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On the road of the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, episode 1 – For the 27th edition, entry was open to cars that had competed in the event between 1911 and 1983. In the end, 219 cars were allowed to take part, including the oldest, a Sunbeam Alpine. James Pohl and Joyce Mordenti are in for the second time on the roads that have written the legend of the event, with their 1953 car.
It’s not the most powerful, nor the sportiest. But there’s no denying that this old-timer is reallycharming and must intrigue a good number of enthusiasts who came to admire the cars entered in this 2025 Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The Sunbeam Alpine, number 224, which set off from Monaco on Thursday evening in the pouring rain, is officially the doyenne of this 27th edition.
James Pohl, a.k.a. Jim, and Joyce Mordentin are no strangers to this car, which was completely rebuilt in the 90s by Joyce’s father, “an amazing mechanic”. Last year, they had already set out to conquer these roads and this legendary course. But the hard law of Monte Carlo had struck. “We started in Reims, and we broke down in the middle of the night of the Concentration Leg”, recalls the American driver, still marked by his first experience.
Their tenacity paid off in the end: after an express return trip to Yorkshire, England, to collect spare parts, Jim Pohl was able to repair his white Sunbeam Alpine and set off for Valencia. He adds: “We talked to the officials, and said ‘Please, can we just drive? We know we are dead last; we don’t care about winning, we want to participate’.”
A princely meeting
Crew 178 eventually reentered the race and managed to get to Monaco, their original target. Already very happy to have reached the Principality, Jim Pohl and Joyce Mordenti were not at the end of their surprises. “H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco wanted to meet us because the Sunbeam Alpine is the same kind of car that his mother, Princess Grace, drove in the film To Catch a Thief. His father, Prince Rainier III, also drove one a lot.”
For 2025, there’s no question of taking revenge, but neither do the pair dream of emulating their hero, Sheila Van Damm, winner of the Coupe des Dames on the Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1955 in a Sunbeam MK III with Anne Hall. Jim Pohl and Joyce Mordenti agree: “This year, we just want to drive every mile on the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique! We do not want to break down again.”
The good news is that the Parcours de Concentration went well for the seven-decade-old Sunbeam Alpine. Crew 224 arrived at the Place du Champs-de-Mars on Friday afternoon, along with 215 other competitors. Before tackling the Classification Stage 1 this Saturday, with the first four regularity stages.
