1959 Sunbeam Rapier Convertible

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