Sunbeam Alpine - Back in the mid 1980s a mate got a bargain deal on a soft top Alpine.

He was 21 and over the moon about this car..
I knew or cared eff all about it because I was a hardcore anti private car ownership militant cyclist...

Anyway.. he was so over excited he persuaded me to go with him to pick it up and keep him company for the long drive back home.

[yeah I admit, despite my rabid 2 wheels and pedals ideology...
it was a cool looking 'vintage' sports car
that was bound to appeal to the inner corgi and dinky toy collector child in me...]

The first apparent problem with this specimen was the noticeable sag in the middle and trouble shutting the doors..

He swore that was no problem and an easy fix.. [he must have been blinded by love..???]

Then it started to piss down heavily with rain non stop all the way back to Bristol.
The old soft top was a sieve, and we eventually reached home drenched, bedraggled and near hypothermia.
With our feet in a deep pool of water - probably why it's called a footwell...???

I don't know whatever happened to that car, but I never saw it again.
...and my mate soon buggered off for good to the mediterranean to work on yachts..