Alpine Adventures

[SixasStandard]

OK you lot........it appears that several gluttons for punishment among you are interested in my latest acquisition (well........it will be an acquisition when the queue at the local HSBC thins out and I can arrange the cash transfer to the seller). I went down to Surrey yesterday to view the car, which for the uninitiated is a 1966 Series V Sunbeam Alpine GT, fitted with a 1725cc Holbay engine. The car is VERY sound, with the chassis/sills/floors/inner wings/spring hangers all gloriously free of the dreaded tin worm.....unlike pretty much every other Alpine that I've looked at. The seller started up the engine for me, but the resulting cacophony of sound from the cracked exhaust manifold scared crows out of trees a good 300 yards away, not to mention leaving me with the sort of tinnitus not experienced since my disco days in the 1970s. Needless to say that puppy is coming out pretty sharpish, together with the OD gearbox which has a bad case of oil incontinence. Luckily I have a rebuilt 1725cc engine and gearbox waiting in the shed, so no need to panic. The car is complete, but partially disassembled......so a pleasant 2 hours was spent poking everything with a screwdriver, then sorting through various boxes of bits to check everything was there (it WAS all there). The car has a pair of Strommies fitted, but also comes with twin 40 DCOE Webers in a box, just in case I want to be crossed off Greta Thunthingy's Christmas card list. The car hasn't seen tarmac since the late 1980's, and currently wears a very fetching grey primer paint job........so what's not to like?

Right, I'm off to see if the HSBC queue has thinned out.

Ian

     

[Chris A]

Good luck and keep us informed

[Colin Lindsay]

You SERIOUSLY think we're not interested???

[SixasStandard]

2 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

You SERIOUSLY think we're not interested???

I don't think JB would have driven my one very far..........and I expect 'Q' would have got a right earful if he had!!

Ian

 

[Badwolf]

Ok, so, machine guns in the side lights, ejector seat (of course), you will need spinners on the wheels for the tyre slashers, satnav is now standard, does the alpine suffer from oil slick syndrome?, as for the tyre tacks you can just lob them over the boot lid if the hood is down....... get my pills, again, quick!!!

[DVD3500]

And this whole time I assumed you meant a Renault! 🙂

😄

 

[GFL]

That looks a great Project, well done.

Here's mine in good company at the TR International in 2018, I must try and get out in it more.

Gary 

[SixasStandard]

27 minutes ago, Gary Flinn said:

That looks a great Project, well done.

Here's mine in good company at the TR International in 2018, I must try and get out in it more.

Gary 

 

A Series IV or IVa Gary? I can't make out if it has the square corner bonnet and doors (GOD!!......do I sound like a nerd or what!).

Ian

[Pete Lewis]

Holbay head and twin webers makes an awesome intake  song  with the air box removed 

when i ran our emission  dept we did some tests on Rapiers H120 s of the day 

i remember the induction nearly sucked my tie and jacket down the throats 

the overdrive could be either D or J type    both were used over the years , 

even on the PB vans 

Pete

 

[GFL]

57 minutes ago, SixasStandard said:

 

A Series IV or IVa Gary? I can't make out if it has the square corner bonnet and doors (GOD!!......do I sound like a nerd or what!).

Ian

Ian

Neither, this one's a late Mk1 and ROARS! 😺🙀🙀

Regards 

[SixasStandard]

46 minutes ago, Gary Flinn said:

Ian

Neither, this one's a late Mk1 and ROARS! 😺🙀🙀

Regards 

 

Blimey!........I couldn't make out the Tiger side script!! Very nice indeed Gary.........although I have to say mine's still louder than yours at the moment!

Ian

[SixasStandard]

1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said:

Holbay head and twin webers makes an awesome intake  song  with the air box removed 

when i ran our emission  dept we did some tests on Rapiers H120 s of the day 

i remember the induction nearly sucked my tie and jacket down the throats 

the overdrive could be either D or J type    both were used over the years , 

even on the PB vans 

Pete

 

My car is fitted with the engine out of a H120, although the current induction is more along the lines of 'into the loudest cars on Earth Hall of Fame'.

Ian  

[SixasStandard]

2 hours ago, DVD3500 said:

And this whole time I assumed you meant a Renault! 🙂

😄

 

Wash your mouth out immediately and go sit on the naughty step.............Renault indeed! 

[SixasStandard]

2 hours ago, Badwolf said:

Ok, so, machine guns in the side lights, ejector seat (of course), you will need spinners on the wheels for the tyre slashers, satnav is now standard, does the alpine suffer from oil slick syndrome?, as for the tyre tacks you can just lob them over the boot lid if the hood is down....... get my pills, again, quick!!!

Sounds like your pills are being prescribed by Dr. No!........tyre slashers though.......hmmmm.......not totally averse to that idea........did Rubery Owen make those for the Alpine?

[Pete Lewis]

dont forget its based on the Hillman Husky   the first sort of SUV i suppose 

[DVD3500]

1 hour ago, SixasStandard said:

Wash your mouth out immediately and go sit on the naughty step.............Renault indeed! 

As Renaults go though, an Alpine ain't bad...

[SixasStandard]

59 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

dont forget its based on the Hillman Husky   the first sort of SUV i suppose 

I'm not likely to forget Pete, as you keep reminding me!

Ian

[Pete Lewis]

well at least its not the side valve offering  of the 50s

having said that my old  53 minx had a talbot race head and washers under the valve springs with a weber carb and she would pull 7k in 3rd

and tear the crownwheel bolts  out ....

but no chance of stopping quick 

so the alpine has a good heritage  still pee'd of i didnt have one  

Pete

[Nigel Clark]

Grey paintwork and minimal chrome is a very fashionable automotive look currently. Just give it a polish and drive it!

Seriously, that looks like a super project. Good luck!

Nigel

[Badwolf]

3 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

dont forget its based on the Hillman Husky   the first sort of SUV i suppose 

My first car was a Hillman Husky. People carrier, yes, SUV !!! you must be kidding

[Chris A]

2 hours ago, DVD3500 said:

As Renaults go though, an Alpine ain't bad...

Better than that the Alpine is Normande!

[Nigel Clark]

3 hours ago, DVD3500 said:

As Renaults go though, an Alpine ain't bad...

And the designer of the Renault Alpine was none other than Giovanni Michelloti.

Nigel

[Pete Lewis]

anyone see the state of the renault alpine on car sos 

apart from the awful state of the body  Tim couldnt get in the try it  , its just   Small 

Pete

[Mathew]

I had an alpine, unfortunately it was a talbot alpine, complete with five diffrent body colour body panels! Yours will look alot better than mine.

[Peaks]

12 hours ago, SixasStandard said:

The car is VERY sound, with the chassis/sills/floors/inner wings/spring hangers all gloriously free of the dreaded tin worm

Ian

That's good to hear, as you say Ian these things can rust! Like Gary I also have a Tiger, and it's had to have an awful lot of new metal put into it to get it into a sound condition. The photo below is of it in it's current state.  

As for the Hillman Husky/Commer Cob association, it's pretty loose, and there are very few common panels. A bit like saying the Triumph straight six is basically a Standard Eight engine.

Anyway, sounds like a great buy, and I look forward to reading updates on your progress 👍

12 hours ago, SixasStandard said: