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A few more comments on Sunbeams

SIVAllan

SIVAllan

Gold Level Sponsor
Two guys at the gas station:

Mister, is that car Italian?

--No, it's British.

Well, are you certain?

Two Arabic students walking by, talking in Arabic (I guess)

First guy to second (Completely unintelligible to me)

Second guy to first, easily understood: SUNBEAM!

At the repair shop:

Emory student walks up while the bonnet is open and I am changing a sparking plug:

Mister, is that a Tiger?
--Yes.
Does it have a V8?
--Sure, aren't you looking right at it? :)
 
Ken Ellis

Ken Ellis

Donation Time
My favorite 'passerby' conversation -- with a pedestrian
while I was stopped at a light -- went as follows:

Him: "No!"
Me: "Well, yes."
Him: "No!!"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "And you drive it?"
Me: "As often as I can."

And then I drove away... thinking "What the heck was that all about?"

But then I looked at it from a non-owner's point of view. My dark green Alpine has a full-length gold accent stripe close to where the Tiger trim was mounted. It also has a somewhat leaky exhaust on an engine that does not idle very smoothly. Perhaps, to an uninitiated ear, on a busy street (with a tailwind) he might have thought 'it coulda had a V8.' But then, the plain as day 'Alpine' script should have clued him in a little...

Ken
 
V

V6 JOSE

Donation Time
I had just gotten my Series IV completely restored, and painted 1974 Capri, bright, Sebring red. It had mags and bigger tires. It was gorgeous. I took it out for the first time since completimg it, and went to a Chevron gas station to fill it up. The young kid that was attending, came out with his eyes wide open and a big grin on hie face, and promptly asked, "Is that a Ferrari??!!" I told him no, but wished it was, so I could sell it and build me another five V6 Alpines.

Driving that car, was a real treat, because you could count on a lot of attention, plus you got to meet a lot of fine folks too. It brought a smile to almost everyone that saw it on the road.

Jose :D
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Stranger in parking as we're both walking up to the car:
"That yours?"
"Yeah"
"I love it! What the Hell is it?"

Bill
 
Nickodell

Nickodell

Donation Time
The owner of our local Chinese restaurant has been trying to buy Matilda for 15 years. Each time I go to pick up an order he says "C'mon, everyone have plice." My usual response is "What plice you give me for 2,000 hours work? I normally bill $150 an hour."

Owner of local Mailbox center asked me years ago if it was made by the Mixmaster people. Now every fine day when I go to drop off a Fedex package he asks me (if I'm driving the Camry) why I'm not out in the Mixmaster today. It was funny the first time, but by the 59th I'm ready to crown him with his scales.

Old gent stopped by when I was in Matilda in a supermarket parking lot a few years ago. Adjusting his spectacles and peering at the fender, he asked me "What is an AIPINE?" Me: "I'm sorry; what is a what?" Old Gent: "It says 'AIPINE' on the side here. Is that a foreign word?"

That's when I realized that when my shorts caught in the badge as I brushed close to Matilda a few days before, I must have snagged the "L" and broken the top off, leaving an "I." Luckily, I had a spare badge.
 
Alpine 1789

Alpine 1789

SAOCA President
Diamond Level Sponsor
My favorite comment was from a guy who waved me to slow down on the highway and leaned out his window to yell: "Did you know they put a Ford V8 in those?"

No Sh!t? Really? Thanks Mister.
 
Series3Scott

Series3Scott

Co-Founder/Past President
Platinum Level Sponsor
Jim Stone said:
My favorite comment was from a guy who waved me to slow down on the highway and leaned out his window to yell: "Did you know they put a Ford V8 in those?"

No Sh!t? Really? Thanks Mister.
Click to expand...


Oh yeah, that is the clincher for me! :mad: I've owned my Alpine now since 1984 and I can't tell you how SICK I am at getting questions like:
"Hey, is that the one with the V8 in it?"
"That a Tiger mister?"

And then the look they give you when you say proudly, "No, it's the 4 cylinder Alpine, which goes fast enough for me thank you and actually is better balanced". They give you this look of pity like you just bought an Opel GT instead of a Corvette. Grrr.....:mad:

Recently I had a new experience at the gas station - a guy came up to my Alpine and of course asked if it had the V8. When I said no, it had a 4 cylinder, he asked why would they put a 4 in it when it already had a V8. I quickly realized he assumed the Tiger came FIRST, not the Alpine. When I proceeded to gently correct him, he asked "are you SURE the Alpine came first? I'm pretty sure the Tiger came first."

Realizing I was up against a mountain of ignorance I got back in the car and replied "maybe you're right." Casting pearls before swine......
 
MikeH

MikeH

Diamond Level Sponsor
It sounds like all the people I've talked to that swear they had a 4-door Mustang growing up or a convertible Mach I.
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Speaking of Sunbeams and V8's, the guy that did my interior says he knows a guy in Florida that has the first "original" Tiger. Even has the Cobra insignia on it. I told him I didn't think the Tigers ever carried Cobra badges. I'm not much on Tiger history, am I correct?

Bill
 
H

howard

Donation Time
And BELIEVE IT OR NOT every Alpine in the universe was owned by Maxwell Smart and was owned by some old coot I meet every time I drive my car.
 
M

mikephillips

Donation Time
Neither of the prototypes or the follow on factory cars carried Cobra badges as sold. I would guess someone found and bought a couple to put on, if he's even remembering right.
 
Green67Alpine

Green67Alpine

Former SAOCA Membership Director
Platinum Level Sponsor
Nickodell said:
It's the damn' burritos and Dos Equis.:eek:
Click to expand...

Hey ! Your not the most interesting man in the world are you ? :D

For so few Tigers made, they sure have a huge number of folks that owned, knew someone who owned, etc, etc

Tom j
 
65beam

65beam

Donation Time
a few comments

my wife gave me a few hard stares when we were in daytona last october. i told a tiger owner that when we got ready to restore her old alpine, i was told to find a rust free alpine . the only thing i could come up with at the time was a rust free tiger body so we converted the tiger back to an alpine. he just stared at me .we all know better but i thought it was funny. i did the same thing in carlisle ,pa a few weeks ago .
 
Eleven

Eleven

Platinum Level Sponsor
Drove my Alpine to the Grocery store

Guy out front arranging the stock yelled, "Great Car!"

I know it doesn't fit but had to tell someone anyway..!
 
chris

chris

Donation Time
I just got one two hours ago at the gas station, "didn't they put a V8 in some of these?"
 
L

Lee DeRamus saoca0404

In 1979, when I bought my Series II, I drove it to work every day. Only 1 mile in each direction. I only had the hard top, and always left it at home. I started putting a golf umbrella in it, just in case. After driving home with one hand, and holding the umbrella in the other several times, my picture made front page of the local paper. I did enjoy the picture, but was a little put out when it described the car as an MG!!!
 
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