It may not appear on anyone's "most beautiful cars" list but for me the original Sunbeam Alpine deserves to be there, as would almost any car designed by Raymond Loewy. Perhaps the Alpine is overlooked because it lacks stunning performance, even though it has the lines of a sports car; a bench-type seat and steering column-mounted gear lever is anything but sporting, while the running gear and suspension are based on a 4-door sedan. Having said that, I feel compelled to point out that Alpines did well in European rallies, in one case with Stirling Moss at the wheel.
Perhaps film director Alfred Hitchcock also admired the Alpine's handsome lines, for he used it as an active prop in the wonderful movie To Catch a Thief. Grace Kelly was at the wheel with Cary Grant as her nervous passenger during a chase sequence along the curving roads of the Riviera, the French gendarmes in pursuit. The camera was overcranked to give the impression of greater speed but this did nothing to spoil the glamour of the car and its famous occupants.
So whenever I attend Vancouver's All British car show I immediately begin looking for an early Alpine and this year I wasn't disappointed, for there were two to admire, including the 1953 Mk I in our photo, owned by Peter and Karen Woodall. With Sunbeam Alpines being a featured marque, there were a great many to see from a later period when Alpines were true sports cars. When fitted with Ford V-8 engines the final series performed like jungle cats which, of course, is why they were renamed Sunbeam Tigers.
I’ve always loved these cars, especialy once I found out that Sir Moss won in it.
May 26, 2009 @ 9:58 amThere is quite a lovely one in town here … nice clean, simple lines.