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Re: Jay Leno's 1st collector car - Sunbeam Tiger

To: <tigers@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Jay Leno's 1st collector car - Sunbeam Tiger
From: "bob josten" <bobjosten@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 09:31:51 -0800
I think he might have sold it. This is from an article he wrote in mid 2002:
A guy passed me the other day in a Sunbeam Tiger. I thought, I'll go after
him and wave. I used to have one of those. And just as I pull up to him, the
whole thing goes up in flames. And he has no fire extinguisher. So he pulls
over to the left side of the road, and I pull in behind him. Turns out it
was just an electrical fire. We disconnected the battery and got it out. But
now we're stuck in the fast lane and people are whizzing by.

I called the Highway Patrol and they came, but believe me, there's no place
you can even break down anymore. And in new cars, once you're broken down,
you're broken down. The ability to get a modern car going again is
absolutely gone. I always stopped and helped people with car problems in the
old days. Six times out of 10, it'd be a loose wire or something simple. And
you could get them going. But now, all you can do is call for help.

I was on the freeway a few months ago and I saw these five guys stuck with
an old car. I pull up and they're all talking in Spanish. So I say, "Are you
okay?" And they say, "Si, si," and so I offer my telephone.

One guy says, "Gracias," and he dials a number. He talks for a few minutes,
then passes the phone to the next guy, who talks awhile, then passes it on.
Finally, all five have spoken and I'm thinking okay, what the heck. Finally,
I ask for the phone back and go on my way.

A month later, I get my phone bill for that call: $98! Turns out they called
their mother in El Salvador. I'm thinking they're calling the tow truck and
they're calling El Salvador on my cellphone.

Bob



> Stephen,
>
> And he still has it, too.  Was at the Woodley Park auto gatherings for
> British Cars (with his 4 1/2 L Bentley), at the Shelby Club gathering
> with his Shelby, as well.
>
> Steve
>
> Stephen Waybright wrote:
>
> >Interesting article in March 1 Autoweek about Jay Leno's resto-mod 55
> >Buick, the first car he bought after arriving in LA in '72 for just
> >$350, before he even had an apartment. More interesting; the 1st car he
> >bought as soon as he had some discretionary cash in '76... a Sunbeam
> >Tiger! I knew he had great taste in cars. :)
> >
> >Stephen Waybright





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