>On the subject of replacement engines I feel that a Sunbeam >without a
Sunbeam engine, unless it is a Tiger, is not a Sunbeam >anymore, just a hot
rod. I will now stand back a wait for the >proverbial to hit the fan.
So what? I am a hot rodder, I even subscribe to Hot Rod. Although I owned
an Alpine before I owned a Tiger, I probably wouldn't be writing to this list
if it wasn't for being a hot rodder. My first Alpine was a fluke, I wasn't
looking for it. It was one of those "good deals" that I couldn't pass up. I
admit that I was quite impressed with the car but I soon sold it. As far as
LBCs' go I was a MGB fan (wonderful with a Rover/Buick V8 swapped into it you
know, I prefer the Buick because then it's not a MGB). That would have been
the end of my Sunbeam experience if I hadn't been a hot rodder because it was
the lure of the V8 (Tiger) that brought me back to the Rootes fold. I liked
the cars so much I got another Alpine.
What I want to know is if I swap a 2300 ford four into my Alpine and it is no
longer a Sunbeam does that mean I banish myself to instant pariahdom? Does it
mean that I can't park my car with the "real Sunbeams" at get togethers.
Will conversations between real Sunbeam owners hush when I come near. Will
I hear murmers of "it's a nice car, too bad it's not a Sunbeam"?
Hey Greg and Gary, your Alpine conversions may be fun but too bad they're not
Sunbeams.
But let's look on the bright side... I'll ruin the car by putting in the 2.3L
and it won't be a real Sunbeam so why not go all the way? It's a real pain
in the ass having to deal with all those hard to find and expensive Sunbeam
parts and it would be best to leave them for those faithful with real
Sunbeams so...
As soon as any front end parts wear out I'll go to a Mustang II front end or
maybe a corvair, ya a corvair front end thats more the hot rodder style!! I
think I'll use the interior out of my wrecked caddy, it's still real nice,
and of course I'll have to remove all those misleading Sunbeam and Alpine
badges. FWD would be nice and maybe I will graft on a fastback hardtop off a
'63 1/2 Galaxie, quite the hot rodder touch. Boy, it won't be too long
before I forget what I started with and Sunbeam will only come to mind as a
kitchen appliance.
Pretty ridiculous but so is the notion that my Alpine wouldn't be a Sunbeam
without the Alpine engine.
Look, the reason I own an Alpine or a Tiger is too have fun, isn't that why
we all own them? My restoration project fun is with the Tiger, my just
plain fun is with the Alpine. I feel that the 2300 will help maximize my fun
(not to mention enhance reliability and driveability which are not
necessarily prerequisits of fun). I certainly don't need you or anybody
elses approval to have fun.
Besides being ignorant and inflammatory, your remarks are also prejudicial
and short sighted. By your definition it was not a Sunbeam that was
presented to Lord Rootes in Coventry in July of 1963. Assuradly Rootes was
skeptical but he restrained his prejudice and gave the car a chance. He
liked the Tiger prototype because it was fun, he was known to be very
conservative but he gave it a try and then he was hooked. I'm sure that from
the moment he took that first drive he thought of the proto as a Sunbeam.
Have you driven an Alpine with a 2300 ford four? How can you be sure it
does not rightly qualify as being a Sunbeam?
There will be a day when the only Alpines driven regularly are hot rods, you
know this is true (how many stock model "A" fords do you see as daily drivers(
?) and they made a bunch more of those than they did Alpines). I guess that
will be a sad day since there will be no daily driver "Sunbeam" Alpines.
BTW, my Series I Alpine has a Series II engine so does that mean it's not a
real Series I?
Frank "remember, you asked for it" Marrone at fmarrone(at)aol.com
P.S. Welcome to the group!!
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Sep 05 2000 - 09:13:58 CDT