Yup, it sure was.  And thus, for a brief time, Chrysler was selling a
Sunbeam with a Ford engine.  They solved their problem by badging it V-8
powered.  [It had previously said Ford powered].  There were also a bunch of
other Brit brands involved in the group that had been slowly taken over or
absorbed by the main ones as British car making went from bad to Lucas.  [In
their defense I had heard that Jaguar, for example, was required either by
law - which is what I heard - or policy to buy British.  Since they Had to
buy Lucas, Lucas in a gesture of goodwill and fellowship, sold them the
parts which had failed quality control.  Anybody have any firm information
on this?]

Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: Alistair Bell <albell@UVIC.CA>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2000 9:01 AM
Subject: Re: Alpine/F

> mmm, wasn't the Sunbeam was part of the Rootes group (along with Singer
and
> Hillman - Dave Clark where are you?) and was aquired by C******r in the
> 60's/70's?
>
> The Tiger was one of Maxwell Smarts's 2 cars. The other was a Karmann
Ghia.
>
> Alistair
>
>
>
>
> >At 04:16 PM 1/28/2000 -0500, Bulley wrote:
> >>I thought Sunbeam was a bread...?
> >
> >Well...if you call *that* bread.  It was also a car, if you're willing to
> >give that name to something made in Britain and equipped by the Prince of
> >Darkness himself.  I had an Alpine Series II (had mild fins, the series
III
> >pretty much looked like an MGB in back).  From the front it looked sort
of
> >like a 3/4 model of a '56 T-bird.  Straight four with twin Solex
> >carburettors.  They also made the same car with a 289 Ford V8 in it,
called
> >it a Tiger.  Went very well in straight lines.  Lovely convertible top
that
> >took 7 hands to fold and if you didn't do it just right it would *tear*
> >!!  Probably another Lucas product <g>.
> >
> >d
> >David Beierl - Providence, RI
> >  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> >'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
> >'85 GL "Poor Relation"
> >