Vehicle Description
1959 Sunbeam Rapier Convertible. A Sunbeam Rapier, eh? Not exactly
a compelling model name, at least not today, but 1959 was 65 years
ago and a lot has changed - like the disappearance of Sunbeam
entirely. I can truly state that I've never seen, or even heard of
the Rapier, and that piqued my interest even that much more so.
Built by the Rootes Group, the Sunbeam Rapier was in existence from
'55 until '76 though it took several different turns in design over
that twenty-two-year production cycle. Our '59 subject, one of
approximately 15K constructed, qualifies as a Series II model which
was short-lived and offered only in '58 and '59. Body styles
included a coupe and convertible. The interior's blue vinyl
upholstery shows as sound as do the door cards and the carpet. I'm
not sure about that off-white gauge binnacle and whether or not
that is as it should be, but the gauges and switchgear appear to be
all there and accounted for - no instrument panel vacancies noted.
The radio looks like a replacement unit and that's hardly a
surprise. Said to "run and drive great!", that action is courtesy
of a 73 HP, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. I imagine that the air
cleaner(s) have been removed for photographing but the engine
appears to be complete otherwise. Power to the rear wheels is
channeled via a four-speed manual gearbox. The mileage listing is
55K So, the verdict? this is an unusual, and cool, little
convertible and I imagine that it would appeal to British car
enthusiasts - it's certainly not an everyday find, much less a
typical barn find. Parts sourcing? That one I don't know about; the
mechanicals maybe aren't as difficult to acquire as body and trim
but that's just conjecture on my part. OK, a show of hands, who is
familiar with Sunbeam's Rapier? Please Note The Following **Vehicle
Location is at our clients home and Not In Cadillac, Michigan. **We
do have a showroom with about 25 cars that is by appointment only
**Please Call First and talk
