The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Alpine says that the prior owner’s restoration of the car stopped when the British car mechanic that was assisting with the work suddenly passed away. Let’s see if this unfinished project has a price that would keep you from passing on it.
It’s long been preached that cleanliness is next to godliness, which I’ve always taken to mean that, should you get to heaven, make sure to take your shoes off before going in. In the case of diesel engines, that concept of cleanliness is an elusive goal as the oil burners do tend to spew all kinds of nastiness out of their tailpipes.
That didn’t stop the seller of yesterday’s 2005 Ford Excursion diesel from claiming it to be the cleanest in all the land. Of course, that referenced the truck’s appearance and not its emissions. That was countered by appreciably high mileage and the presence of the problematic six-liter Power Stroke V8 under the hood. Neither of those elements helped the seller’s cause in getting the $29,999 they asked for the truck, and in the end, that price fell in an 86 percent No Dice loss.
Ok, let’s make a clean break from massively oversized and ready to tow to something small, fun, and needing to be towed. You don’t mind a little bit of roll-up-your-sleeves work, do you?
This 1963 Sunbeam Alpine Series II is presented by its seller as an un-completed project. According to the ad, the car has been off the road for some time, having passed through a handful of owners who, over the years, disassembled it, repaired and rebuilt most of its major components, and then began the slow arduous process of reassembly and rebirth. Presently, it’s only most of the way there. Per the seller, the previous owner stopped working on the car when “a friend and British car mechanic that was helping him with the electrical and carb set up passed away unexpectedly.”
That’s a damn shame and now the most obvious work needed to bring the car’s restoration over the finish line is all that ugly wiring. That can either be daunting or a meditative adventure in circuit-chasing and re-looming. Could the rest of the car be worth it?
It certainly seems so. The bodywork has all been redone and freshly painted in a factory hue. The engine — a 1592 cc 88 horsepower OHV four — has been rebuilt and granted a pair of Stromberg carbs in place of the original single Solex along the way. There’s also all the original chrome on hand and a new top that still sits in its box ready to be strung across the fold-up frame. Other work already completed includes the reupholstered seats, dash, and armrest, as well as some new carpet for your tootsies.
Overall, it looks to be in pretty decent condition for a long-haul restoration. Speaking of looks, you might have mistaken this Alpine for the earlier two-seat Ford Thunderbird. That American sports car was certainly an inspiration for the Sunbeam’s sloping hood and expressive tail fin design. A similar doppelgänger came by way of the Auto Union 1000 SP of the same era.
The Alpine wears its homage bodywork well, although the fender fins and rear-canted tail lamps do look a bit cartoonish when compared to the less audacious style of the later series. There’s also the relationship to the brutal Tiger to be considered. That was the Shelby-ized version of the Alpine which dropped a Windsor small-block into the engine bay, offering up much of the same experience as Shelby’s masterwork, the Cobra.
This Alpine will never have anything like Tiger performance (zero to sixty times will be well over 10 seconds), but it should prove to be a modest and enjoyable cruiser for weekend jaunts and car meet-ups. Of course, before any of that can take place, the restoration will need to be completed. The focus of that will need to be on the wiring and getting the smaller engine to work properly with its now way-bigger carb setup.
For someone up to the task — i.e. armed with a multimeter and a Uni-Syn — that doesn’t seem all that daunting. What might be daunting, however, is the car’s $9,950 price. That gets you a clean-title car that will need to be towed to its new home owing to the outstanding work, but which should easily be up and running following a couple of weekends worth of noodling.
What’s your take on this nearly complete classic and that $9,950 price? Does that seem like a fair deal to go Alpining? Or, does that price need a little work?
You decide!
Atlanta, Georgia Craigslist (although the car appears to be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to S.R. Gooch for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
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