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Sunbeam Rapier Fastback Coupé |
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Sunbeam Rapier Fastback Coupé
By 1967 Rootes' Arrow range was ready, a key component of which was a new generation of Sunbeam Rapiers.
The Arrow Rapier — or Fastback, as it came to be known — launched in 1967, was a smart four-seat coupe based on the underpan and chassis of the Hillman Hunter Estate. It was said to have borne a resemblance to the current Plymouth Barracuda, a product from Chrysler who by now had a considerable stake in Rootes. However, Rapier stylist Roy Axe insisted that this was not the case. Although the Rapier used the tail lamps and rear valance from the Hunter Estate, the rest of its superstructure was unique.
It used the Rootes four cylinder, 5 bearing 1725 cc engine, which like the rest of the cars in the Arrow range, was tilted slightly to the right to enable a lower bonnet line. With its twin Stromberg 150CD carburetters the engine produced a creditable 88 bhp (net) at 5200 rpm. Overdrive was standard with the manual gearbox, and Borg-Warner automatic transmission was an optional extra.
The Fastback Rapier continued almost unchanged until 1976, when it was discontinued and not replaced. It formed the basis for the more powerful Rapier H120, and for the down-market Alpine of the period. Its running gear was also used in the Humber Sceptre, Hillman GT and Hillman Hunter GT models from the Arrow range.
Between 1967 and 1969, the Rapier was built at Ryton-on-Dunsmore, but from 1969 until its demise in 1976, it was built at Linwood in Scotland. In all, 46,204 units were built (Rapier, H120 and Alpine).
Maximum speed of the Rapier was 103 mph and it could reach 60 mph from rest in 12.8 seconds. In the United States, it was marketed as the Sunbeam Alpine GT.
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