Announced at the London Motor Show of 1955, the Sunbeam Rapier was the first of a new range of Rootes cars that was to include the Hillman Minx and the Singer Gazelle. A complete departure from the Sunbeam MKIII it replaced, it was a modern-looking two-door, four-seater Coupe with such standard equipment as leather trim and overdrive. The bodies were built by Pressed Steel, shipped to Thrupp & Maberly in London for painting and trimming and then moved to the Rootes plant at Ryton-on-Dunsmore for final assembly. Though initially a little underpowered, the Rapier had inherently excellent handling and was quickly adopted for rallying. Indeed the launch of the Series II version took place at the end of the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally in which Peter Harper's Works Rapier had finished fifth overall. Over its twenty-one year reign, the model progressed through five series, the swansong being the Series V derivative introduced in 1965. Though visually almost identical to its predecessor, it was notable for its larger, five-bearing engine of 1725cc capacity. Just 3,759 Series Vs were built, making it the rarest of all versions of the model.

This 1965-built but 1967-registered example has been modified for regularity rallying and comes complete with MSA and FIVA identity cards. The Weber-fed Chris Draycott engine is understood to (a) produce 125bhp and 145lbft of torque and (b) to have covered 8000 miles since it was built. The specially prepared overdrive gearbox drives through a 4.22:1 axle equipped with Griper LSD. The uprated braking system includes internal piping, Aeroquip hoses and a fly-off handbrake. The fuel and electrical systems have both been suitably modified and the remaining impressive specification includes: a pair of speedometers (km is not fitted), Brantz International 2 tripmeter, a pair of stopwatches, Sparco seats, Luke full harness belts, plumbed-in and hand held extinguishers etc. This handy-looking Rapier comes with the aforementioned paperwork and MOT valid into May.

PLEASE NOTE: A comprehensive spares package is available for this vehicle via separate negotiation with the vendor. A list is available to inspect in the documents office at the auction.