The "LOVE BUG" Alpine gets some Love

[spmdr]

With most of my retired-kick-back effort being

lavished on the "Weekend Racer" Alpine, the "Love Bug"

Alpine has been neglected, both in use and here on the Forum.

For those of you who don't know about the

"Love Bug" Alpine, it is one of the many cars

used in the 1969 Disney Movie "Love Bug".

I covered the discovery of the car here:

The Story of the Alpine Movie stars

As Paul Harvey would say, "the REST of the story" Road Racing Sunbeam Alpines in So Cal from the '60s. This is a (shortened) story(s) fit for "History Detectives".... When I look back over the series of events, it's hard to believe! ...Something like fact is stranger than Fiction. My...

forum.sunbeamalpine.org

And here are some pictures taken from the movie.











And here is a picture of it (#67) back in 1967, at Santa Barbara, with Corb Flick in #69.



The car was raced into the '70s and included a mandatory Rollbar up date.

Here is how the car looked in 2016.



And then a few months later at the Monterey Historics/ Reunion.



The engine compartment 2016.



And some more Love bug Alpine here:

Sebring Alpine to run at Monterey

The Sebring Alpine will be on the track Thur.(8-23) Fri. and Sat.

forum.sunbeamalpine.org

More to come.

DW

 

[alpine_64]

@spmdr the bug has the left side scuttle brace removed...did it run different carbs at some point?

 

[spmdr]

Here is how the car was bought in '16.

I didn't take the time to dig up an early left side brace.

Later, I tripped over the correct right side brace so it was installed.

DW

 

[spmdr]

Here is a brief youtube video of the Love Bug Movie that includes the Alpine in the background.

Cut to 0:23, 0:28 and 2:05

DW

 

[hartmandm]

I am curious. Is the brake reservoir location a stock setup? I haven't seen that before.



Thanks,
Mike

 

[spmdr]

The Love Bug Alpine is a series 1 and as far as I know, that is the STD Brake configuration.

I have another S1 Alpine with the same Res mount.

The WR S2 Alpine has the Res mounted on the firewall, instead of the inner fender

DW

 

[coonhndtim]

My early series two has the fender mounted reservoir and cowl mounted prop rod just like this. B9103067 manufactured Feb 61.

 

[spmdr]

The above 1967 picture was the only one I could find at the time

and it was the one from John Wilson's web page,

With his water mark seen.

I did buy a copy of the original print.





Some other pictures





And some Webers have been test fitted...



DW

 

[alpine_64]

I noticed the external door handles are removed. Have they also removed the linkages and front inner handle and just have a latch?

 

[spmdr]

One of the things I Just HAD to do to the

Love Bug Alpine was relocate the Rear

swaybar link/connection.

The end of the rear sway bar was connected

to the rear axle by just a HOLE in a bracket.

EVERY little movement of the rear suspension

made a squeak, not unlike fingernails on a

chalkboard!

So I relocated the swaybar and made a proper

adjustable link.

Note the other tricks/mods, lowering blocks

and updated shock mounting.

DW

Before





After

 

[spmdr]

I talked to the previous owner, Leslie Hudelson, who bought the Love Bug Alpine

from Charlie Willis's son in the early '70s.

Leslie was the owner when the car was updated with a then currently

required Full rollover Bar.

And he is the first Driver listed in the Newly issued

SCCA Log book, the 53rd issued in the Cal Club region #19

April 5th 1972

A Riverside Regional is the first race listed.



I have spent little time on the cosmetics of the car

And things like Door handles only add weight...

At least that is my story...

Some more "as bought" 2016 pictures.

Note the SCCA Rollbar stamp.






DW

 

[spmdr]

1967 Santa Barbara Race results, Chuck driving the #67, not yet the "Love Bug" Alpine.

These pictures/results are from the Corb Flick collection, he was also in the race.

If you can see the pencil marks on the results, those are Corb's notes about the actual positions at the finish.

Corb #69 was just behind Chuck #67 (in the "Love Bug" Alpine )at the flag.

Corb relays the story of how he was behind Chuck and was actually

in the process of unlaping himself from Chuck , when both were in the same

turn together. And Corb says mere seconds after that picture was taken,

Chuck gave Corb a One finger Salute to Corb's efforts!

Chuck Willis was the older sage Racer as well as mechanic and had quite a hand on both Corb's

and Pete's Alpines.

BTW, #44 is a RHD Alpine, seen in the old picture with the #48 "Weekend Racer" of John Coddington.

DW

 

[spmdr]

And here is Pete Driving the Love Bug at Riverside, not having his best day at 24th.

BUT, with a Good lap time!

DW



And an entry list for the Riverside Enduro with Chuck and Pete Driving the #67 Love Bug Alpine..

 

[RootesRooter]

Now that is a beefed up rear suspension!

 

[spmdr]

Here is some older posts surrounding the 1967 time frame of So Cal Alpine Racing.

...with dead web links...

DW

Racing photos

Check out this link.... images #40 and #41 are of the Visalia Dodge Boys Alpine (Skip Adrian and Tommy Elliot) http://homepage.mac.com/johnwilson1942/sunbeam/index.html There are some real interesting questions that arise.... I am pretty sure that the orange Alpine is the Sebring Alpine...

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