‘‘We won the Festival of the Unexceptional!’

1977 Chrysler Alpine GL Guy Maylam, Tunbridge Wells

Congratulations on your win!

'Thank you! Quite a shock, really. I’ve been to the Festival of the Unexceptional a few times but I never thought that we’d win a prize. It was the Alpine’s first weekend out, following the restoration. We drove it to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed and then went to Stowe House for the big event.'

Where did you find it?

'I obtained it alongside my friend (and the car’s co-owner Stuart Wade) from the original owner, who had offered it to the Simca Talbot Owners Club on condition he got the original number plate back. It had been on his previous car, a Hillman Minx, so it meant a great deal to him.'

Was the car in good order?

'Goodness, no! It was a wreck. It was in poor condition when it came off the road in 1992, apparently. Every panel was totally rotten and overall, it was worse than the parts cars we had stashed away. But we had made a promise to the previous owner. If you’re going to do something, it has to be done properly so it was necessary to do a ground-up restoration.'

Where on earth do you start with an Alpine?

'From the inside out! Most panels were beyond hope but knowing we could do it, we just needed to make the commitment. That meant planning and making sure we could source all the parts needed. For instance, the engine only had 57,000 miles but it wasn’t in good health. A mere 1294cc dragging around a big car like the Alpine meant it was worn out, while the gearbox had no second gear. We sourced a spare engine from a Talbot Horizon with just 23,000 miles. The interior upholstery has a habit of rotting in the sun, as you’d imagine, but to our surprise we found a company in France selling the original-style cloth.'

Is this a rare model?

'There are only around eight to ten of these early Alpines left with two or three others on the road. Most rolled off the line at the Ryton plant near Coventry, except for the earliest models that were built in France – but none of those exist. This example is the second oldest in existence and it is a base model, which always tend to disappear first as people wanted the posh ones. The Alpine is a typical underdog vehicle, known for rattly tappets and rust. But adjust the tappets regularly and these engines last well and its otherwise a simple design and easy to maintain.'

How do people react to it?

'A few years ago, people would either laugh at Chryslers and Talbots or just ignore them but nowadays, you get nothing but thumbs up! The Alpine has great pedigree as a forwardthinking, Anglo-french design. Sadly, back in the late Seventies it was a front-wheel drive hatchback in a market that preferred rear-wheel drive saloons and should have been more successful than it was.

The reaction must have been good at Stowe this year?

'Absolutely! The Festival of the Unexceptional is such a good show – the Alpine fits right in as part of a display of cars you just don’t see anymore. The Alpine has, at last, been elevated from laughing stock to prize winner!'