This Week, We Wish We Were Commuting In.

Well! That was a blast commuting last week in the Alfa Romeo SS. It's light weight and tiny, high revving engine made it agile in traffic, and exciting to drive, if a little manic. This week though we're going in a different direction because, it's stopped raining in SoCal, and isn't set to start again for the rest of the week! Yes, we're excited too. In fact, it's set to be a banner week of sunny days and cool breezes; so what better week to indulge in the joys of a small roadster?

A couple of parameters: First, the car needs to have wind up side glass. We know, we know, but we do a lot of night driving, and warming up is helped when you don't have to take the side windows out of the trunk first. Second, we're still not in the mood to spend the end of my commute erecting a top that rivals an A-frame tent for complexity, fold it and forget it, that's what we're looking for. Finally, we're not really looking for awesome power, so a nice, small, efficient "four" will be just the ticket.

That said, it's a real crap shoot out there with lots of choices and huge range of comfort and performance. So, what roadster to choose. Well, as you may have figured out, this site isn't really about going fast (though clearly, we don't mind if we do), but about driving fun, and interesting cars. The obvious choice for a roadster is an MGB, and there is a lot to recommend that car, including simplicity of maintenance and huge parts availability, a function of the "B" being one of the most popular sports cars of all time. That same ubiquitousness of course makes the MGB kind of boring, a worthy car, but...

No, what we're looking for is something a little out of the ordinary, but not too expensive (which itself will make a nice change). We could look to Alfa Romeo, with their Duetto or to Fiat and their 124 Spider, but those cars aren't exactly rare and anyway, this blog has been looking a little Italian lately. So it's to the rest of Europe and the Isles (we're foregoing the Far East for the moment) that we must look.

We think we've found a good answer. It's rare these days, it's not as fun to drive as something like a Sprite, of a Elan, but it's a pleasant car, and a pretty one, in the vein of a Triumph Spitfire. It also has room enough for commuting and, in case we want to get out of town this weekend, touring.

So, without further adieu, the car we'll be enjoying sun and air in this week is...

The Series I Sunbeam Alpine!

Ok, it's not fast, not at all. In fact, this is the slowest of the Alpines, which is saying something. The 1494cc, OHV four cylinder gives a 0-60mph time of around 14 seconds, and it will struggle to break the ton even with a tailwind. We think it looks great though, with its down-draft Strombergs and seperate header tank. To address some of the performance issues, we're thinking about fitting the engine upgrade kit and suspension pieces from the faster, more powerful Harrington Alpine coupes, which should help with getting on. An overdrive gearbox would be a nice addition too, and help keep the fuel milage in the 30s.

We're going to go ahead and wish for one of the removable hard-tops, in body color. It's a nice piece to have for any roadster, and that of early Alpines is one of the nicest looking, doing nothing to spoil the attractiveness of the lines. In fact, with the hard-top in place the Alpine takes on the aspect of a miniature Maserati 3500 GT, well, if you squint a bit anyway... Of course, it also carries the benefit of turning the little Sunbeam into a snug coupe, should the weather man turn out to be less than accurate. Along the same, comfort oriented line, we're going to want the Micorcell seats that were an option on the Harrington cars. Wire wheels should be all that's needed to get the exterior in line aesthetically.

The rest of the car is pretty conventional, with control arms holding the front off the ground while the rear has a live axle on Semi-elliptic leaf-springs. It does feature unit construction though, which we weren't totally expecting, as well as front disk brakes. Really, the car is more about comfort than it is about speed or even handling. It'll offer a nice ride on the freeway, but still acquit itself well on twisting roads because it will be lighter to drive than an MGA or TR-3. We're looking forward to early morning commutes, top down with the heater on and the side windows rolled up.

So that's this week's choice. It's a long-shot in a lot of ways, but it's a good, unusual roadster that combines comfort and style like few others. There's even the matter of a true folding roof that drops completely out of sight behind a clever cover system that also forms the rear seat-back. Not that you'd ever think of using the rear seat for anything besides your jacket or shopping.

No, the Alpine may not entertain on country roads to quite the same extent as an MG or a Triumph, and both those cars would probably leave it for dead. This is a segment about commuting though, and here the Alpine gives everything that could be hoped for. The modifications we've asked for will give the car the power and handling it needs to not only make its way in traffic, but also reclaim some of its rallying/racing heritage when we cut out for the weekend. Despite the cars that appear in the pictures, we'll take ours in Moonstone over Scarlet, with Moonstone piping.