Sunbeam Alpine Mk I

The Sunbeam Alpine Mk I was a two-seat roadster built in tiny numbers: only 1,192 were made, and roughly 200 are thought to survive. This one was first registered in June 1954 and still carries its original number plate and buff logbook.

It was restored between 2006 and 2012, starting from a dismantled car. The work included new sills, wheel arch sections, floor panels and rear apron, rechromed brightwork, a retrimmed beige leather interior and a new navy canvas hood. The original column-change gearbox has been replaced with a four-speed floor-change unit with overdrive, a well-known conversion. It is finished in Sapphire Blue, the car's original colour, which is also the shade of the Alpine in To Catch a Thief.

Since the restoration it has been shown at the NEC in 2014 and appeared in the BBC's Father Brown in 2015. More recently the brakes have been overhauled and a servo fitted, the starter motor rebuilt and a new distributor cap added. Invoices for the restoration are on file, and the car is listed with 3,000 miles.