Hi, David
Yep, there are few Alpine and very few Tigers in France, hopefully you'll
find useful informations following.
As Russ mentioned, Sunbeam Club de France web site is
http://sunbeamclubfrance.free.fr/ (not as good as sunbeamalpine.org which is
nothing but THE reference but ...), we also have a "non club" mailing list
which you can subscribe clicking on following link :
http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/sunbeam-fr/ - You're mostly welcome !
No problem at all to find LHD for sale in France even if there are less than
MGB (you know, those vulgar and so common cars !), you'll get a chance to
find some checking specialized magazines (LVA) or regular release of club
bulletin. For your record, we've been recently informed by member of
mailing-list of serie 3 GT in good conditions for sale at reasonable price
in Brittany : don't know whether it is still available but it would be easy
to check, no need to tell you I've no interest in this deal.
We have no serious parts supplier down there but as long as you know what
the Internet is and you speak english it's no big deal : getting the parts
from knowledgeable suppliers in USA or UK is kinda easy (we also know who
NOT to work with !). If you're not a mechanic at all (neither am I), I would
suggest to invest a little more and find a sound car rather than having to
restore one you'll not benefit immediately and will always cost you more on
the long run. I know exactly what I'm talking about (at least once in my
life !) since I've been more or less in same position one year ago, I bought
a serie V with overdrive in fairly good condition and even if it's not a
concourse one and there are still a lot of things to fix on it, it can
really be used as a daily driver. Getting one from USA wouldn't be less
expensive either considering freight cost, keep in mind those cars are
clearly undervalued which is a good or bad news depending whether you buy or
sell it.
Servicing the car doesn't cost that much either : it's very reliable and
simple to maintain for a good mechanic (I also have good contacts near by
Paris if needed). I even think Triumph or MG's are sometimes more expensive
to service considering higher demand on parts to suppliers leading them to
go too far on retail prices !
What you're calling "wing tailed" are series 1,2 & 3 which are really good
looking, series 4 & 5 are a little more modern in terms of mechanical design
which can be an advantage for novice. Tiger costs much more money and V6
conversion are nothing but illlegals since french regulations are much more
restrictive than in USA : means you won't get any chance to get a licence
plate number.
I'm not feeling like James Bond driving it but using it around Arc de
Triomphe or on countryside is a pure joyride.
Hope this helps, should you need further informations, feel free to contact
me off list !
Denis
----- Original Message -----
From: David Brower <dbrower@loonland.com>
To: <alpines@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 9:43 AM
Subject: Alpines and Tigers in France
> Bonjour!
>
> Okay, I guess I can9t fool you...I9m an American living in France. Guess
you
> heard my accent!
>
> > I9ve recently become enamored of Tiger and Alpine Sunbeam9s and was
> wondering
> > how I could figure out how to buy a left hand drive one in Paris (or
France
> > for that matter, or even the U.K.) and if in France there was a club and
> > sufficient support vendors/mechanics to help me once I9ve bought it!
I9m
> > wondering also what the difference could be between buying a pretty much
> > restored one vs. one that needs restoration (in terms of cost and
> > maintenance).
> >
> > I9m not the mechanic type AT ALL, and so wouldn9t want to spend my life
> under
> > the hood, so it9s more for the pleasure of driving it and maintaining it
> with
> > the help of a good mechanic, etc. Doing rallies, meetings, etc.
> >
> > I9m not sure that I have the money to really buy and then maintain one,
> unless
> > there is maybe a pretty well established investment value linked to the
car
> > (obviously above and beyond the passion of it all!) which could convince
me
> > cause I9m going to have to find a garage to house the car which I will
have
> to
> > pay for as well, plus insurance, etc. But trying to figure out what the
> > average monthly cost could be to have one of these as a toy would be fun
to
> > calculate and see if I could handle it. I wonder if buying one in the
U.S.
> > And having it shipped over here wouldnt be fun too...and in the end
less
> > expensive overall...
> >
> > I think Id like to find a Tiger due to bigger engine and tires which
sounds
> a
> > bit more fun. But I actually prefer the wing tailed look of the Alpine
but
> > from what I understand the engines are smaller on these, although there
> must
> > be models with upgraded engines to the V6 model...and I wonder what year
is
> > the best for these cars anyway?
> >
> > I just want to be like James Bond in Dr. No driving around the
> mountains...my
> > version being driving around the French countryside and the Arc de
Triomphe
> in
> > Paris in a convertible oldie! A lifetime dream!
> >
> > I9ve lived here for over 10 years now. I was looking at 1973-1974 MGB9s
> also
> > and even some Triumph Spitfires, but I think I like the best the
Sunbeams
> > even if they are surely more difficult to find, more expensive to buy,
and
> > probably much harder and more costly to maintain given they are no
longer
> > produced and there were not that many produced in the first place. But
> there
> > must be some in France that came over from the UK with left hand drive
that
> > are sitting around...
> >
> > Thanks for starting the dialogue with me on this rediscovered dream
which I
> > hope you can share your passion and knowledge about, not to mention
time.
>
> Best,
>
> David
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