The Audax based Hillman Husky ended production in 1966 and the Minx in 1967.
Therefore the Alpine could not continue in production much longer past the end
of it's major parts suppliers. They could build Alpines until they ran out of
Husky floor pans.... so I think everybody had a pretty good idea when
production would end-they need only only look at the stock of Husky floor pans
left.
With the end of the Audax cars, the Alpine could no longer benefit from the
economies of scale of the parts and therefore the price of the Alpine would
increase dramatically (example-lower control arms-with 100,000 Minxes per year
the part would "X" dollars, with only 10,000 per year for the Alpine the part
would cost "X"+ some amount.. possibly double or triple).
Jan Eyerman
Jay_Laifman@countrywide.com wrote:
>Or... they were running out of 4 blade fans on
>the production line, so they
>grabbed the 6 blade from a different model.
Works for me. Still makes it a factory original piece!
That said, I seem to recall years and years ago on this list, geeze perhaps
close to 10 years ago, wow it's been a long time, someone commented (and it
was probably Dick) that when production was stopped, it was a surprise and
that it wasn't like there was a foreseeable end that they were simply
throwing cars together with whatever was left. That however, doesn't mean
that from time to time they didn't run out of something and made due.
Jay
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