1964 Sunbeam Alpine

The Sunbeam Harrington Alpine and Le Mans are 2+2 seater coupes produced from 1961 to 1964.

At the beginning of the 1960s, many Sunbeam customers bemoaned the lack of a coupe option for the Alpine. While Thomas Harrington & Co Ltd. of Hove - coachbuilder and Rootes distributor - were looking to diversify their output. The resulting Sunbeam Alpine Harrington was based on the Series II but sported a GRP roof that turned it into a 2-door coupe.

The Harrington Alpine was first available in March 1961 and was sold via Rootes dealers on a per-order basis as ‘an official conversion’. The Harrington treatment was elaborate; the rear bulkhead was altered and the boot lid shortened in order to accommodate the new roofline. In basic form the Harrington cost £1,225, and under the bonnet was the 1.6-litre engine that was available in three stages of FIA-approved tune available via the engineering division of George Hartwell Ltd. of Bournemouth. Stage 1 offered reshaped and polished induction ports, valve throats, inlet manifold, combustible chambers and exhaust ports. Stage 2 added a high-lift camshaft, twin pipe exhaust, lightened flywheel and competition clutch, together with a compression ratio raised to 9.5 to 1. The Stage 3 conversion had balanced pistons and connecting rods, in addition, an anti-roll bar, heavy-duty shock absorbers and stronger brake linings. There was also a tachometer, bucket seats, and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. 0-60 for the Stage 2 was 12.8 seconds.

At the 1961 Earls Court Motor Show, the Harrington Alpine was augmented by the Le Mans version, also based on the Series II and so-named for the converted Alpine that won the 1961 Le Mans 24-Hour Index of Thermal Efficiency. It was distinguished by its GRP finless tail and lack of Alpine badging and Rootes now listed it as a standard product. Half of the 250 Le Mans built were destined for the USA. The UK price was £1,494 15s 7d (steep for a car on which a heater was a listed extra), with a top speed of 106mph and 0-60 taking 13 seconds. A 1962 Autocar test concluded that ‘where it has lived up to its ideals the car is very pleasant, but it is a compromise between different designs and standards’. The final Le Mans was built in early 1963.

The original Harrington Coupe was replaced by the Model C in 1964, which combined the Alpine’s fins with a three-door coupe body equipped with a roof-top ventilator. The price was an extremely high £1,695 but only 20 Model Cs were made before they were replaced by the Model D, which had a new roof in order to accommodate the Alpine Series III’s modified windscreen. A Model D derived from the Alpine Series IV was subsequently available but production ended in October 1964 after only 12 conversions. By April 1966 the firm had closed.

The 1,592cc OHV S4 engine and transmission for the Harrington matched the respective Sunbeam Alpine that they were based upon.

The Harrington Alpines were an extremely clever design that suffered from being too expensive for their intended markets on both sides of the Atlantic.

Would-be purchasers face the same challenges as buyers of an Alpine of this period, namely corrosion of the front chassis legs, floor, inner sills, steering box mounting, inner wings, and behind the seats. Bits unique to the Harrington can also be an ownership challenge, as these certainly are rare GTs.

A Harrington may not be as fast as a Jaguar E-Type but their proud owners often regard them as more exclusive.

Rivals to the Harrington include the MGB Berlinette by Jacques Coune and the Triumph Dové GTR4.