Photo: Carla216
A few weeks ago, the CW premiered a new show about a well-known crime-solving young woman. But this version of Nancy Drew is nothing like the silly 2007 film starring Emma Roberts. Instead, the gritty mystery drama focuses on a post-high school Nancy as she makes plans to leave her hometown of Horseshoe Bay while also inconveniently being accused of murder. No biggie, right?
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I have to admit that I have been spooked more times than I would like to have been by this show during its first three episodes… Along with the murder in which she is a suspect, Nancy is also trying to solve the mystery of a former Sea Queen’s untimely death that occurred decades ago. That means ghouls and creepy stuff constantly pop out of the shadows and appear in mirrors.
But between the jump scares and side-eye glances between fellow murder suspects, we’re introduced to an amazingly cool classic car. To provide some backstory, Nancy’s mom died from pancreatic cancer while Nancy was still in high school. The car she used to drive had since been covered by a sheet in the Drew garage until Nancy’s boyfriend Ned “Nick” Nickerson asked if he could fix it up for her. Nancy obliged and we didn’t see the car again until the third episode, “The Curse of the Dark Storm.”
What kind of car is it?
When Nick finally pulls the sheet off, a light blue Sunbeam Alpine Series III is revealed. The convertible is incredibly petite and perfect for zipping around a small town like the one in the show. The Sunbeam Alpine was first produced as the Mark I in 1953 by Rootes Group and the company created two additional Mark models. It wasn’t until 1959 that the Alpine Series I made its debut; the Series III (Mrs. Drew’s former car) was produced from 1963-64.
Photo: Kevauto
That car looks really familiar…
If you’re looking at that photo and thinking, “Wasn’t that the car that was used in the 2007 Nancy Drew movie?” you’re not completely losing your mind. However, you’re not right, either. Although it has a similar paint job as the Alpine Series III in the CW show, the car in the 2007 film of the same name was actually a 1960 Nash Metropolitan. But it should be noted that both vehicles are callbacks to Nancy’s “blue roadster” that she frequently used to drive around town while solving crimes in the book series.
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen
What happens to the car?
WARNING: Spoilers
Before Nancy gets to drive her mom’s old car, she discovers that Nick had been messaging the aforementioned murder victim (not the Sea Queen) before her death. In those messages, it’s revealed that the murder victim, Tiffany Hudson, left a package in the Sunbeam for Nick to discover. In a later shot, Nick is seen tearing at the car to find the mystery package, but he neatly fixes the upholstery before debuting the souped-up ride to Nancy. The pair later use the vintage convertible to travel to the Lavender Inn to find more clues.
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While the Sunbeam Alpine wasn’t featured in the promo for the fourth episode, I have a feeling it’ll keep showing up as a means of convenient transportation for Nancy as she attempts to solve two mysteries at once. Who knows, maybe it’ll play a pivotal role in the series like the cars from Riverdale did in season one…
Trailer: Nancy Drew on the CW
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.