Just four owners from new; overdrive gearbox; driven 60 miles to the sale; reassuringly sound and solid car from a private collectionStyled by the great industrial designer Ken Howes, the 1959 Sunbeam Alpine was heavily influenced by the Ford Thunderbird which lent it oodles of Trans-Atlantic glamour.

At first the car was powered by a 78bhp 1,494cc four-cylinder engine but in the Series II of 1960 this was replaced by an 85bhp 1,592cc unit.

In 1963 the Series III arrived with larger front brake discs, a bigger boot and a revised interior.

Power went up by another 2bhp the following year with the Series IV, easily recognised by its much smaller tail fins.

The final model was the Series V of 1965 which had a 92bhp twin-carb 1,725cc engine with a five-bearing crank, enough to power the Alpine to an easy 100mph, especially when fitted with the optional overdrive.Superior in many ways to rivals like the MGB and the Triumph TR4, the Alpine remains one of the most practical and everyday u...