Price My Classic

1582 MKI roasters were hand built for only two years (1953-1954) with approximately 1000 destined for export to North America. It's believed less than 200 survived 70 years later. This 1953 MKI is an amazing find! Immediately one is drawn to the flowing lines of this roadster body. It's finished in Ivory white over red leather interior with red steel wheels capped with chrome caps and wrapped in classy white wall tires. The body looks to be in great shape and there's next to no obvious flaws in the finish or the chrome. Interesting features of the Talbot Alpine MKI are the ability to remove the front windshield, plus removable side curtains and a disappearing canvas top. This is reflective of the original 'design mission' of a competition ready sports car. The focus on racing and rallies required the addition of a high compression - for the time -2. 2L four-cylinder engine up front with a four-speed, column shifted manual...

Meant to compete with the likes of the Triumph TR2, this sporty and peppy little car was designed for the American market. It was given a stiffer and more sporty suspension to make it feel more like a sports car and less like a family car. Though the product was sound, success eluded this little roadster which led to the 50's variants to take the backseat to their 60's brothers. This adds to the 'not-so-easy' to find aspect as the name was not big enough for many to be held on to, on top of the already low production numbers.

The original motor was a 2. 3-liter four cylinder that produced around 80 bhp. This led the car to feel a little bloated despite the stiff suspension. Not to worry so much with this example, as it is packing a 4. 3-liter Vortec V6 that is...