Could someone really "fake" a Tiger??? Possibly, but is likely it would
cost the price of buying a real Tiger in the first place so what would be
the point, especially if after it is completed it still potentially proves
to be a fraud.
Today we have people that have bionic this and donor organ that. Does
that make them any less of the real person that the originally were? It if
feasible that you could have a center tub of original Tiger origin and front
and rear clips of an Alpine. This car would seem to be 2/3rds Alpine and
1/3rd Tiger. However, there were still only approx 7,000 tubs that were
spacifically built that are of Tiger origin. If the difference between a
Tiger fender and Alpine fender is a few factory drilled holes and that
disqualifies the car as a Tiger, then don't ever drill a hole to mount
anything on the car or it will no longer be a Tiger. The shop manual
actually shows where to indent (with hammer) the Alpine inner fender to
clear the Tiger generator when it is used as a replacement panel. Hummmm,
the factory says to use an Alpine part to "forge" (the word litteraly
carries two meanings here) as a replacement for the Tiger!!! Shame on
them!!! (See section O page 13 of the Tiger shop manual).
The bottom line is it's a Tiger if it left the factory as a Tiger. And
it is an Alpine if it left the factory as an Alpine. If you want a 100%
original Tiger then take your experts and cash and buy what you want, but
don't discount that there were 7,000 + original Tigers and some need
replacement parts no long available from the factory, but can readily be
found from the car of which it sprang forth. Also keep in mind that the
proto types were never really Tigers either, but no one disputes their value
to the marque.
Tom Witt B9470101
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Eiland" <deiland1@elp.rr.com>
To: "Sencindiver Jim D NSSC" <SencindiverJD@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL>
Cc: "Steve Laifman" <SLaifman@socal.rr.com>; "Scott S. Hutchinson"
<shutchin@netjets.com>; <tigers@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 5:27 PM
Subject: Re: Alpine Conversion
> Jim,
>
> I guess my concern here has to be along the same lines as a car that has
been
> written off by insurance as a total loss and someone picks it up and
rebuilds
> it and sells it as if it has never been damaged. It seems to me that if
these
> cars are going to pass a TAC inspection there should be a special TAC
> inspection sticker that indentifies the car has some kind of collision
> history. Many states issue salvage titles to these cars and they are
required
> to go through an inspection process to verify its structural integrity is
> still intact. I have actually seen cars and trucks in our area that have
> broken in half in the middle of the road. All have had Mexican license
plates.
> If I am going to purchase an automobile that is represented as being as
built
> by the factory then I would disagree with the statement TAC implies-- it
is an
> authentic Tiger.
>
> You said, "TAC looks for evidence that the body shell was originally
> manufactured as a Tiger, and if some of the evidence screams Alpine, then
you
> look for a reason why (i.e., a clip replacement)." Let me see if I have
this
> right. Based on this argument, if someone like Norm Miller decided he
wanted
> to fool you and took an Alpine and added enough of the right parts and
weld
> changes to convince you the car started out as a Tiger the car could be
> TACed, even though the car started out as an Alpine? Even better, as I
> understand your statement in the case of the front clip rear clip
argument, if
> the car started out as an Alpine and had the front clip from a totaled
Tiger
> added then by your argument it is a Tiger because part of the car started
life
> as a Tiger? Now reverse the clips. The rear clip of a Tiger is added to an
> Alpine. By your argument this could still be considered a Tiger and be
TACed?
> So now I have a Tiger with an Alpine front end and engine and it is
> authenticated with a TAC sticker as being a Tiger? Seems to me if I bought
one
> of these cars, that what I got was a salvage car. Not a Tiger and Not an
> Alpine. Keep in mind we are not speaking about a car that was completely
> pulled apart and reassembled with new repair parts as in the true sense of
> restoration or resurrection of a rare piece of history like a damaged
racing
> Cobra might go through. We are talking about a jack-leg mechanic who
welded
> two wrecked cars together to create what is regularly referred to as a car
> with a salvage title. The question here has to do with what we call it,
Alpine
> or Tiger. If it is called a Tiger it will sell for twice what it will sell
for
> if you call it an Alpine. Sounds the same as the person who knows what he
is
> doing and builds a very nice Alger and sells it as a Tiger. As long as TAC
has
> not identified and loudly identified the car for what it is, a salvage,
this
> program seems to be no better than someone misrepresenting what they are
> selling. Simple enough solution, issue a salvage TAC inspection sticker.
>
> Dan Eiland
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