MG Listers,
This is an adjunct to a thread a few months ago on "first LBCs" (that's
Little British Cars, for my fam)
These LBC stories abound in American autoculture, I'm sure.
This is a story from my brother, Doug, on the Sunbeam Alpine that carried
the infamous LUCAS virus (just a theory of mine) which infected me and not
him, and lay dormant until my 30th birthday. :) I was a little 6 or 7 year
old in Arlington, VA when he had this car! (He's the second youngest, and
we're 11 years apart.)
Dan
> To danray@bluegrass.net
> Subject; My little sunbeam
> It has been a long time since I owned my first and last U.K.
> auto.She was a `64 sunbeam alpine W/ hardtop that was removable . She
> was red her top was black which I think was fiberglass.The tail lights
> were in the rounded on top fins which slanted much like a 57 chevy.
> The next model year the fins were straight up. I got the car from some
guy in the "landmark" area off
> columbia pike across from lake barcroft. I was supposed to pick up the
other one a blue ragtop parts car but never did.
I can almost smell these cars. Have you ever stuck your head in a car that
had leaks and
> mildew on leather ? Yes they had
> leather seats. I dont remember if they had carpets.
>
> I drove sunny very little . She was running poorly so I went to see
> Sam Rogers . It was dusk and after a
> while he saw electricity jumping around the distributor cap.( lucas)
> I replaced the cap and she purred.
> Then I drove it to school and work I think one day maybe more I
> dont recall . Any way the Hydrolic
> clutch slave cylinder broke and I drove It home and never drove it
> again. I suppose that whatever bit
> you never got me, though it lay dormant for many years maybe I should
> be alert. A little while ago I
> saw a sunbeam pre 65 at the resto shop on val vista and I
> remembered.
>
> With great ideas in my head I removed the engine and planned to
> install a 283 V-8. From there the
> project went no further and dad called junk car removers and car and
> title went . I cant recall the exact
> details so I won't carry on about the circumstances other than it was
> taking up the car port space.
>
> I will ponder more an see what I can recall about this one and
> list others I have owned. Now I need
> to get motivation and work on the cars I have now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> Love y'all
>
> doug 3/23/98
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