Bill and Carol Rogers wrote:
> I hate to have an aircraft guy second guess a rocket scientist but Steve's
> list of 1966 available LAT options lacks a few found on the contemporary
> list dated 1 September 1966 from the ST Division of International
> Automobiles that came from my bro-in-law, the original owner of our Tiger.
>
> What was available then were LAT 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
> 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 27, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 58, 60, 63, 67, 68, 69,
> 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, and 79. This list is very similar to that
> in Taylor's "Tiger - Making of a Sports Car".
This list IS correct, and differs from the priced list I put out only by the
inclusion of the key fobs, ash trays, T-Shirts, etc., that I specifically said I
excluded as not Performance Parts, but I did list the Talbot Mirror as possibly
competition useable.
> TMOSC also lists upgrade
> parts available from Rootes Competitions Dept - no mention of LAT numbers.
> Were LAT parts ever made available in England?
Have NO idea. The LAT options were offered by the importers, International
Automobiles Inc. (Los Angeles( - Ian Garrad, President) through their Sunbeam
Tiger Division, headed by R.G. Wheatley. Strictly a U.S. business. These parts
WERE available through dealers in the East Coast.
> I have several other questions about this list. Norm Miller's TBON lists
> many other LAT numbers; how and when were these made available? Tigers
> were sold throughout the US; were they also unloaded on the East Coast and
> if so, were Los Angeles Tiger options installed there at the dealers, at a
> "New York Rootes Final Assembly Plant" or did you have to buy an improved LA
> car and have it shipped to you?
Have no idea, but this list of available numbers IS backed by official importers
papers, and there was a Factory Authorized Rootes Assembly Line portion in Los
Angeles. This was to get around the rule that all items must be AVAILABLE from
the Factory by order. It does NOT require that all installation must actually
be
done in the "Factory".
As to "Whose" rules they were trying to meet, I do not believe they were those
of
the European sanctioning bodies, which had little influence on US racing of the
period. They were aimed specifically at the California Sports Car Club (Ken
Miles, President at some points) and the Sports Car Club of America - which
fought
the CSCC for control over West Coast Racing and lost as long as Ken was there.
These were the racing customers, and these were the organizations they raced
with. There were a completely different set of sanctioning bodies associated
with
the FIA in Europe, and where Le Mans "Production" rules were made by the French.
This is the area where the Manufacturer (Rootes) fought their classification
battles for the European races. Don't confuse the two.
> Homologation: My background is in '60's European rallying and to me
> homologation is the paperwork by which the factory, via the British RAC, had
> their cars approved as "production" under Appendix J by the French
> Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FAI) for use in International
> races and rallies. The RAC had to certify a minimum number made. In
> addition the homologation form listed Optional equipment, which may or may
> not have been accepted as legal by FAI. More mods were permitted as one
> moved up from Group 1, Touring Car; Gp 2 , Modified Touring; Group 3, GT;
> and Group 4 Sportscars.
Probably inarguable correct, for EUROPE. See above. Deleted repetition of FIA
(FAI?) European rulings.
> Norm in TBON quotes another homologation document, which I suspect was for
> US (SCCA?) racing use. Perhaps he can enlighten us.
You are probably correct, and those were the only rules that US customers who
cared to race had to follow. Unless they wanted to go to Europe. The CSCC
ruled
in California, and the SCCA in the East. The history is there.
> In 1966, my brother-in-law put on a Ford 4V carb and widened steel wheels -
> who knows anything about that non-LAT option?
There certainly were many 4 barrel manifolds available for and from Ford, as
well
as 4 barrel carburetors. At least 3 different intake manifolds and three
different carburetors were LAT options. Some for racing only. Lot's of wheels
could be made to fit. Most factory rally cars used Minilites, as Bill as
stated,
and specially constructed wheels were made for the Factory Le Mans models, Which
Dick Barker so loving installed on his Le Mans Tiger Coupe. On the West Coast
there were many wheels chosen for competition, including Larry Reed's American
Racing Silverstone Mags that actually were Magnesium. Don't think he was
running
'stock' class, but uncertain. The Minilites were also popular. Not sure the
club
rules cared, as long as they were safe, and the proper size as stock option
(again, unsure).
> IMHO. Garrard's contacts with the Competitions Dept were used to get the
> right bits for the rally engines, and West Coast racers developed racing
> pieces, but most LAT options were bolt on hot rod items designed by the West
> Coast importer to increase profit margins and had little or nothing to do
> with the Rootes Group factory.
Wrong. They were specifically created product line by Garrad himself, and sold
through the Rootes "Factory" and dealers, even though the manufacture may have
been local, or even adapted from available design. They were promoted by Garrad
and Wheatley to "enhance dealer profit". Some of this documentation can be seen
in TBON. I will release the ENTIRE DEALER PACKAGE, including letters from the
above, pictures, and Dealer Confidential Cost and Retail Price sheets on the
Tiger
site we are near to releasing.
All the price, availability, and sponsorship statements I have made are
supported
in these documents, which were the source of my information.
> It is interesting to see the scramble for LAT parts - I have a pristine
> LAT14 that must be worth a fortune.
$2.00, original Retail price for this Large Embroidered Patch, available from
CAT.
>
>
> Bill Rogers
Thank you, Bill, for the run-down of how things were going in Europe, with the
FAI
(FIA?).
Steve
--
Steve Laifman < Find out what is most >
B9472289 < important in your life >
< and don't let it get away!>
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