About 20 years ago when it was still not unusual to see British cars (made by a British conglomerate, not an American, Indian, or German one) on the road, Sunbeam Alpines were already a fairly unusual sight. Very distinctive for their fins, and somewhat more luxurious than a contemporary MG or Triumph, they were not in the mainstream and suffered from a reputation for not being a true sports car. However, by contemporary standards, the small luxuries make them usable by today’s standards. Alpines were built in several series, with the first 3 maintaining the rear fins that are part of what makes them similar to a Ford Thunderbird. Last to bear the fins, this 1964 Sunbeam Alpine Series III is for sale in sun Valley, CA for $3200.
Posts Tagged ‘roadster’
British Fins – 1964 Sunbeam Alpine
October 27, 2013Not Wankered – 1972 MBG Roadster
September 21, 2013Here at RustyButTrusty, we’ve made varying levels of attempts to get friends into old cars, mostly with limited success. Often this is because an old car is not suitable for the potential buyer’s lifestyle. However, a friend visiting from Finland wanted to buy an older sports car to bring back with him, so after making some calls, doing some research and a careful inspection, we purchased an MGB that was very similar to today’s feature car, a 1972 MGB roadster in white on black with Rostyle wheels, available for $3800 in Moyie Springs, ID, close to the Canadian border.
What Happens When Retro Gets Old? 1992 Mazda Miata
September 18, 2013The 25th anniversary of the Mazda Miata is just around the corner. Think of the compact roadster competition at that point – the costly, long-in-the-tooth, over-luxified Alfa Romeo Spider, the wedgy MR2 available with T-tops, and what else? Triumph, MG, Fiat, and Jensen Healey had all disappeared in the past 10-15 years. So things were looking pretty bleak for the affordable sports car, until this came along – the 1990 Mazda Miata, introduced in late 1989 to long waiting lists and crazy dealer markups. Since then, they’ve been quite successful, and you can find an example of the first generation car for pretty short money. One example is this 1992 Miata for $2995 at a consignment lot in Santa Clara, CA, just near San Jose.


