Where the 1953-55 Sunbeam Alpine Came From

When I was young I didn't appreciate the styling of British cars aside from Jaguars and Austin-Healeys.  And in Seattle back in the 1950s there were other kinds of British cars such as the Sunbeam Alpine, the subject of this post.   I previously wrote about its design here.

British cars struck me as being rather old-fashioned compared to the futuristic 1954 Oldsmobiles and Buicks that were beginning to hit the streets.  Nowadays, I look more fondly on 1948-1955 vintage British car styling -- for a few brands, at least, including the Sunbeam Alpine.

Today I want to trace how Alpines were descended from Sunbeam-Talbot 90 sedans -- or saloons, as they are called on their home turf.

Most cars pictured below were listed for sale on the Web.

Gallery

1948 Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Saloon
An early 90 with headlights closer to the ground than later, when they were raised to meet US standards for export purposes.

1948 Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Saloon
The fenders flowing over the front door were fashionably "American" in 1948, resembling such fender lines found on such brands as DeSoto and Packard.  However, American cars also had distinctive rear fenders.  Note that the beltline drops to the rear.  Also the higher headlight position compared to the car in the previous image.

1953 Sunbeam-Talbot 90 Saloon
Rear quarter view showing the ample trunk (or "boot") and aft fenderline sculpting.

1955 Sunbeam 90 Mk III Drophead Coupé
A late-model Convertible (Drophead Coupé).  For 1955 the Talbot name disappeared while Buick-style portholes appeared. 

Most of the sedan body was retained.  Differences include the front door forward cutline and trunk lid modifications allowing for the folding top ("hood").

Another difference is that the beltline does not curve downwards.

1955 Sunbeam Alpine Mk III - Bonhams auction photo
The back seat was eliminated and the aft, trunk-related sheetmetal replaced, now curved, conforming with the rear fenderline.

The car looks nice from this perspective.  In my post linked above, I mentioned that the car would have looked better had the driver's compartment been moved aft a short distance.  But that probably would have increased to price of the car too much due to the need for a new cowling, hood lengthening, and so forth.

1953 Sunbeam-Talbot Alpine
Now for a partial walkaround of an early Alpine.  The front ensemble with the traditional vertical grille and teardrop fender line is attractive.  The auxiliary air intakes flanking the main grille detract from the design, being cramped between the grille and headlights.  On the other hand, they likely were functionally necessary for motor cooling -- though a modern chin-scoop intake might have worked as well.

The car looks good in profile, though I would like a subtle sculpted hint of a separate rear fender just below beltline level.

The rear aspect is also pleasing.