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1959 rapier conv

elkslayer

Donation Time
found at a garage sale .He said he would like $500 for it. PM me for more info.
Looks pretty much complete including wheel covers



George (elkslayer)
 
I looked at the Rapier today. It is a Series II ragtop; light blue with black inserts. The car appears to be complete, with no major uniquely Rapier pieces missing.

Interior: The seats are in pretty good shape; the rest of the interior, including softtop frame and top, is all there but in need of complete restoration. Decent gauges. Chrome: The front grillwork is all there; a couple of the center grill bars are tweaked tho. The body: bondo is bulging where roughly packed into holes in ALL the usual rust spots at trailing edges of wheelwheels, particularly on the passenger side, in what looks like the beginning stages of bodywork conducted several years ago. The driver side floor was OK, but the passenger side front area floor needs replacing.

Body damage: Right front has been bumped at 5-10mph - but is repairable. No rust noted in engine compartment. Didn't see evidence of OD (did Rootes put OD switch on Series II's somewhere other than the steering column?). Purely from a parts perspective: Series II has cast iron head with dual downdrafts - a rare carb setup that could be used on other iron head Rootes cars. Comes with extra windshield.

A car for the motivated enthusiast - but Rapiers ARE getting awfully rare...

Dick Sanders
Kent, WA

P.S. Anyone in the Pacific Northwest who is wondering what how good a restored Sunbeam Rapier can look should come to the Bellevue ABFM on the 28th, where at least two great examples, one hardtop, one ragtop, are expected to be driven down for the weekend from the Great White North.
 
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