I agree with Ramon that a "factory perfect" car would be hard pressed to
score compared to some of the cars at Sunbeam meets. However,
perfection takes different forms.
At a Tigers United a few years back, I asked the owner of a beautiful
"more than perfectly" restored Tiger if she minded if I opened the
passenger door and looked at the interior. She said, yes, which I took
to mean, OK, you can look. She was very upset when I did open the door
though, as it took them 10 minutes to get if closed properly again! The
driver's door fit fine, apparently, and they figured the judges wouldn't
open the passenger door, which they must not of, since the car got such
a high score!
In 1967 I picked up my brand new BRG 1967 Series V Alpine from Kramer
Motors in Santa Monica, California. I had gone all out, paying an extra
$100 for the hardtop, $40 I think for the clock, 20 or $30 for the
ammeter, and I forget how much for the cigarette lighter and the tonneau
cover. I negotiated the deal down to around $2700 out the door,
including tax & license.
I had mentioned to the salesman that when you look down the sides of the
car, the metal looked a little "wavy". He said they were all like that
and, sure enough, when I looked at a few lother Alpines & Tigers on the
lot, they were all that way!
A few days later, I noticed a bit of oil under the car in the driveway.
I called the salesman at the dealership who said something to the effect
of "That's a good sign. It means it still has oil in it!". It was my
first exposure to British car humor. Ha! Ha! Ha!
I took the car back to the dealer who told me that it was normal for
Alpines to leak a bit from around the front cover due to, I think, the
reverse thread on the crank. Anyway, years later, in having my engine
rebuilt, (my terminology may well be off here), and ordering some parts
from Sunbeam Specialties, I paid a dollar or so for something called a
crank end gasket that fit in the front cover. Never had a leak from that
spot again! The factory probably saved a dollar or two a car by not
having that part in in the first place!
My final point is, other than the stories being maybe of some interest
to you, is that our Sunbeams had plenty of room for improvement even
when they were brand new, the factory was trying to improve things under
difficult economic conditions, and there's nothing wrong, to me, making
the cars work better, more reliably, and go faster.
I only draw the line (and for me only), at altering the look and "feel"
of the car. I don't think the interior design and exterior shape of the
cars has too much room for improvement.
Anyone else out there have any stories to tell about buying their
Sunbeams or odd experiences through the years?
Steve Sage
Torrance, California, USA
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