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Sunbeam Rapier [not Rapist!] on the bay

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S

smcmanus

Jedi Hopeful
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Again I defer to the other makes crew because of your superior intellect. I am somewhat interested in this car because it is nearby and neat. It is rusty and crusty and I don't believe the description in the ad, I am also not thrilled by the $199 document fee; the actual cost at the KY DMV is zero. Does anyone have experience with one of these? What is at the top of the shift pattern? Is that an overdrive or park? It seems that it has been repainted at one time. The red is showing along the body seams in the hood and trunk. I guess the cost to restore would far exceed the potential value. Any thoughts?
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1958-SUNB...1QQcmdZViewItem

Have a good day
Steve /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Re: Sunbeam [Rapier?] on the bay

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif Steve - can't help with the car but you may want to edit the subject line. I suspect it's a Rapier. R-A-P-I-E-R.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Steve,

I am not a Sunbeam expert, nor do I possess a superior intellect, but I wanted to make a few points.

That is a unique little car that arguably deserves restoration and preservation simply because there are not that many of them rolling around. Is it worth it? You will never get the money back out, if that's what you mean. That's hard enough to do with higher-demand cars like MGBs or the big Triumphs. A project like the Sunbeam would be undertaken for other reasons, like personal satisfaction.

The ad listing says automatic, but it looks like a stick to me. Count the pedals. The shift pattern does look funky, but it's probably common to other Sunbeams, maybe even Alpines. Crosspost on the Sunbeam forum--they'll know.

If you are close enough to the car's location to consider buying it, you should go see it first! Sure, it's an auction, but it couldn't hurt to know more about the car first hand and close up. I drove from Dayton, OH to suburban Chicago a year and a half ago to look at a (non-auction) rare Triumph 2000 sedan. The seller, a really cool fellow Britcar enthusiast, sent me pictures that looked promising, but there is no substitute for crawling underneath a car and looking at the sun shining through floorboards like a dirty screen door. The car was very original and complete, and the asking price more than fair, but it was just too big ($) a restoration project for me at that time.

Good luck,
 
The Rapier of this vintage shared many common components with the Hillman Minx of the same vintage. I believe that you can get the structural panels such as the rockers from the UK, either from specialists or through the enthusiasts clubs.

Great little cars, and this one looks to be worth saving. The chassis number dates it as being produced between February and September of 1959, as a "Series II" car.

You might find this site useful https://www.charm.net/~pdbragg/whatsahillman/index.html

It goes into detail on rust problems, and design of the shell, and so on......
 
I agree with the comments on value. Hopefully, whoever buys this will restore or at least preserve the car. It is an interesting little car. I looked at a Singer Gazelle a few years ago that seemed to be a twin of this car. Reality is that it is too much of a project to take on at this time. I have one rustoration awaiting paint and another project on stand-by in the garage.

Have a nice day
Steve
 
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