Alpine The Classic Sunbeam (Mercian Reprint)

By: Chris McGovern .

The Sunbeam Alpine was the brain child of designer Kenneth Howes and the Rootes Group management. Designed specifically for an international market, it became one of the most successful British sports cars of the 1960s, years ahead of its rivals in both design and standard of manufacture. Today, the Alpine has a formidable following which is reflected in the many flourishing Alpine clubs throughout the world.

This is the first book to give the full story behind the Sunbeam Alpine, from its initial design to the end of production in 1968. Chris McGovern describes the early prototypes, the marque's development from Series 1 to 5, the various `hybrid' models, and the competition history — both road and track. He successfully relates the progress of the Alpine to the meteoric rise and subsequent downfall of the Rootes Group, once one of Britain's largest car manufacturing companies.

Current Alpine owners will be particularly interested in the chapters devoted to the club scene and to specialist tuning, the latter providing a detailed account of how to convert an Alpine for racing. The appendices give full specifications and production data on all five series.

The scope of this book is truly remarkable. Backed by thorough research and written in painstaking detail, it will be regarded as the definitive work on the Sunbeam Alpine by all car enthusiasts.

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