good read

[grittracing]

Found this today while looking for more info and parts leads for the Ghia thought to myself WOW !

http://classicmotorsports.net/articles/ ... roadsters/

[narfire]

Like there was going to be any doubt as to what was rated #1
Chris

[puddin]

check out (i mean go to barnes and noble book store and buy a copy) of Motor Trend Classic not the regular motor tend mag == it's got a good comparison of the alpha and spider== and some other interesting articles== it's a quarterly mag that cost like 8-10 dollars but worth it

[Exit98]

Great article, thanks for posting.

I've always had a soft spot for the Sunbeam Alpine (not the Tiger). I suspect this strange interest in such an odd little car might have something to do with the time, I was about 15 or so, this gorgeous and very cool older teenage girl in my neighborhood gave me a ride in her Sunbeam. Between her charm and my first ride in a real British sports car I was totally smitten by both.

The experience provided some remarkable teenage fantasies.

[puddin]

of her or the car== i like to look back at old girlfriends and old cars i had and see which one held up better-- nature's elements effect both

[DUCeditor]

I, somewhere or other, have a printout of a similar article that had a much larger number of cars. It was from the Carter era when 'soft tops' were being driven off the market by federal "safety" mandates. (Older readers will remember the 85 MPH speedometers and passive seat belts, buzzers and ignition interlocks, etc. Eeek!) Anyhow, cars there ranged from the few remaining Brit sportscars right on up to the top-of-the-line soft top Rolls Royce. Porches and Alfas too of course. And guess who took first place? Yup! The Fiat Spider.

Today when twin cam motors, four wheel disc brakes and the like are common place it is hard to imaging how advanced the Spider once was -- especially among moderately priced sportscars. That, plus the Spider's balance of comfort and handling put it in a class by itself. And its "fun factor" put it above even the Connelly Leather interiored Cornish in the eys of that article's writers.

Looks-wise too it was a stunner. My first car was a Fiat 1500 (which I loved BTW and wish I'd never sold), but despite my love for that car I remember that exact place I was when I saw my first Spider on the street. That was in the late summer of 1967. I was stopped in my tracks by its beauty and stood there watching it until it was out of sight.

When my wife bought me my `77 back in `88 it was a dream come true. One that, even now, 23 years later, truly satisfies the soul. Every ride is a joy. Every visit to my garage where it sits during the summer, top down and boot in place, with my driving gloves awaiting me on the console, is a thrill.

So glad the folks at Classic Motor Sports got it right! (and indeed they did)

-don

[donm]

Hey, exit98, I'll tell you a little story. I used to have a cool baby blue Sunbeam Alpine. Ever see the movie "Pretty Poison" with Tuesday Weld? I ownd the very Sunbeam she drove in the movie. I know this because a few years after the movie came out (it was filmed in western MA) I had bought this car used and later I took it to a Sunbeam dealer to get some work done on it. He came out to look at the car, noted the serial number and went back in the office. Then he comes out agian and says, yup, that's it. That's the car I sold to MGM for a movie they were making. When I was a kid I always thought Tuesday Weld was the most beautiful girl in the world so I was thrilled to learn this. I might have even kissed the seat a few times.

Anyway, it's still a pretty good movie and worth watching. Don't know if I could say the same for Tuesday.

[DUCeditor]

Hey, exit98, I'll tell you a little story. I used to have a cool baby blue Sunbeam Alpine. Ever see the movie "Pretty Poison" with Tuesday Weld? I ownd the very Sunbeam she drove in the movie.

Cool story! Its fun to own something with a history.

-don

[WYSpider]

Donm's Tuesday Weld

[wikkid]

Ex girlfriends' cars:
Good subject, if a bit off-topic!
BMW 2002
240 then 260 then 280Z
Honda CRX

Oh yeah!

[Exit98]

donm, good story. Tuesday Weld might even have been more prettier than the girl in my neighborhood. Was your Alpine something like this?:

[donm]

Exactly, even the color. I think it was a '66. Previous to that one, I had a '61 which threw a rod. I think it was because the earlier Alpines had only a 3 main bearing engine while the later ones had 5.