Rare 1954 Sunbeam Alpine Roadster

A rare red 1954 Sunbeam Alpine arriving at and leaving Cars and Coffee at Finish Line Auto Club. Based on the Sunbeam-Talbot 90, the Alpine uses the saloon's 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine modified to produce around 98 horsepower and features roadster bodywork designed with the help of Raymond Loewy whose work included the Studebaker Avanti and the Coca-Cola bottle. This example is one of 1,582 Alpines built between 1953 and 1955, around 200 of which are believed to still exist.

I was surprised to discover that this car was a Sunbeam Alpine and felt a bit stupid afterwards for not recognizing a popular nameplate among enthusiasts. But that's because I had always associated the name with the later (1959-1968) version of the car which was produced in much larger numbers, and I had no idea an earlier model with the same name actually existed. It certainly has an eye-catching design, and in its day it was no slouch in performance either. After all, it was originally conceived based on a competition car. And let's hope the driver reminded his buddy in the Borgward Isabella to be a bit more careful next time and avoid any more close calls!

Would you choose this '54 Sunbeam Alpine over the more popular later (1959-1968) model? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!