/File:Sunbeam_ar.jpg
Same lights on s.V Minx: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rorymacveii/17833834254
The later lights were also used on Bristols as well: https://www.motorious.com/content/images/2020/03/1967-bristol-rear-three-quarters.jpeg
Sometime I hope to finish my small model of a s.I roadster. Rebuilding from a s.IV model really gave an insight into the way the original lines flow so well from head to wingtip.
There are two types of people in the world, those who notice this stuff and take it seriously (raises hand), and everyone else. Looks like this car is under the tutelage of everyone else.
Hmm. But it’s a pretty sweet example of the breed. I’ve been warming up more and more to the original finned version.
Liz Taylor’s character drove one of these in “Buterfield 8”. (albeit a “1960 model I’d guess)
…. as did Maxwell Smart.
Plenty more too. Apart from the first two (referring to the earlier Sunbeam Talbot based Alpine), all of the rest of this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbeam_Alpine#Notable_film_and_television_appearances
What a nice looking car.
I just commented on another post asking why a Renault Fuego in France has US market bumpers and headlamps.
I think the answer to the Alpine’s badges is probably the same one – because you can.
It’s the reason my VW T4 still has the Audi 4 rings in the wheel centres which has puzzled other people in car parks.
Answered my own question.
It still looks snazzy to me .
Yes, I’m old but the lines are very pleasing .
-Nate