(first posted 5/23/2014) Last May 23, I was fortunate enough to have a piece published on CC, about a car my dad did buy: a 1966 Hillman Super Minx. To mark a year of being a Curbivore, here’s the car I wanted my dad to buy to replace the Super Minx, but which he didn’t.
You may guess why I wanted Dad to buy a Rapier to replace the Super Minx. Given it was obvious he was going to buy a Chrysler product, as that was where he bought his cars for over twenty years, I therefore considered it the most valid potential successor; it was the fastest and best looking Chrysler product and therefore, using the irrefutable logic that the car Dad chose was the best, I knew it would be the best of the best. Irrefutable, at least in the crucible of informed discourse and challenging debate that is a school playground (aged nine).
The 1968 Sunbeam Rapier was the last in a series of cars, based initially on the Hillman Minx Audax series and, from 1968, on the Rootes Arrow range. All were sold above the Hillman models, trading on the sporting heritage of the Sunbeam brand.
Sunbeam was founded in Wolverhampton, England in 1877, as a maker of bicycles and by 1905, a separate car manufacturing business had been spun off, which by 1912 was a luxury marque competing with Rolls-Royce and Daimler. The company progressively got involved in racing and land speed record breaking, including achieving many records at Brooklands. During and after the Great War, Sunbeam built aero engines, some of which went on to power land speed record cars in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1921, Sunbeam merged with the French based, but British owned, Automobiles Darracq, creating Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq building Sunbeam cars, trolley buses and aero engines and Talbot cars in the UK, and Talbot-Darracq in France.
In 1935, Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq went in to receivership and the automotive interests were purchased by the growing Rootes Group, in competition with Jaguar. Rootes quickly prepared a range of two cars, which were both heavily based on the Hillman Minx, and badged them the Sunbeam-Talbot 10 and the Sunbeam-Talbot 2 litre.
Production was suspended for the second world war and the first new post-war cars were the Sunbeam-Talbot 80 and 90, shown at the famous 1948 London Motor Show.
Sunbeam also offered the more sporting Alpine from 1954, but this was an almost coach-built limited volume car. Meanwhile, the Sunbeam-Talbots were looking dated by the mid 1950s, and the Minx was moving to the Audax series, from 1956.
Rootes took advantage of this, and the general British acceptance of badge engineering (to lesser or greater extents), to use the Audax as a basis for a new generation of Sunbeams, dropping the Talbot suffix for good.
The Rapier, and therefore the Sunbeam brand, was now clearly a Minx spin off, with a sporting intent, and more performance. The car was offered as a Coupe, or as Convertible, alongside the Minx convertible. Initially the Rapier came with a 1390cc engine, with OHV, as used in the Minx but with a higher compression ratio. The gearbox was a four speed, plus overdrive, with a steering column change mechanism. Suspension was by torsion bars at the front and leaf springs at the rear; the wheelbase, 96 inches. Competitors in the UK were essentially from BMC–the MG Magnette was probably the key competitor along with the Riley 1.5 litre. Ford and Vauxhall had no comparable compact sporting car at this time.
From the off, the Audax Rapier was strong in rallying, gaining class wins in the Mille Miglia, Tulip and Alpine rallies in 1956, and building on this throughout the rest of the 1950s, including being the first British car to win the Monte Carlo Rally, in 1958. Much of Rootes’ publicity for the Rapier built on these achievements.
The Rapier then progressed through an evolution that was typical of Rootes at the time. The engine went to 1494cc in 1958 (known as the Rallymaster) and then to 1592cc and finally to 1725cc; disc brakes came in 1963; the tailfins grew; the two tone paint schemes varied and grille was changed from a design similar to its Hillman stablemates to a much more fussy and dated “traditional” style. What didn’t change was the distinctive and attractive rear roof line, which looped across the back of the car giving a large and panoramic rear window.
In 1962, Rootes supplemented the Audax Minx and the upmarket Singer Gazelle derivative with the Hillman Super Minx and Singer Vogue. The intention was to also replace the Rapier with a slightly different car, more closely matching the concept of competing products, such as the MG Magnette and the Vauxhall VX4-90, a sports saloon version of the Victor FB. This would have been a version of the Superminx, but with a higher power engine, and roof line that showed echoes of the Rapier’s previous style. But Rootes had a late change of mind, and this car came as the Humber Sceptre. Potentially, this was sharp move, giving Rootes something to compete with the ethos of the new breed of car epitomised by the Rover and the Triumph.
The reasons Rootes opted to change their mind are not openly recorded. Potentially the goal was a response to the Triumph 2000 and Rover 2000, albeit at slightly lower slot in the market, or maybe Rootes spotted that the emerging compact luxury car would supersede the dated larger Humber Hawk and Super Snipe, or maybe the aim was to make space for a new Rapier that could be seen as the first British car to follow the concept of the Mustang and Barracuda, based on the Rootes Arrow (Hillman Hunter) platform.
Photo from www.aronline.co.uk
The Barracuda reference may or may not be important; visually the car has some strong Barracuda references, especially in the style of the rear window and fastback. This was always contested by the lead stylist, Roy Axe, and as the photo above is dated April 1964 and uses a clear derivative of the previous Rapier rear window roof hoop feature, it suggests there is little reason to doubt him. At this time, the Rapier was planned to use the bonnet, front wings and windscreen of the Hunter. As development progressed, the Hunter wings–with the raised feature line at waist level–were dropped for a design with a much smoother profile. This, with the pillarless profile and the distinctive rear window, made for one the most attractive and individual British cars of the late 1960s.
The Rapier was actually based on the floorpan of the Hillman Hunter Estate, and the two cars shared taillights. The engine was the higher tune version of the familiar Rootes 1725cc OHV four-cylinder, with a four-speed gearbox and optional overdrive. The engine came in varying levels of tune, ranging from 61bhp for the basic Minx, 72bhp for the Hunter, 76bhp for Rapier and 79bhp for the Hillman GT.
There was also an entry-level Rapier, with the 72 bhp engine and a reduced level of trim and fittings, marketed as the Sunbeam Alpine. It lost out the blacked out C pillar, some internal fittings and instrumentation, but strangely gained fashionable high back front seats with an integral head rest design.
But Rootes had something else up their sleeves for the Rapier: a 93bhp version of the same engine with twin Weber carburettors, tuned by Holbay, who were long time tuners of Rootes engines. This was clearly the fastest Rapier and the fastest Rootes product until the Avenger Tiger came along. Why the car was named H120 is not clear–it did not have 120 bhp and certainly not capable of 120 mph either.
Added to the twin Webers were restyled wheels and a revised boot lid with an integral spoiler. Strangely, Dad did not consider this be too cool for its own good (or maybe he did?).
The Rapier shared elements of the interior with other Arrow cars, but the dash was exclusive to the Sunbeam, along with the full range of instruments. It was initially built at Ryton, then Coventry and finally in Linwood, Scotland from 1969.
The Rapier was announced to very positive reception at the 1968 London Motor Show, exactly twenty years after the first post war Sunbeam-Talbots, and was effectively a very attractive entrant in a class of one. Less than a year later, Ford announced the Capri. Conceptually, there was a similarity between them, as both were based on ordinary (in every sense) saloons, had two-door, fashionable fastback body styles and a premium position in the market compared with the donor car.
Photo from www.car-from-uk.com
But the Capri had several advantages, not least a wide range of engines, options and trim levels, Ford’s marketing muscle and much larger dealer network, and a more compact size. By sales volume, the Rapier was never in the same league. It should perhaps be seen as a British personal luxury coupe to the Capri’s role as a pony car.
In 1972, the Holbay twin Weber engine was offered in the Hillman Hunter GLS, with a revised front grille and headlamp arrangement that linked to the Rapier as well. The Rapier received no complementary development, as Chrysler UK slowly but surely ran into the rocks. After the UK government bailout of Chrysler in 1975, the product range was quickly trimmed back. All the remaining cars were rebranded as Chryslers, the old Rootes brands of Hillman, Humber and Sunbeam died, and the Rapier was retired. In eight years, 46,000 had been built, a number that would have embarrassed Ford had the Capri not exceeded them by a factor of thirty. Yes, that was the reach of the Ford marketing machine and image. And also part of the appeal of the Rapier to me, as it didn’t have the aura of instant conformity to fashion that the Capri inevitably carried. It was bigger inside, had a bigger boot than the Capri and it came from the garage that Dad preferred. Seemed the obvious choice to me.
So, perhaps Britain’s best looking mainstream car of the late 1960s left little trace and few memories. Personally, I still admire its style and Rootes’s courage to go for it in 1964, and to beat the Capri to the market. BLMC never went for this part of the market (the two-door Marina Coupe was a very different animal) and Vauxhall had nothing until 1978, with the Cavalier Sportshatch.
The Rapier is notable for something else of international significance, though. It launched the career of Roy Axe; within seven years of its launch, Axe was Director of Design for Chrysler in Detroit. And I suspect that is something for which many may be quietly thankful.
Related reading: Ford Capri & Vauxhall Cavalier Sportshatch
a very underated and overlooked car the capri blew it out of the water in terms of sales .stylewise the rapier wins hands down were eles could you buy a pillerless coupe for mainstream car money a great looking car
My parents bought a used 1960 Rapier convertible as
a second car in the mid 60s. The car had one of the best looking dashes ever made, solid wood with a full complement of chrome ringed gauges and toggle switches. Unfortunately, the design of the starter allowed for excessive clash between the Bendix Gear and the Flywheel Ring Gear, which would chew up both gears on a regular basis. After a couple of trips to the mechanic for starter repairs, the Sunbeam was sold in favor of a more reliable 61 Chevy Biscayne.
Easy fix for early Rootes starter motors is install one from a CF Bedford 4 banger the Hunter preengaged starter fouls the steering gear.
Thanks Roger,another great read about a car from my mis spent youth.I had a gold 75 Rapier automatic which was a POS.Despite 3 years of agro I’d still like another especially the H120.One of my brother’s mates had a turquoise coloured H120 which was very quick.
Mr Watkins my favourite music teacher had a Hunter GT in red to replace his Wolsley 1500,again another fast car in it’s day(1973).
Can you remember the UK registration of the turquoise H120?. I have a 1970 version imported from the UK in 2010 and would like to track a few more of the previous owners.
Brian Baylis (NZ)
Sorry I can’t remember it but it was very rusty and dented when my brother’s mate had it.In the late 70s it was a 2nd hand car and not a valuable classic.keep Show us more of your Rapier please
I knew I didn’t know this car but sure wasn’t surprised at the Barracuda reference in the text. Knew there was a Chrysler somewhere in it’s family tree.
Though interestingly, Roy Axe’s 1964 prototype above is dated a few months before Chrysler execs came on to the Rootes board. A good thing for Axe that he took his cues from the right American company!
I had an uncle with a Rapier, sad to say he fancied himself as sporty, but never really had the image for it! But a very sharp-looking car which, hatchbacked and properly developed, could have been years ahead of its time.
Ron Wisdom, who designed the Imp variants, talks about the Chrysler people being involved at Rootes when the van was at prototype stage. Also, Colin Neale had been sent back from the States and was involved with the Imp coupe’s details. I couldn’t find specific dates for the development of these variants, but it does point to a specific time the US got involved in product decisions. Someone who really knows their Imps might be able to nail these dates down. If they were April 1964 or earlier, then its possible Chrysler was also influencing this Arrow two door. Barracuda was released April 1964, had it been shown publicly beforehand?
The reverse view of that 1964 Rapier prototype shows a full glass as per the Barracuda instead of the final three piece. It probably bugged Axe no end to have his first design mentioned as a crib, but that rear end…
Don the first sale of shares to Chrysler happened in June 1964, I’m not sure how long it had been in the works though or whether Chrysler had any influence prior to then. They certainly had influence after taking over, there were a lot of cost-cutting measures, some made sense and some didn’t.
The Imp coupe/fastbacks were released in early 1967, possibly February.
Yep. Release date for the van was late 1965 and they were building prototypes on production vehicles which means 1963 or later. But the release of the Barracuda was April 1964, and that first Arrow prototype was April 1964. Unless they were given a sneak peek of the Barracuda or it had been previewed somehow in the press, then logic would dictate that this styling was not determined or influenced by Chrysler. We would be closer to an answer if we knew exactly when Chrysler stylists started talking to Rootes stylists.
I did some more checking and apparently Geoffrey Rootes’ autobiography stated Chrysler approached Rootes in spring 1964 so perhaps March. Surely the prototype would have been well underway if not largely finished by then.
Thanks, John. On the evidence, it looks like the Barracuda link is coincidence, but what an amazing coincidence it is.
This is the British version of the Cudda and sold as the Sunbeam Alpine Stateside. As a 12 year old I tried to talk my dad into getting one as a company car, 120hp was traffic for a mid 70s four banger. He came home with a Avenger GLS. 75hp ,still not bad.
I really like this one, Roger. I think I would have liked for my own Dad to get one too. 🙂
Great looking cars with solid if not very exotic mechanical bits. There is a pair of Rapiers for sale semi-locally for years. They look decent enough but have been sitting for a few decades.
in late 1971 my grandfather’s 1964 ford galaxie was totaled as he waited to complete his left turn. my parents sold him their 1969 impala and we went car shopping for a new 1972 model. at the dealership i was drawn to the corvette but new it was really impractical for a family of 4 with one car. next up was a full size pickup, but that too got shot down as too small to sit 4 abreast. by the time i realized my parents and the salesman were talking impalas (again! nooooooooo) i tried to argue for the white convertible with black top and seats that was displayed prominently in the showroom. to no avail. my parents ‘settled’ for a 1972 impala green with green vinyl top and green naugahyde interior. the fact that i learned to drive on that car and that it was a 2 door coupe and not a 4 door sedan were the only redeeming features.
Paul did an article on the alpine in 2011:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-1968-sunbeam-alpine-gt-the-british-barracuda/
I was just about to say that too, and you beat me to it by a few minutes. Good remembering.
Thanks.
Best looking Brit from the late 60s? That, I don’t know… but it was certainly one of them. I always assumed these debuted a little later, when Rootes was already under Chrysler control for a few years, and figured the styling was directly influenced by the Barracuda, if not intentionally derivative, since the Rapier was also sold in the U.S. (as a Sunbeam Alpine, I think).
In any case, they would’ve fit in nicely at a late 60s Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. I wasn’t around back then and don’t have any reference material handy, so I don’t know if they were actually sold through Chrysler showrooms over here. I’ve also never seen one in person, which leads me to believe they were somewhat rare in America, but I could be wrong about that.
Always love your perspective and detailed history on British cars, Roger – keep em coming!
My very first road legal car back in 1972 was a 1961 Sunbeam Rapier IIIA with the1592 cc engine. A neighbor across the road gave it to me after it broke down and he couldn’t get it running again. After some careful diagnosis I determined it needed a new timing chain and tensioner. With limited tools and funds I got it running and had the first of three Sunbeams I would eventually own. I drove it all through the rest of High School and would amuse my friends by starting it with the hand crank that was stored in the trunk.
I really enjoyed that car but a few years later I found what I thought at the time to be a much “cooler” 1961 Alpine that needed a new engine and the Rapier became the donor.
Those wheels, that steering wheel and that front end are familiar to me as my uncle owned a 1978 Hunter GLS. It lasted three decades in Tehran traffic, so it was clearly a very stout device. It was also a very crude one, and in its bright yellow shade, with tons of sloppily applied filler, the butt of family jokes.
It also had these very cool gauges:
You had an uncle with a Paykan? Cool!
To my eyes, it’s a Jensen Barracuda.
it’s the Semi ‘Cuda
You beat me to it — I was looking at the photos and thinking, “You know, that looks a bit like an Interceptor that shrank in the wash.”
Good write up,The original Rapier didnt have torsion bar front suspension, it used the Minx front end of coils. The Tulip rally car was pulled from the production line and given in driver Peter Harper’s words a stage 3 tune meaning it was driven hard in every gear including the overdrives oil change, tune, and straight into competition, it won.
A Humber Hillman club member here has H120 powertrain fitted to a 59 Humber80 including a 3:70 diff the engine internals are balanced and it happily pulls 90mph in 3rd O/D. Right from the early Audax all the running gear interchanges making keeping a 3A like mine easy to get parts for should anything break and as these cars were quite ruggedly made that rarely happens.
I’ve been staring at that interior dash shot trying to imagine what it must be like to pilot a right-hand drive car. It has always seemed so perplexing to me, but I would surmise that you Brits must wonder the same thing about big left-hand drive American iron. Curiously though, the accelerator and brake pedals are in the same relative position. I was a passenger in a British right-hand drive car once, back in 1970 in London, but that, too, seemed so perplexing to be riding in the spot that you should be driving from. Guess you get used to it eventually. An old work friend of mine lived in New Zealand and Australia for a couple of years, she said it was a nightmare consciously trying to reverse all your ingrained driving skills.
Anyway, very interesting article, Roger, thanks for your perspective. I have never been able to get a handle on British cars, this helps.
Try diving a right hand drive car in a left hand drive environment and you’ll agree its easier to move the driver!
I’d think it would be easier to learn to left-drive on two-lane country roads than on multi-lane freeways, where absolutely everything would seem bass-ackwards.
Used to drive a LHD Beetle here in the UK. The only problem was when I was tired, I occasionally slapped my left hand against the driver’s door looking for a gearstick.
Sometimes I think you position the car differently on the road if you’re on the “wrong” side. I drive a lot in the Scottish Highlands and come across a lot of European registered cars and campers and they often don’t give you much room.
It ain’t that bad. I’m from a RHD nation (Australia) and on my trips to the USA
I very quickly adjust to LHD. I’ve done more long distance driving over there than at home. ( your roads are WAAAAAY better)
My first trip to the USA in ’88 had me rarely using the interior mirror- I was so so used to looking up & to the left, rather than up & to the right.
Indicators weren’t an issue, I was used to Fiats that had the indicator stalk on the left of the column.
These days I drive a LHD car- my Skylark here in RHD territory. It’s not that difficult to deal with. I don’t find myself walking to to the RH side to hop in, I go to the LH side.
I credit my adaptabity to my days as an apprentice mechanic. I’d go from
a auto to a manual, V8 to 4 cyl, etc with out any worries.
Nice one Roger I did not know the H120 had a rear spoiler. A friend is currently restoring a Rapier with twin webers and I think a H120 rocker cover.
A guy up in Queensland races one but has Hunter front panels fitted because they are easier to replace if necessary. It looks quite good actually with a less pointed nose.
Don the thing I found hardest about driving on the other side was I kept looking in the wrong place for the internal rear view mirror. Using the controls is a ‘conscious’ thing but a quick glance in the mirror is almost subconscious. I can understand the trouble people have using a manual gear lever with their non-favoured (left) hand too even if the shift pattern is not reversed.
I found overtaking in a left hooker a bit tricky at first.Mum never felt OK with it.One of my cousins never got on with LHD while another went straight from a Ford Anglia to a vast 68 Dodge Polara with a 383 no trouble.He even drove home in the dark first time in an auto and LHD also
Interesting reguarding mirrors I rarely look in the centre mirror when driving, too used to trucks I guess and two of mycars have sideview mirrors, my Hillman is only fitted with the centre mirror and it takes a concsious effort to look in it, Ive consequently never understood the need for reversing cameras trucks are generally NOT fitted with them and are easy to back and see where your going.
The bigger rear visibility problem in a lot of modern cars, in my opinion, is that precious little of the outside of the car is actually visible to the driver. On my car, my view of the bonnet ends about where it slopes down, which isn’t awful by modern standards, but there are no visual reference points for the tail at all, which demands caution in tight maneuvers even if you’re fairly familiar with the dimensions of the car. With some modern cars, you can’t see anything beyond the windshield frames, even on some very large vehicles.
I agree. People used to ask, wasn’t it difficult to drive such a large car as the 1957 New Yorker 4-door hardtop we had. The answer was “No. It has all the power in the world, power steering and power brakes, and you can see all four corners of it from the driver’s seat.”
Conversely, I’d rather back a dump truck than some of the newer vehicles I’ve seen lately.
Completely agree. My parents’ ’65 Lincoln Continental was a breeze to drive and park, tons of power, and its bladed fenders and full view rear window allowed you to see all four corners of the car with ease. My cousin has a new Honda Odyssey van, I hate to drive it, you have absolutely no concept of where the front and rear extremities are located. The hood slopes dramatically away from your field of view, with no reference points to determine where its front is, and the rear end is so invisible, you might as well be trying to drive a Brinks truck.
I see these as the design inspiration of a vastly more familiar sight from my teenage years.
The Datsun B210 hatch.
Good catch.
I came here to post the same Datsun B210 resemblance thing. You saved me the trouble, six years ago!
I’d never noticed it, but it’s definitely there.
But wouldn’t Detroit be the direct source of Nissan’s inspiration?
Agreed I recall looking at these cars on a Chrysler UK dealers lot in the early 1970’s and really wanted it as the new family car as we had owned an earlier much loved series Rapier years before.Both types were by British standards very stylish and well equipped cars with true hardtop styling which hardly another makes ever bothered to offer (only exception I recall was the 1961 Ford Consul Capri)
The H120 was the performance model of the fastback Sunbeams and shared a Holbay tuned engine with the Hillman Hunter GLS but only one engine size was offerred and despite a cheaper stripped model called the Alpine in the UK the cars never had the wide range of engine/trim options of the late 60’s Ford Capri.Ford took the Mustang approach and the Capri was whatever you wanted it to be.The Sunbeam never offerred this versatility as 45,000 sales in 8 years proves.Nevertheless though Dad didn’t buy the fastback I owned one as an adult -Aztec gold with cream seats -a very pleasant car to drive with a fine slick gearchange and a superbly trimmed interior-anyone else remember the perforated ambla “breathable vinyl ” seats ?
All very interesting our kid, but trolleybus is one word not two.
Also, you haven’t mentioned the Talbot Sunbeam, just to confuse people
Dear Sir,
Call me at 213-453-1736 if you still have this car.
I am interested
Edward
Are you still looking for one of these ? I know where there is a 1969 Alpine GT which might be for sale.
In my motoring career, I’ve owned two H120 Rapiers and have fond recollections of them. The rakish lines, pillarless sides, overdrive and those Weber carbs appealed to me more than the rival Capri. In the 20 years, I owned the car, I replaced most of the steel body work and joined the Holbay register. The register published service bulletins and reminiscences of MD John Reid who once ran an H120 as his daily driver. The H (obviously) was for Holbay but the 120 came from the number of cylinder heads the company could modify in a week. There *was* a 122 bhp version of the H120 – this involved sending the cam back to the works together with the cylinder head and inlet manifold. Most of the magic centred on matching ports to the manifold and an exchange E128 camshaft (which required revised valve clearances). I was told by John Reid that the E128 spec was more or less the tune of the London Sydney Marathon winning Hunter but Holbay did a 150bhp Le Mans conversion too, with reworked head, valves, cam, different exhaust again (even from the H120), with HP oil pump and oil cooler. There was a very short run of 1840cc engines offered by Holbay too.
There is a pre 65 Humber 80(Hillman Minx) race car here running 1850 cc Hunter engine block its quite fast though not a race winner, I was told the internal rotating mass was originally intended for a Chevrolet but fits.
The Chrysler man didn’t make you as happy as he could have!
Nice one!
And he kept trying.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/auction-site-classics-can-the-chrysler-man-make-you-happy-ken-certainly-tried/
There was another engine option tried out in prototype for the Arrow series of cars it never made production but one of Chryslers LA V8s was inserted into an Arrow body successfully probably an offshoot of the V8 Supersnipe experiments anyway it worked the car went like a bullet but just like Vauxhalls V8 FD Victor prototype came to nothing.
My Californian parents had a Sunbeam Rapier. I wish I knew the order of their vehicles but as I remember, they had an MGTC, then a Borgward wagon, then the Sunbeam Rapier, followed by a Volvo 122s and Datsun 510. The only car they ever hated was the Rapier. Clearly they loved a unique vehicle but that Rapier drove them crazy. My recollection of why it was so annoying ain’t there- the last time we talked about it was in, probably 1975. Nonetheless, it’s great to see it written about and rembered more fondly here.
I first saw this generation of Rapier as an 11 year old whilst on holiday on the Isle of Wight, Summer of 1968. It was in a lovely metallic green and I thought it looked wonderful. They were quite new then, having been launched the previous October. Still think it’s more elegant than the Capri and still like a nice metallic green too.
Although I like Rootes cars I could never feel much love for these hardtops. There is something wrong about the proportions – the wheels are just too small for the body.
Usually I am not a fan of big(ger) non-factory wheels but this body would benefit greatly I think.
I´ve only ever seen one of these, a mustard yellow in leafy Dublin 4, Ireland. That was at least 20 years ago. It didn´t seem to me to be a very appealing car – you´d need special personal reasons to want to like to want to think about out owning one. I am glad someone does like them but if you really wanted a coupe like this you´d surely pick a Capri or maybe a Manta first. Then if those are too Joe Blow, an Alfa GTV would the next choice and after that, hmmm, Mercedes 230 CE? The least understood part of orphan brands is that few understand them because there is no one pushing the brand in the market place. “Sunbeam? What´s that?”
In the US, we got them as a base Alpine and upmarket Alpine GT.
As Chrysler owned the majority of Rootes by then, I believed these were Rootes recycling of the original Plymouth Valiant-based fastback Barracuda.
Perhaps they, like the original Barracuda, would’ve had a wider market had they been hatchbacks.
I think at the time, many considered these a lame replacement for the popular Alpine roadsters. Having owned a Super Minx convertible and an Alpine roadster, I wouldn’t mind having one of these fastbacks today because of there rarity.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Happy Motoring, Mark