1968 SUNBEAM RAPIER fastback, stunning looking classic car, drive away

You are looking at a particularly nice specimen of a Rapier pillar-less coupe/fastback. It is currently my every-day car. so mileage will go up over the course of this listing. This car is great in almost all respects in my opinion. it looks great. everybody always notices it. it drives really nicely. its a well-maintained example and it's surprisingly practical for a 1960s car in modern traffic and every day driving. If you want a really distinctive rare classic car that will turn everybody's heads. this is the car for you. Read on.
This car is unleaded-friendly and runs on normal modern fuel!
Sure. being not far off 50 years old it has it's imperfections. however they are minor and generally it's all decent.  Everything works as it should and there has been a lot of work done to it recently. so you can literally just jump into it and drive it without worrying about anything. As mentioned before. this car is my daily driver. and it's very reliable and doesn't cause me any problems. It has a few upgrades (like a half-decent but completely hidden stereo system). but it looks completely standard from the outside.
And. of course. it's completely unique looks are not to be under-estimated. it literally looks like nothing else out there. and it's a true pillarless coupe! The B pillars fold down with the rear windows. The
The reason I am selling it is because I want something similar but LHD. so I would also consider swapping for a LHD classic or yank. or whatever. try me! I am not desperate to sell it at all. so serious buyers only please. If you want to come take a look at it or want any further info. please message me. If you want to have a chat about it message me your phone number and ill call you.
The car is located in Dorset but driving long distances is not a problem. wherever you live it will make it there fine I am sure. I would even consider delivering it myself (if I get a non-refundable deposit and my fuel there and train ticket back are covered) if you are really stuck.
For more technical details. read on.
Body/chassis/interiorThe body is finished in burnt orange pearl. which suites it really well I think. It's a decent hard-wearing 2k paintjob and looks stunning especially in sunlight. It seems to be surprisingly rust-free. although there are signs of previous repairs obviously. they are nowhere as numerous as you would expect for a car this age. and as it stands the car has no real issues in my opinion. and shouldn't do for a while. The windows and locks all work. it still has it's original wheels and wheel trims. and generally everything is as it should be. All the door hinges are new so the doors open and close like they should without jamming or dropping. The interior is in fair condition. it does have some expected wear and tear from nearly 50 years of existence. but looks presentable and is very usable. There are no cracks in the dash and all fixtures/fittings work properly. The only addition to the interior is a fire extinguisher. Underneath the car also seems very good. it's obviously been looked after and waxoyled and although there are repairs they look like they have been done a long time ago and to a high standard. Under the bonnet. the original 'IV-bag' style windscreen washer fluid bottle has been replaced with a higher capacity modern plastic bottle with an electric pump. The windscreen has also been replaced recently by a reputable windscreen company. Rapiers of this age have a glued-in windscreen. Stuff done recently: -New door hinges-Windscreen replaced
Engine/transmission/running gearThis car has it's correct and rare engine. complete with the special alloy cylinder head and twin carbs that often go missing. It also still has it's correct 4 speed + overdrive transmission. Everything works as it should. the engine runs very well and seems well-maintained. Even the correct air filter box is present and the horn moves (it has a winter and a summer setting. most people don't even know that since the horn is often stuck). A lot of maintenance has been done to the car in the last month/last 1000 miles. This was mostly done to keep it tip-top and reliable. I like to over-maintain my cars because the world has changed a lot since the time when this car was designed. and I actually drive this car every day. not just to car shows on dry weekends. so I want to keep it reliable. The suspension and brakes and running gear also seems in decent condition. the car starts drives and stops without any problems at all. The car benefits from some minor upgrades like a modern-fuel-friendly fuel system. disposable fuel filter and an electric fuel pump. This car still has it's original remove brake servo (yes. it has servo brakes!) which works well. The exhaust system is in decent condition. it sounds nice but not too loud. The tail-pipe is stainless. Stuff done recently:-Engine oil and filter change-Air filter change-Carb rebuild (with diaphragms which are ok with modern fuel) Carbs are running Dextron 5 ATF in the dampers. which seems to work the best in this car. -New manifold gasket-Valve clearances adjusted-New water pump. thermostat and fan belt along with a coolant flush/change-Points. condenser. distributor cap/rotor. HT cable and spark plugs changed-Transmission/overdrive and rear axle oil change-Steering box filled with one-shot compound (it works like oil but is much less prone to leaking/contamination)-Rear exhaust mount replaced-Transmission mount replaced
Electrical systemThe electrical system all works as it should. Even the curtsey lamps in the boot and glove-box (it has those!) work. There have been a few repairs recently and also there are a few slight upgrades in the car's electrical system to make it more practical in modern life. There is an extra fuse box for the extra features. so there are no fuses hanging out of wires in odd places. everything is accessible and by the car's original main fuse box. There is a new electric fuel pump under the boot floor (these are very reliable and last almost indefinitely). There is a completely hidden stereo system. with two subs hidden under the seats. a Boss amp hidden under the dash and two modern speakers hidden in the parcel shelf where the original speakers would have been. It sounds reasonably decent but is 100% invisible since I don't think classic cars look right with visible modern sound gear. There is no stereo head-unit as such. the control panel for the sound is hidden in the ash-tray. you just plug your iphone/ipod/device of choice into it. It can also charge/power any USB device. If you close the ash-tray nobody knows it's even there. The amp is protected by a noise-suppressor. so despite the fact that it's an old-style car with a points distributor etc. the sound system does not pick up any electrical noise from the engine. The windscreen washer is electric. however the original wash/wipe switch (which originally pumped the fluid) was converted to activate the electric pump instead. so it looks/works the same. only you don't have to pump it with your thumb. you just press it in to use the washers. The only non-standard visible feature is an indicator lamp for the overdrive. I (like most people these days) am not used to driving a car with overdrive. so it confused me at first. so I fitted an indicator lamp that tells you when it's on. A lot of cars with over-drive systems had these lamps anyway. but for some reason the Rapier did not so I added one. Stuff done recently:-Bulbs/fuses changed-Both door switches changed-Interior curtsey lamp converted to LED (brighter. uses less battery power)
Paperwork etcIt's MOTd till June 2014 and taxed until Sept 2014 (free tax of course!). You will be it's 11th owner. It has a massive stack (two ring-binders!) of paperwork. including a lot of old receipts. nbsp;paperwork. owners-club related stuff etc. It has full ownership history. a lot of MOT history. and even has it's original handbook. There is also a workshop manual included. One of the previous owners kept a diary-style record of the car's existence which is fascinating to read (I assume it's fascinating anyway. I can't read their hand-writing!).
So. in conclusion it's a really decent car in my opinion. and if I didn't need a LHD car I would defiantly keep this one.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS:I have no problems with over-seas buyers. unlike half the population of Ebay UK. I understand that there is a big world out there. so I will sell this car to anybody in any country. assuming that the buyer covers all expenses and organizing related to exporting it. and all I have to do is hand it over to a courier. Sorry. but I am not interested in organizing an international sale myself. if you are an international buyer please make sure you are prepared to do everything yourself. I am sorry but that's how it is (also. come on. give me some credit. at least I didn't just write 'no overseas buyers' like most people do lol).
Payment:Payment by cash or bank transfer. or PayPal assuming you cover the fees too. or check. or whatever other payment method you suggest will be considered. money is money after all. The car will NOT be released until payment has cleared. so if you use a payment method which takes some time to clear. keep this in mind. Cash on collection preferred. I don't really want to take deposits. however. if you really must secure this car with a deposit. I would agree assuming it's a strictly non-refundable deposit (so. if you change your mind. or don't show up. or just ignore me for 14 days. I keep the deposit) and for a period of no longer than 14 days. Make sure you agree to those terms if you want to secure it with a deposit. Otherwise im afraid it's first person with cash gets the car.
Boring legal bits:This is a used 1960s classic car and is sold as-seen with no guarantees of course. The description is my opinion. but I am not a car expert so it is just that. my opinion. Your opinion may vary!

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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