At $10,000, Is This 1966 Sunbeam Alpine A Smart Bargain?

While it looks for illustration its rip-snorting brother, nan Tiger, today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Sunbeam is its little raucous sibling, nan four-cylinder Alpine. Let's spot if it's priced to dress up for that less-meaner demeanor.

Automakers put a batch of thought into naming their cars and trucks. When a exemplary proves successful, nan sanction enters a pantheon of words much commonly associated pinch machinery than nan original usage. A cleanable illustration of this is "Mustang," which, erstwhile mentioned, leads astir of america to image nan Ford pony car, not a chaotic equine of nan American Southwest.

It's nan aforesaid point wrong nan heavy good of philharmonic notations, retired of which person been pulled bucketfuls of automotive exemplary names. For many, nan names Austin Maestro and Allegro, Honda Beat and Ballade, and galore much each conjure up images of cars, not evenings astatine nan orchestra. Interestingly, Allegro was an early contender astatine Ford for nan car that would yet go nan accumulation Mustang. Ford yet sewage astir to leveraging nan euphony milieu erstwhile it introduced nan Tempo successful nan 1980s.

The 1993 Ford Tempo GL we looked astatine yesterday offered sensible proscription and a astonishing five-speed manual transmission. At a $2,700 asking, you each didn't miss a beat, giving nan Ford a noteworthy 73% Nice Price win.

Speaking of naming, today's 1966 Sunbeam came pinch 2 arguably cool names: nan four-cylinder Alpine and nan Ford-powered V8 Tiger. At 1 time, some were utilized successful nan 1960s TV comedy, 'Get Smart.' In nan series, Agent 86, played pinch razor-sharp comedic timing by character Don Adams, opened each section pinch a title series showing him arriving successful a sports car astatine his spy web HQ. In nan show's seldom seen aviator episode, Agent 86 arrives successful a bluish Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet. That was replaced successful nan bid pinch a Sunbeam Tiger, and successful later seasons, a VW Karmann Ghia and an Opel GT.

Of each of those, nan Tiger is nan astir interesting, not conscionable because it's nan coolest, pinch its Ford V8, but because it had a four-cylinder Alpine serving arsenic its stand-in for galore of nan close-up gags. As 'Get Smart' was a parody of nan James Bond films, Agent 86 people had to person a gadget-laden car to assistance pinch his conflict against nan evil KAOS organization. The show's producers wanted nan Tiger to person an under-hood gun, fume surface and lipid slick deployment, and moreover an ejector seat. The problem was that immoderate of nan hardware—notably nan under-hood gun—wouldn't fresh successful nan Tiger, truthful an Alpine was alternatively modified and re-branded arsenic a Tiger for nan scenes requiring nan spy machinery.

Like Maxwell Smart's car, this 1966 Sunbeam Aline Mark V is reddish pinch achromatic upholstery and wears afloat mill instrumentality covers. Unlike nan Get Smart car, however, location are nary guns, rotating licence plates, aliases fume bombs.

It's besides not a Tiger, truthful there's nary V8 nether nan hood. Instead, there's Sunbeam's stout 1725 cc OHV inline 4 equipped pinch a brace of Zenith Stromberg 150 CD side-draught carburetors. From nan factory, that group up makes a claimed 93 horsepower (gross). This car has that paired pinch a desirable Laycock-de-Normanville overdrive connected nan modular four-speed manual gearbox.

Per nan seller, a caller clutch resides betwixt nan motor and transmission. The advertisement besides notes nan replacement of nan windscreen, caller Koni shocks beforehand and rear, arsenic good arsenic caller Michelin XVS rubber. The car is described arsenic being different each original and to travel pinch a "good history." According to nan listing, it has 75,000 miles nether its loop and has a cleanable title.

Appearing to beryllium a turn-key classic, this Alpine would let anybody to get their hole of Agent 86 (or Barbara Feldon's saucy Agent 99) moreover if it isn't a Tiger. The car looks to beryllium successful awesome style successful nan pictures, pinch each its chrome trim sparkling brightly successful nan sun and each nan correct badging.

We don't get to spot overmuch of nan interior since it's masked by nan included tonneau cover, which raises different question: Does nan car person immoderate benignant of top? Nothing is mentioned successful nan ad, and nan car is only shown pinch nan tonneau successful place, truthful it begs nan mobility of whether aliases not this is thing much than a fair-weather friend.

Speaking of friends, this Alpine judge seems to beryllium successful bully company. The pictures successful nan Craigslist advertisement show, among its brethren, a Land Rover pickup, V4 Saab 96, Lotus Cortina, Lotus Elan and Seven, and a Rover P6. I wonderment if nan seller is up for adopting an big child?

The asking value for this Alpine is $10,000, which places it squarely successful nan scope of a likewise specified and information MBGs. Naturally, nan MG would person vastly amended parts availability, considering you tin fundamentally build 1 retired of nan Moss Motors catalog. The Sunbeam, connected nan different hand, is overmuch rarer and hence, a spot much interesting. Of course, it would beryllium bully if it were nan V8 Tiger, but pinch existent woody Tigers going for six figures these days, possibly nan four-pot Alpine is nan much charismatic action astatine nan moment.

What do you think? Is this Alpine beautiful charismatic astatine that $10,000 asking? Or for that much, would it not beryllium a "smart get?"

You decide!

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

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