There was a third review in the same issue of Road & Track along with the Grand Prix and Espada, the new Sunbeam Alpine GT. I’m obviously being a bit cheeky to call it what I did, but hey, its braking performance was better than either the Lambo or the GP, so it had them beat in at least one category. And it cost about one-tenth the price of the Espada. So for those looking for a low cost GT that was actually a bit faster than the Datsun 510, and could get past the Barracuda-retro fastback, this might have been worth a serious look. Unfortunately, not many did, and the Alpine GT, which followed in the footsteps of its more sporting namesake, ended up being a rather rare bird in the US. So in terms of exclusivity, it really was almost in the Espada’s league.
The Alpine GT, also known as the Sunbeam Rapier in Europe, got its name because Rootes could no longer import the Alpine sports car due to safety regulations taking effect in the US at that time. It was obviously something quite different, based on the Hillman Hunter sedan. And before we get any further along, let’s get its rear roof styling out of the way.
Some have contested that Rootes designer Roy Axe was somehow able to eliminate the existence of the 1964-1966 Barracuda from his mind when he set to styling the Rapier.
And curiously enough, that process started in May, 1964, exactly a few weeks after the Barracuda’s arrival. Yes, the previous Rapier’s rear pillar shows similarities with its predecessor, but the very large one-piece rear fastback glass obviously has no similarities with that on the Barracuda, right? Pure coincidence.
Moving on:
“Use of a sedan chassis has meant unusually good passenger and luggage accommodations for the Alpine GT.” Just like the Barracuda had much better passenger and luggage accommodations than the Mustang, thanks to being a Valiant fastback. But in both cases, it did nothing for their proportions as well as their sales.
The painful reality is that Chrysler-Rootes made the same mistake twice: just like the Mustang ate the Barracuda for lunch, so did the European Mustang, otherwise known as the Capri, which just happened to pop on the scene at the same time.
The Capri, with its long hood and set-back passenger compartment, was sexy; the Alpine wasn’t. And I’m sorry about the mediocre Alpine photos, but that’s the best that can be found on the web. There’s not many left in the world.
The general feeling was that the Alpine was quite well put together, and felt solid. The 1724 cc pushrod four had twin carbs to push its power to 94 (gross) hp, despite the early primitive smog controls that affected certain aspects of its driveability. An oddly large fuel tank with an 18 gallon capacity meant long range, given the 22.7 mpg average. Performance was quite decent for its class, with a 0-60 time of 12.3 seconds, and a 1/4 mile time of 19.1 @72 mph.
The brakes were the bright spot, pulling down a .84 G in the test from 80 mph. And control was “very good”. Better than the Espada, and even the GP. And undoubtedly much better than a drum-brake equipped Barracuda.
“Steering is reasonably light, though a bit heavy for parking, and quite precise”. The little (165 SR-13) radial tires protested loudly during brisk cornering. At fast enough speeds, the tail could be made to hang out a bit. But over rough roads, things got a bit ugly, as was so commonly the case with live rear axles, especially on lighter cars. “On decent roads, the handling is pleasant and predictable, if not particularly entertaining”. FWIW, the Capri was lauded for its handling and the smiles it brought to its driver. And the Opel Manta too.
The Alpine GT never really had a chance in the US. It cost very little less than the domestic pony cars, and there were better imports, if that’s what one wanted. It’s an almost forgotten relic from a distant era, unlike some more memorable cars, and not just the Espada.
I managed to actually find one of these, outside a museum in Idaho, and wrote it up here. I called it “The British Barracuda”. A bit more apt.
Not being old enough, it looks to me like a Datsun B-201 hatch.
OK, the styling is not nearly ‘together’ as the Capri’s, but it looks a lot better in the flesh than in photos. I occasionally see the odd one tootling about in Cape Town, all in relatively original condition, quite tough cars really.
No overdrive as an option. Same for MGBs and Spitfires. Why the American aversion?. Overdrive meant 6 speed motoring. Third gear in overdrive Was The right gear for hacking along England’s narrow green lanes. Both the Rapier and Capri. we’re based on lowly sedans but the Rapier looked it!. Think of a Arrow with a fast back…
I don’t understand it either….it is exactly what they all needed in the US market for interstate driving. Those engines are screaming at well over 4000 rpm at 70mph…and then, as now, left lane traffic required 80mph. Hours in this thing at 70 …no thanks. I need a Tylenol just thinking about it!
In my younger days, I drove a non-overdrive ’67 Alpine roadster, sometimes for hours at 70.
The 1725 engine had 5 main bearings, so sustained highway speeds weren’t as hard on it. And with the top down, the engine noise wasn’t really that obtrusive.
But overdrive would’ve been nice – it was an option on the roadster.
And long distance with the top up, filled the interior with engine, rag-top, trunk and rear-end noise – quite the racket!
Happy Motoring, Mark
How times have changed for the better: 22.7 MPG was considered frugal at the time.
The VW Beatle got a30mpg.Wow!. Like running on fresh air. . Then the Mini 50mpg.No way!.
Always thought this generation Alpine/Rapier should never have seen the light of day.
Real Alpines were sports cars (just !) and real Rapiers were sexy/exotic. This car was just an error of judgement.
It followed the Rapier recipe faithfully; when you consider the Hillman Californian the earlier versions didn’t really have any unique sheetmetal bar the bonnet.
Base model cars were called Alpine in the UK too from memory.
The Rapier actually shares almost no external panels with the Arrow/Hunter. The early styling models, as shown, did have the same bonnet and front wings, but later in the process these were replaced with smoother ones without the single pressed-in waist level rib. The front windscreen is also more steeply raked and the front end more pointed.
Later there was a proposal to reskin the Arrow with new door and rear panels to match the Rapier front but this was dropped on cost grounds.
I’d commented on the Espada thread about the resemblance to a Plymouth Arrow (Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste), I guess the second time was the charm because I can remember those being a relatively common sight on the streets.
The design is not bad but the far-too-small wheels and far-too-small wheel openings ruins it. It is ruining the proportions. I could not live with it. Such a pity, a bit more effort and it might have been more successful.
Cross between a 1st gen Barracuda and Datsun B-210 hatchback pretty much sums it up.
That’d be interesting to have. Wonder if i could convince anyone it’s a Baracuda?
It might be cool to park one of these next to a 1976-77 Toyota Celica liftback. Car and Driver did an article on it, saying it was a 3/4-scale 1969 Mustang fastback, complete with pictures of someone in the driver’s seat wearing a Nixon mask.
The Baccaruda comparison sprang instantly to mind the moment I saw the first pic in this article.
A quiet hint of ’61 Lancer in the frontal view became a whole lot louder the moment I saw the last pic.
Oh, dear chap, I rather suspect they were hoping the buyer would have intimations of a Jensen Interceptor.
“Dodge”, you say? No idea old bean, wasn’t that some villainous Dickens character?
Styling may have inspired the Datsun B-210 hatchback.
No, that was inspired by a bad sushi, delirium, and a deadline.
I’ve always liked the clean lines of these since I first saw one as a child back in 1968. That was a Rapier in a metallic green.
The graph for acceleration and coasting is wrong. It looks like the graph for the V12 Espada.
The Barracuda, the Sunbeam, and the Jensen Interceptor seem to be three sides of the same styling coin.
I like ’em all. (but you can give me the Jensen, please.)
Agreed on both points, but the Jensen still needs a re-do of some sort. Has never been quite right.
Like so many American companies with overseas divisions, they made the mistake of marketing this as a Sunbeam. If it was slapped with a Plymouth badge and some cool name, Perhaps some 185 tires on Rostyle wheels like the H120 version in England had, it would have sold some more. Like Fords from Britain, Roots cars were well sorted in a way that most other Brits were not.
If you would like better pictures you might want to photograph my 1969 Sunbeam Alpine coupe. It has 3800 original miles and is in ‘like new’ condition! Although it is not a GT model it is a very fine example.
Over the years I have owned three (plus one I rebought) of these. I enjoyed all three. The photo is of the second one I owned about 1981. I sold the third one a few years ago to a collector in Chicago who really, really wanted it. My current Rootes car is a 1962 Minx convertible.