DEEP ROOTES

I bought my Sunbeam Rapier in 1972, after seeing it advertised in Exchange & Mart. The ad promised: 'Excellent body and interior, well-maintained engine, in excellent condition, outstanding example, must be seen, low mileage.' The asking price was £250, and this for a car which was by then nine years old.

Mind you, it hadn't been a cheap car when new – the Hillman Minx was the entry level model in what we know as the Audax range from Rootes, with the Singer Gazelle being the next one up and the Sunbeam Rapier taking on the sporty role in the trio. That meant it got more chrome, more dials, and more power too – by the time you got to the Series III of 1959 it had an aluminium head, quite a sophisticated water-heated manifold, twin carburettors and disc brakes. So it was pretty sophisticated for a family car of the era, and the Series IIIA (from 1961) convertible cost a not inconsiderable £1000 new.

It sold well, though. Total production of the Series Rapier cars was about 60,000 from 1955-1967, with over half of them being IIIs and IIIAs from 1959-1963. Part of the reason for this popularity was that they were very successful initially in top class rallies such as the Monte Carlo and the RAC, but of course things don't stand still and other manufacturers soon brought out newer models that moved the game along. Cars like the Cortina and the Austin/Morris 1100 were more modern, lighter and cheaper to run, while the Mini cleaned up in rallying. Rootes carried