While the American V8 in a European body formula typically produces awesome results (Examples 1, 2, and 3), the Sunbeam Tiger nearly stretches that logic to its breaking point. The Ford 260ci V8 practically needs an external oiling to fit in the engine bay, and cooling problems abound. Instead, why not start with the lesser sibling and drop something interesting in an Alpine?
Today we’ve got two paths to go down: one that’s “already done” (a phrase I’m never allowed to speak at home, due to its 100% falseness) and another that’s a blank canvas with a hint of Pinto 2.3L…
When you see a small, light roadster, what power plant immediately comes to mind? (LSXFTW BRO!) Without much weight to motivate off the line, a 12A rotory could well make for an entertaining ride. If nothing else, it certainly solves the packaging problems associated with a hefty V8. This one’s motivated by the motor from an SCCA class-winning RX3, which means it probably makes more than the low-100s horsepower the stock plant did. There’s not a lot of detail about the car itself, other than the seats needing a refurbishing. It’s likely the kind of car you could drive and enjoy while dropping a few hundred bucks here and there on fixes and upgrades. Of course, the $10,000 asking price might detract from the fixes and upgrades fund.
1964 Sunbeam Alpine with 12A rotary swap – SFBay Craigslist
$10k is too much money. You want to do it on the cheap. Fine. Let’s start with this $600 example in my own backyard. It’ll need some floor patches and, oh yeah, an engine and transmission. The seller has a Ford 2.3L Pinto motor and manual transmission to go along with it for that price. Additionally, there’s a hard top in need of new rear glass (good luck with that). There’s no title, which means you won’t have to pay registration or non-op fees until you’re actually done, but you must journey through the Sea of Glass that is DMV title re-assignment. But seriously…$600 asking price is a pretty sweet deal. Or would you say maybe a little sour, even?
