1964 Touring Superleggera very rare "time capsule" with extremely low mileage

Description for Other Makes Venezia 1964

I am resizing my classic car collection. In the next few months/weeks I amgoing to list some cars. I start here with this splendid example of Italian Art of Italian Carrozzeria on a strong and well built British mechanics. 1964 TOURING SUPERLEGGERA BODIED SUNBEAM VENEZIA with only 10. 00 miles . Having been signed off in 1961. the Carrozzeria Touring-styled Sunbeam Venezia. which was aimed at the more fashion-conscious Continental buyers. was finally unveiled in September 1963. Most appropriately the launch took place in St Mark's Square. Venice. the stylish two-door coupé being transported there by gondola. 'The car of today - and tomorrow' proclaimed the Turin Show publicity material for the new 100mph. disc-braked fixed head. As with Touring's other classics. such as the Lamborghini 350GT and Aston Martin DB4/5/6 series. their new GT for Rootes employed the traditional Superleggera method of construction with tubular steel frame clad in aluminium body panels. The Venezia was based on the well proven Sunbeam Rapier floor pan. shared with other Rootes models. but bodied and completed by Touring in Milan. Hand built and necessarily expensive. the Venezia struggled to find buyers. By 1965 a mere 203 had been produced with only seven allocated to the UK. Just 50 years later. only 26 Venezias are known to survive. For exhaustive information about the Sunbeam Venezia and its history. you can have a look online. the web site sunbeamvenezia dot com is really well done. Now. my Venezia. This car is an amazing time-capsule. having only covered 16. 40 kms (10. 00 miles) since new. Everything confirms this very low mileage is correct. from the perfect mechanical condition to the soundness of the body and the chassis. from the "general feeling" of a near brand new car to the immaculate (but never restored) condition of many details. The chassis is absolutely straight and sound. the body is still in excellent condition. Doors. boot and bonnet open and close perfectly. with that nice sound of the handcrafted metals. All the panels match perfectly. The same for the glasses. all in excellent condition. All instruments. lights. heater. horn. work as they should. But where I really want to stress is how easy and safe is the driving. The car starts on the button. both when cold and hot. It never over-heats. even in the summer traffic jams in the French Riviera. It steers and brakes perfectly. Gearbox and clutch are so easy that we don't see any difference with a modern car. Even without the performances of a more sporty car. the engine is brilliant enough to make the driving an easy joy. thanks also to the Holbay cylinder head modification (that gives some more horsepower). There is a perfectly working overdrive. The car is fitted with the original Radiomobile radio (in excellent working condition) with its aerial. My car. left-hand drive chassis number 'R3190142'. was imported to the UK on 25th June 1969 and first registered '8 RKP' on 1st July 1969. (A letter on file suggests the car may have been stored in Rootes' warehouse in Belgium). First owned in the UK by Sunbeam enthusiast Keith Pountain the Venezia was sold at auction in May 1986 to one S H M Brown and reregistered 'XRE 81G'. In sum. a unique opportunity to own not only a 50 year old motoring time-capsule. but also the best survivor of one rare product of Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. It comes with two huge files. with an impressive collection of bills. invoices. correspondence (even from Lord Rootes) and paperwork covering almost its entire life. A quantity of expired MoT certificates dating back to 1986. Included in the sale the exceeding rare original Sunbeam Venezia parts list and manual. and the dedicated book "You can see about 300 photos of my car here: touringsuperleggera. shutterflyThe car has a modern UK document (DVLA V5). I set a sensible reserve price. according with the unicity. the quality and the historical importance of such a carriage. My car can be viewed. by appointment. in the Principality of Monaco. I can store it free of charge for four weeks. in a dry and safe place. after the end of the auction. I can also help with transportation/shipping. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need further information.