Sold | 1966 Sunbeam Rapier Series V

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£4,050

1966 Sunbeam Rapier Series V

United Kingdom • 24 Jul 2024

Vehicle Details

AI Listing Summary

This 1966 Sunbeam Rapier Series V, one of only 3,759 built, was sold for £4,050. It features a Light Blue exterior with a White roof and a matching Light Blue interior and has only 56,000 miles. The car has a comprehensive history file, but the overdrive is currently not working.

Condition

6

The car is described as being in usable condition with low mileage. While it started and ran well recently, the overdrive is not currently working. Cosmetically, it's finished in Light Blue with a White roof and a Light Blue interior. The car comes with a large history file, including MOTs back to 1970, suggesting good maintenance. However, the non-functional overdrive and the 'usable' condition (as opposed to 'pristine' or 'excellent') suggest some level of wear and needed maintenance.

/ 10

Transmission:

[Transmission]

Chassis No:

B325000551HH0

Odometer:

56,000 miles

Reg Number:

KWE 690D

RHD/LHD:

RHD

Announced at the London Motor Show of 1955, the Sunbeam Rapier was the first of a new range of Rootes cars that was to include the Hillman Minx and the Singer Gazelle.

A complete departure from the Sunbeam MKIII it replaced, it was a modern-looking two-door, four-seater Coupe with such standard equipment as leather trim and overdrive.

The bodies were built by Pressed Steel, shipped to Thrupp & Maberly in London for painting and trimming, and then moved to the Rootes plant at Ryton-on-Dunsmore for final assembly.

Though initially a little underpowered, the Rapier had inherently excellent handling and was quickly adopted for rallying.

Indeed the launch of the Series II version took place at the end of the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally in which Peter Harper's Works Rapier had finished fifth overall.

Over its twenty-one year reign, the model progressed through five series, the swansong being the Series V derivative introduced in 1965.

Though visually almost identical to its predecessor, it ...