It was a Tiger. A Sunbeam would be a hairdressers car..............if you get my drift?
Actually, no. After owning 21 Alpine's, two Tiger's, and countless Hillman's, I'd have to argue the point.
Arnold Swarzennegger (or whatever!), ripped the seat out of one, owned by the stewardess, in Commando (YOU tell him he's a hairdresser!!). Elizabeth Taylor crashed an Alpine into the brick wall, in Butterfield 8. Dr. No had one, where Sean Connery drove one (an early series, with the "fins").
The Alpine was designed by Kenneth Howes, who was also on the design team of the 55, 6, and 7 T-birds. Thus the eybrow headlights, and fins.
Carroll Shelby took an early series, and shoehorned the first 260 V8 into it, but it was the whim of a west coast car dealer. They presented it, and the Tiger was born. I've seen the original, that was owned by Bill Carrol, in Vista, CA, back in the day. It had the big fins. Jensen, of Jensen Healy, put them together for Rootes, the parent company. You can imagine, what it was like, when Rootes was partnered with Chrysler in 1967, and the Sunbeam Tiger, a British sports car, was sold with a Ford 289 V-8, on Chrysler lots! In 1975-80, I bought out 4 or 5 dealership's Sunbeam parts...and also was fortunate to have been a little involved with one of the Lister Tiger's, back in 1981, with Dave Coppin (this is not it - I never heard what happened to it, after Dave's death in 1983 or 4).
The Alpines got well over 30 mpg, and we played with one, and got over 50 mpg, back in the late '70's/early 80s. I STILL have a few Alpine parts, in the wife's garage...
I still think they were one of the best affordable British sports cars. The absolute pinnacle of the Sunbeams, would have to be the Sunbeam Harrington Alpine Le Mans GT.
I'd give anything to have a Harrington, and I would most certainly convert it to a Tiger, where it would be possibly one of a kind. Of course, I'd have to have a million or so laying around...
R
