Rarity

[Mike Armstrong]

In the years before I got my SV back on the road it wouldn't be unusual to see 2 or 3 Alpines at car shows or events. Last year I finally was able to take my own Alpine to the same shows and I would see maybe 1 or 2 other Alpines. So far this year my Alpine has been the only one at these shows. I hear comments like 'geez, you don't see these anymore' or 'I haven't seen one of these around in a long time'. Seems this year I have more people than ever ask 'what is this?' as opposed to 'cool Alpine!'.

I it's kinda cool to have the car of its type at a show, sure draws a bigger crowd

Is it just me or are there fewer and fewer Alpines on the road than ever before?

 

[Bill Blue]

I'd say fewer and fewer Alpines. I think that is one reason for the low turnout at Invasions. They are 50 years old and not cheap to repair. Sometimes it seems the resto mod Alpines on the road outnumber the stocks Alpines.

But they certainly get attention!

Bill

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I'd say fewer and fewer Alpines. I think that is one reason for the low turnout at Invasions. They are 50 years old and not cheap to repair. Sometimes it seems the resto mod Alpines on the road outnumber the stocks Alpines.

But they certainly get attention!

Bill

Hi Bill.

Interesting point about the resto-mods or, Conversions, 'newer' drivetrains and other components would make them more likely to still be on the road. My 80's era V6 and 90's era 5 speed feel pretty solid, can't say the same about the rest of the car because it remains almost all original stock.

Funny too, with fewer Alpines around there's also not much common knowledge about them. I have overheard guys gathered around the engine compartment speculating on how long the V6 was used after the 4cyl and before they went on to the V8 The 2.8 fits so nicely in there it looks like it could've come factory installed.

Cool to have something different than the other 100 or so muscle cars usually on display.

 

[alpine_64]

We had a national sunbeam meeting here a few weeks back and for the first time i belive tigers outnumbered alpines.

There were a few anomolies that meant some regular alpine attendees didnt make it but it was interesting given tigers were never officially offered in australia beyond special order but alpines were a listed model.... So basically all tigers were post period personal imports.

I sometimes wonder if the majority of alpine owners (not saoca types) are seasonal buyers who got involved by chance as it was a fun looking lbc that was affordable as opposed to marque devotees. Hence they are less involved in the community whereas the majority tiger guys have desired one and especially in recent years laid considerable coin to acquire so they are more likely to be more passionate about the car.

Just a thought.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I'd say fewer and fewer Alpines. I think that is one reason for the low turnout at Invasions. They are 50 years old and not cheap to repair. Sometimes it seems the resto mod Alpines on the road outnumber the stocks Alpines.

But they certainly get attention!

Bill

Hi Bill.

Interesting point about the resto-mods or, Conversions, 'newer' drivetrains and other components would make them more likely to still be on the road. My 80's era V6 and 90's era 5 speed feel pretty solid, can't say the same about the rest of the car because it remains almost all original stock.

Funny too, with fewer Alpines around there's also not much common knowledge about them. I have overheard guys gathered around the engine compartment speculating on how long the V6 was used after the 4cyl and before they went on to the V8 The 2.8 fits so nicely in there it looks like it could've come factory installed.

Cool to have something different than the other 100 or so muscle cars usually on display.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

We had a national sunbeam meeting here a few weeks back and for the first time i belive tigers outnumbered alpines.

There were a few anomolies that meant some regular alpine attendees didnt make it but it was interesting given tigers were never officially offered in australia beyond special order but alpines were a listed model.... So basically all tigers were post period personal imports.

I sometimes wonder if the majority of alpine owners (not saoca types) are seasonal buyers who got involved by chance as it was a fun looking lbc that was affordable as opposed to marque devotees. Hence they are less involved in the community whereas the majority tiger guys have desired one and especially in recent years laid considerable coin to acquire so they are more likely to be more passionate about the car.

Just a thought.

Interesting, never knew Tigers there were only special orders, and more of them than Alpines now.

 

[65beam]

The cost of a driver Alpine here in the states is quite a bit less than other marques built at the same time. These other marques have a strong net work of parts suppliers which is something that isn't available for Alpines. There have been numerous times that someone has posted asking where to find parts for an Alpine. Many parts are no longer available unless you order from the U.K. That makes it hard for most folks to have a dependable Alpine that can make a long trip . Life tends to get in the way and prevents many from being able to invest the time and money into the Alpine. They can enjoy it close to home without the worry of being a long way from home if it breaks. They just can't make the long trip sometimes required to get to an event. We had three Alpines, one Tiger, a Talbot Alpine and our 69 GT at the British Car Showdown at Mid Ohio this past week. There were also two Alpines racing. The overall car count was way down from previous years. In a couple weeks we'll be at the British car show in Pittsburgh which is held in conjunction with the vintage races in Schenley Park. In years past I've seen over 300 cars total. The last few years the total car count has been down. There have never been many Rootes cars at the British shows we attend on a regular basis every year and as total count decreases so does the number of Rootes cars. The Dayton show in August has always had a great count of Rootes cars. Probably due to the vast numbers of cars within a 100 mile radius of Dayton. The subject of the rarity of Alpines was discussed quite a bit this past weekend.

 

[alpine_64]

Interesting, never knew Tigers there were only special orders, and more of them than Alpines now.

Bill, not more tigers than alpines ( in total or in club) but more attended the national event than alpines for the first time.

Anecdotally 20-30 tigers came here new. We now have over 110. Back in 1992 there were only 20ish australia wide so the popularity has drawn people to import them... Some alpines have been imported but there has always been a local selection and the value vs cost to ship was prohibitive.

 

[bernd_st]

We do have a similar trend over here in Germany but mainly it's due to many previous Alpine owners have Tigers now. Remember that we had 1or 2 Tigers in our club vs. 80+ Alpines in the early days . Now the Tigers are around 60-70 percent. Furthermore it's simply more attractive to come with a roaring V8 than with a tame 4 cylinder. Same is true for me but recently I'm turning back to join meetings with my good old SI. Lots of good comments for an early series nowadays. Not many have survived and people enjoy the fin looks more and more...