The Harrington Alpine was a factory-approved upgrade of the rorty Sunbeam roadster, carried out by Thomas Harrington Ltd., the Sussex-based coachbuilder, and distributed by the Rootes Group, Sunbeam’s official dealer network. The most obvious change was the addition of a streamlined glass-fibre roof, transforming the cute convertible into a handsome (and finned) fastback GT car, ripe for development and use on the track.
With just one owner from new, this 1973 Citroën DS Super 5 has won over 200 individual trophies at concours and Citroën club events across Europe and starred in some 150 magazine features. The subject of a fastidious restoration, it’s now set to be offered for sale for the very first time, at Silverstone Auctions’ Salon Privé Sale. The auction house has attached a pre-sale estimate of £75,000-90,000 – a fair price to pay for such a significant model?
Since the 1920s, the Schleifer family has specialised in countless different genres of motor car (and household appliances, as you’ll discover shortly). In 2014, third-generation enthusiast Peter set up his own eponymous dealership midway between Stuttgart and Munich, predominantly specialising in classic road cars. But that did nothing to quell his enthusiasm for historic racing – this season he’s been as active as ever.