1964 Sunbeam Venezia Coupe
Coachwork by Carrozeria Touring
lifted shamelessly from www.motorbase.com
Having been signed off by Brian Rootes in 1961, the Carrozeria Touring penned, Sunbeam-badged Venezia, which was aimed at the more fashion-conscious Continental buyers, was finally unveiled in September 1963, most appropriately, in St Mark�s Square, Venice, the stylish two-coupe transported to the launch location by gondola. �The car of today - and tomorrow� proclaimed the Turin Show publicity material for the new 100mph disc-braked fixed head.
As with other Touring classics, such as the Lamborghini 350GT and Aston Martin DB4, 5 and 6, their new GT for Rootes employed the traditional Superleggera method of construction with tubular steel frame clad in aluminium body panels. Based on the well proven Hillman Super Minx/Singer Vogue/Humber Sceptre floor pan, but bodied and completed in Milan by the Touring craftsmen who had already designed an improved boot of the Series III/IV/V and the cut-off fins of the Series IV/V and were assembling Super Minxes and Alpines for the Italian market, the Venezia was fitted with proven Rootes running gear, 1592cc engine with oil cooler and 4-speed gearbox with overdrive.
Hand-build and, as a result, expensive and therefore forced to compete in Jaguar territory, the �1400 Venezia was always going to have an uphill struggle in the real world. After plans to introduce convertible as well as V8 versions as well as switching production to Jensen in West Bromwich all came to nought, just 145 of the coupes had been produced by 1965 with only seven allocated for British consumption. As for Touring themselves, already in Receivership, they ceased trading 31 December 1966. Just over forty years later, only 26 Venezias are known to survive, less than half a dozen of them in the UK.
Painted dark blue with original light blue trim, the now XRE 81G plated Venezia offered here (Touring no 15193) had done only 8471 miles when catalogued whilst in the hands of only three private owners including Sunbeam enthusiasts Keith Pountain and Clive Stroud, the low mileage from new confirmed by 19 MOTs, the most recent certificate recording 7982 miles 15 August 2006. Indeed, the documents file with the car is very comprehensive, containing original Venezia and Superleggera manuals, 1988 Silver Jubilee booklet and cuttings from periodicals authenticating virtually complete UK history since the late 1960s when first registered 8 RKP by Staffordshire CC 1 July 1969. The only changes from standard would appear to be a Holbay cylinder head, a period mod for Rootes engines, and Minilite-style alloys.
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sweet.
But somehow gawky too.