Jay,
Sorry for the delay in replying to your message but was wilderness canoe
camping the past 4 days.
This "wing thing" is the housing for the instrument cluster with the
speedo in the centre. To the left is the fuel and temp. gauge and on the
right is the ammeter and oil pressure.
Naming these cars is a bit confusing but they were really just called Mark
I and III Alpines although after the later ones were introduced, it was
easier to distinguish the MK form the Series by calling them Sunbeam Talbot
Alpines, not something the factory did. The winged enamel badge on the
grille says Sunbeam on each side as opposed to the Sunbeam Talbots up to MK
IIA having Sunbeam Talbot on this badge. The MK IIIs Alpine, DHC and saloon
were all called just "Sunbeam" on this badge (Talbot" dropped). We on the
list have called them "Proper" Alpines just to separate us from the Series
crowd.
I just scanned through my 189 messages and noticed you bit the bullet!
Congratulations! Will respond to that message as well when I get to it. Did
look at the pictures and it looks like it is well worth the money. Welcome
to the "Proper" circles!
Later,
Bob
At 08:18 AM 8/17/99 -0700, you wrote:
>
>
>
>First, back the wing thing, Bob, it was not on the horn button itself. It
>was large, maybe 12 inches across and seemed to surround the steering
>column forward of the wheel itself. But, again, I did not have much time
>to analyze it, and there were things piled on the inside of the car
>obscuring my view.
>
>Second, what are these really called? We've heard "Talbot-Alpine," "proper
>Alpine," and "Mark Alpines." In one of the Sunbeam books I was reading,
>with their all of 2 pages or less dedicated to these cars, there was a
>specific reference that the name "Talbot" was dropped for the Alpine and
>that this was the first car to be called just a "Sunbeam". But, I was not
>sure that it was done for the very first one, or this happened later. Were
>the first Alpines called "Mark I's"? Or, just "Alpines" with the second
>ones being called "Mark II's"? I'm pretty sure the '59 Alpine was not
>called a Series I until the Series II was made, right?
>
>Dang, I'd still like that car. But, I'll let someone else have the
>sleepless nights trying to decide how much he can or cannot spend, how he
>could possibly pick it up and then where he is going to put it.
>
>Jay
>
>
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Robert (Bob) A.C. Hamilton, Waverley, Nova Scotia, Canada
The Man of Many Sunbeams - Alpine, Drophead and Saloon 1953-1954
REVISED Home Page: http://www.navnet.net/~hamilton/index.html
NEW REVISED BATANS Home Page: www.batans.ns.ca
E-Mail: hamilton(at)cast.navnet.net
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