Javier “Jay” Leon first noticed Berta Graham when she drove past him in a red convertible, blonde hair blowing in the wind. It is natural, then, that a red convertible remains in their collection, this Sunbeam Alpine Series I, which also happens to be among the last of its kind still in the care of its original owner.

Berta Leon-Hackney acquired her Alpine new on 8 February 1961, from Europeos de Calidad S.A., the Sunbeam-Hillman-Singer distributors in Mexico City, location of Jay Leon’s business and a place the couple spent much time at during their marriage. Interestingly, according to a note in the file, the car was assembled in Puebla for the Mexican market, with a completion date of 28 October 1960, and bears a serial number plate from O’Farrill, the country’s main Sunbeam importer.

Finished in bright red with a removable hardtop, it was registered and used by the Leons in Mexico for many years, with the last insurance certificate on file being from 1979. Aside from an older repaint, it remains in original condition, with 45,378 km at the time of cataloguing, and is largely solid aside from typical corrosion in the trunk floor. It is offered with a file that includes Mexican registrations between 1961 and 1978, as well as the original Bill of Sale and other paperwork from its 58 years spent in Berta Leon-Hackney’s care.

This is undoubtedly one of the few early Alpines remaining with its original owner, and it boasts a history as fascinating and romantic as the lady herself.