> Hi Kevin,
>
> The Grace Kelly car was a Sunbeam Alpine of the type built between
1953-55.
> http://www.sunbeam.org.au/models/mkalpine.htm
>
> I couldn't say exactly what colour it was. Does anyone out there on the
list
> know? And would anyone know if it was a Mark I or a Mark III?
>
> Russ Maddock
There is some confusion on the color of her car. Most of the confusion
stems from the faded color of the movie itself. 1953 - 1955 Sunbeam
Alpines came in only 4 color combinations:
Ivory and Bright Red interior (yes, it was officially "Bright Red")
Red with Fawn (tan) interior (I don't know the factory name for the red)
Sapphire Blue with Fawn interior (a darker blue)
Alpine Mist with Bright Red interior (a light silvery blue)
There were no other known combinations. The car in the movie clearly does
not have the red interior, but the Fawn interior. That would lead one to
believe that the paint had to be Sapphire Blue. Yet, when watching the
movie, it certainly looks more like Alpine Mist. I once did see someone
(probably Ole) write about why it could not have been a special order.
But, I don't recall the details.
Nonetheless, there are probably lots of Alpines out there restored with
Alpine Mist/Fawn because that's what people thought they saw in the movie
and that's what they wanted to create for themselves.
Finally, her car was most definitely a Mark I.
For another good site on early Alpines, check out
http://www.wmspear.com/STA/
Jay
1955 Sunbeam Alpine Mark III, Ivory and Bright Red
1963 Sunbeam Alpine Series 3, Commodore Blue and Red
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