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Re: [Tigers] Urban legend

To: "'Ross Hulse'" <ross_hulse@sbcglobal.net>, "'Curt Bowland'" <cbowland@msn.com>
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Urban legend
From: Buck Trippel via Tigers <tigers@autox.team.net>
Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2020 11:30:12 -0700
Cc: tigers@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: tigers@autox.team.net
References: <DM6PR07MB724294080373CF2A01EF36A7DBE00@DM6PR07MB7242.namprd07.prod.outlook.com> <CAPSnpwmn6yHrrdbsSxsDYV-dtRWkxSbcqM73upf+s4vB5Q3PUQ@mail.gmail.com>
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The best and most authoritative answers to the why the Tiger was =
discontinued that I=E2=80=99ve found are in the collection of Papworth =
papers housed in the Culture Coventry Archive at the Herbert Museum in =
Coventry.

=20

Mr Papworth was a very high level =E2=80=9Cplanner=E2=80=9D for Rootes. =
He reported to a very select group, comprised mainly of family members =
who were the heart of the Rootes board. After his retirement he donated =
thousands(?) of pages of notes and memos. I=E2=80=99ve spent several =
days reading them and want to go back.=20

=20

Mr. Papworth lays out a very comprehensive Tiger story. The Tiger =
represented only 2% of Rootes=E2=80=99 sales and was consequentially =
just a blip on management=E2=80=99s attention. Tigers were barely =
mentioned in board meetings as the high production Imps and Hillmans =
dominated the discussions. The Mk1s & 1As sold well. The Mk2 that was =
built was not the Mk2 that the engineers had designed and tested (with =
upgraded 5-bolt 14=E2=80=9D wheels to fit 4-wheel discs, the same 3-puck =
calipers used on Aston Martins and street Cobras) and the resulting lack =
of initial sales seemed to be the straw that broke the camel=E2=80=99s =
back. But Papworth also outlines other contributing issues.=20

=20

Rootes engineers determined that Chrysler V8s would not fit in a Tiger. =
They explored alternatives including one that would have been built a =
new =E2=80=9CTiger=E2=80=9D with fiberglass body in the USA. Obviously =
none of those alternatives worked out.

=20

After Lord Rootes passed away his brother, Reggie, assumed control. =
Reggie wanted to replace the Alpine/Tiger with a smaller sportscar that =
was similar to a Spitfire. That car, =E2=80=9CApex=E2=80=9D, had been =
designed and was very close to production when a sub-contractor tripled =
the initial cost estimate for its fiberglass body. That ended =
Rootes=E2=80=99 attempt at a replacement sportscar.

=20

The US government had long imposed standards for the cars it purchased =
for government use =E2=80=93 the GSA standards. These existing GSA =
standards were eventually adopted for all cars sold in the US. The =
Alpine/Tiger platform would have needed upgrades to comply. Tooling for =
these would have been costly on a per unit basis due to low production =
volume.=20

=20

The space used at Pressed Steel to build the Alpines and Tigers was =
needed by another Rootes vehicle which was high production and therefore =
a higher priority. Assuming Rootes would accept the cost of upgrades to =
comply with GSA standards, where could the Alpine/Tiger be built? Rootes =
looked at alternatives including moving the entire Alpine/Tiger =
production from Pressed Steel to Jensen. At one point Rootes even =
offered to purchase Jensen. Jensen refused. The move never happened. =
Rootes never found an alternate contractor to build the cars.

=20

Papworth cites all of these factors in the decision to end Tiger =
production.

=20

Buck Trippel

=20

From: Tigers <tigers-bounces@autox.team.net> On Behalf Of Ross Hulse via =
Tigers
Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2020 1:57 AM
To: Curt Bowland <cbowland@msn.com>
Cc: tigers <tigers@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Urban legend

=20

The demise of the Sunbeam Tiger was that they did not sell very well.  =
The USA import regs for cars would require expensive modifications to =
the car.  So in February 1967 the decision was made to finish the cars =
that were in the line and send them to Canada.  Everything about not =
fitting a Chrysler engine is just a rumor.=20

=20


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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue =
vlink=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>The best =
and most authoritative answers to the why the Tiger was discontinued =
that I=E2=80=99ve found are in the collection of Papworth papers housed =
in the Culture Coventry Archive at the Herbert Museum in =
Coventry.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>Mr Papworth was a very high level =
=E2=80=9Cplanner=E2=80=9D for Rootes. He reported to a very select =
group, comprised mainly of family members who were the heart of the =
Rootes board. After his retirement he donated thousands(?) of pages of =
notes and memos. I=E2=80=99ve spent several days reading them and want =
to go back. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>Mr. Papworth lays out a very comprehensive Tiger =
story. The Tiger represented only 2% of Rootes=E2=80=99 sales and was =
consequentially just a blip on management=E2=80=99s attention. Tigers =
were barely mentioned in board meetings as the high production Imps and =
Hillmans dominated the discussions. The Mk1s &amp; 1As sold well. The =
Mk2 that was built was not the Mk2 that the engineers had designed and =
tested (with upgraded 5-bolt 14=E2=80=9D wheels to fit 4-wheel discs, =
the same 3-puck calipers used on Aston Martins and street Cobras) and =
the resulting lack of initial sales seemed to be the straw that broke =
the camel=E2=80=99s back. But Papworth also outlines other contributing =
issues. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>Rootes engineers determined that Chrysler V8s would =
not fit in a Tiger. They explored alternatives including one that would =
have been built a new =E2=80=9CTiger=E2=80=9D with fiberglass body in =
the USA. Obviously none of those alternatives worked =
out.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>After Lord Rootes passed away his brother, Reggie, =
assumed control. Reggie wanted to replace the Alpine/Tiger with a =
smaller sportscar that was similar to a Spitfire. That car, =
=E2=80=9CApex=E2=80=9D, had been designed and was very close to =
production when a sub-contractor tripled the initial cost estimate for =
its fiberglass body. That ended Rootes=E2=80=99 attempt at a replacement =
sportscar.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>The US government had long imposed standards for the =
cars it purchased for government use =E2=80=93 the GSA standards. These =
existing GSA standards were eventually adopted for all cars sold in the =
US. The Alpine/Tiger platform would have needed upgrades to comply. =
Tooling for these would have been costly on a per unit basis due to low =
production volume. <o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>The space =
used at Pressed Steel to build the Alpines and Tigers was needed by =
another Rootes vehicle which was high production and therefore a higher =
priority. Assuming Rootes would accept the cost of upgrades to comply =
with GSA standards, where could the Alpine/Tiger be built? Rootes looked =
at alternatives including moving the entire Alpine/Tiger production from =
Pressed Steel to Jensen. At one point Rootes even offered to purchase =
Jensen. Jensen refused. The move never happened. Rootes never found an =
alternate contractor to build the cars.<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Papworth =
cites all of these factors in the decision to end Tiger =
production.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>Buck Trippel<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal> =
<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><b>From:</b> Tigers =
&lt;tigers-bounces@autox.team.net&gt; <b>On Behalf Of </b>Ross Hulse via =
Tigers<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, March 8, 2020 1:57 AM<br><b>To:</b> Curt =
Bowland &lt;cbowland@msn.com&gt;<br><b>Cc:</b> tigers =
&lt;tigers@autox.team.net&gt;<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Tigers] Urban =
legend<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New =
Roman",serif'>The demise of the Sunbeam Tiger was that they did not sell =
very well.&nbsp; The USA import regs for cars would require expensive =
modifications to the car.&nbsp; So in February 1967 the decision was =
made to finish the cars that were in the line and send them to =
Canada.&nbsp; Everything about not fitting a Chrysler engine is just =
a</span>&nbsp;<span style=3D'font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New =
Roman",serif'>rumor.&nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p></div></body></html>
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