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Buck,
Excellent historical data!
Thanks!
Tym McDowell
> On March 8, 2020 at 2:30 PM Buck Trippel via Tigers <tigers@autox.team.ne=
t> wrote:
>=20
>=20
> The best and most authoritative answers to the why the Tiger was disc=
ontinued that I=E2=80=99ve found are in the collection of Papworth papers h=
oused in the Culture Coventry Archive at the Herbert Museum in Coventry.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Mr Papworth was a very high level =E2=80=9Cplanner=E2=80=9D for Roote=
s. He reported to a very select group, comprised mainly of family members w=
ho were the heart of the Rootes board. After his retirement he donated thou=
sands(?) of pages of notes and memos. I=E2=80=99ve spent several days readi=
ng them and want to go back.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Mr. Papworth lays out a very comprehensive Tiger story. The Tiger rep=
resented only 2% of Rootes=E2=80=99 sales and was consequentially just a bl=
ip on management=E2=80=99s attention. Tigers were barely mentioned in board=
meetings as the high production Imps and Hillmans dominated the discussion=
s. The Mk1s & 1As sold well. The Mk2 that was built was not the Mk2 that th=
e engineers had designed and tested (with upgraded 5-bolt 14=E2=80=9D wheel=
s to fit 4-wheel discs, the same 3-puck calipers used on Aston Martins and =
street Cobras) and the resulting lack of initial sales seemed to be the str=
aw that broke the camel=E2=80=99s back. But Papworth also outlines other co=
ntributing issues.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Rootes engineers determined that Chrysler V8s would not fit in a Tige=
r. They explored alternatives including one that would have been built a ne=
w =E2=80=9CTiger=E2=80=9D with fiberglass body in the USA. Obviously none o=
f those alternatives worked out.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> After Lord Rootes passed away his brother, Reggie, assumed control. R=
eggie wanted to replace the Alpine/Tiger with a smaller sportscar that was =
similar to a Spitfire. That car, =E2=80=9CApex=E2=80=9D, had been designed =
and was very close to production when a sub-contractor tripled the initial =
cost estimate for its fiberglass body. That ended Rootes=E2=80=99 attempt a=
t a replacement sportscar.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> The US government had long imposed standards for the cars it purchase=
d for government use =E2=80=93 the GSA standards. These existing GSA standa=
rds were eventually adopted for all cars sold in the US. The Alpine/Tiger p=
latform would have needed upgrades to comply. Tooling for these would have =
been costly on a per unit basis due to low production volume.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> The space used at Pressed Steel to build the Alpines and Tigers was n=
eeded by another Rootes vehicle which was high production and therefore a h=
igher priority. Assuming Rootes would accept the cost of upgrades to comply=
with GSA standards, where could the Alpine/Tiger be built? Rootes looked a=
t alternatives including moving the entire Alpine/Tiger production from Pre=
ssed Steel to Jensen. At one point Rootes even offered to purchase Jensen. =
Jensen refused. The move never happened. Rootes never found an alternate co=
ntractor to build the cars.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Papworth cites all of these factors in the decision to end Tiger prod=
uction.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Buck Trippel
>=20
> =20
>=20
> =20
>=20
> From: Tigers <tigers-bounces@autox.team.net> On Behalf Of Ross Hulse =
via Tigers
> Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2020 1:57 AM
> To: Curt Bowland <cbowland@msn.com>
> Cc: tigers <tigers@autox.team.net>
> Subject: Re: [Tigers] Urban legend
>=20
> =20
>=20
> The demise of the Sunbeam Tiger was that they did not sell very well.=
The USA import regs for cars would require expensive modifications to the=
car. So in February 1967 the decision was made to finish the cars that we=
re in the line and send them to Canada. Everything about not fitting a Chr=
ysler engine is just a rumor.=20
>=20
> =20
>=20
> _______________________________________________
>=20
> tigers@autox.team.net
>=20
> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/tigers http://autox.team.net/a=
rchive
>=20
> Unsubscribe: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/tigers/tym2@comcas=
t.net
>=20
>=20
>=20
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<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>=20
<meta charset=3D"UTF-8">=20
</head>
<body>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;=
color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">
Buck,
</div>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;=
color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;=
color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">
Excellent historical data!
</div>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;=
color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">
Thanks!
</div>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;=
color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;=
color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">
Tym McDowell
</div>
<blockquote type=3D"cite">
On March 8, 2020 at 2:30 PM Buck Trippel via Tigers <tigers@autox.tea=
m.net> wrote:=20
<br>=20
<br>
<div class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-WordSection1">
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">The best and most authoritative an=
swers to the why the Tiger was discontinued that I=E2=80=99ve found are in =
the collection of Papworth papers housed in the Culture Coventry Archive at=
the Herbert Museum in Coventry.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">Mr Papworth was a very high level =
=E2=80=9Cplanner=E2=80=9D for Rootes. He reported to a very select group, c=
omprised mainly of family members who were the heart of the Rootes board. A=
fter his retirement he donated thousands(?) of pages of notes and memos. I=
=E2=80=99ve spent several days reading them and want to go back.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">Mr. Papworth lays out a very compr=
ehensive Tiger story. The Tiger represented only 2% of Rootes=E2=80=99 sale=
s and was consequentially just a blip on management=E2=80=99s attention. Ti=
gers were barely mentioned in board meetings as the high production Imps an=
d Hillmans dominated the discussions. The Mk1s & 1As sold well. The Mk2=
that was built was not the Mk2 that the engineers had designed and tested =
(with upgraded 5-bolt 14=E2=80=9D wheels to fit 4-wheel discs, the same 3-p=
uck calipers used on Aston Martins and street Cobras) and the resulting lac=
k of initial sales seemed to be the straw that broke the camel=E2=80=99s ba=
ck. But Papworth also outlines other contributing issues.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">Rootes engineers determined that C=
hrysler V8s would not fit in a Tiger. They explored alternatives including =
one that would have been built a new =E2=80=9CTiger=E2=80=9D with fiberglas=
s body in the USA. Obviously none of those alternatives worked out.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">After Lord Rootes passed away his =
brother, Reggie, assumed control. Reggie wanted to replace the Alpine/Tiger=
with a smaller sportscar that was similar to a Spitfire. That car, =E2=80=
=9CApex=E2=80=9D, had been designed and was very close to production when a=
sub-contractor tripled the initial cost estimate for its fiberglass body. =
That ended Rootes=E2=80=99 attempt at a replacement sportscar.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">The US government had long imposed=
standards for the cars it purchased for government use =E2=80=93 the GSA s=
tandards. These existing GSA standards were eventually adopted for all cars=
sold in the US. The Alpine/Tiger platform would have needed upgrades to co=
mply. Tooling for these would have been costly on a per unit basis due to l=
ow production volume.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">The space used at Pressed Steel to=
build the Alpines and Tigers was needed by another Rootes vehicle which wa=
s high production and therefore a higher priority. Assuming Rootes would ac=
cept the cost of upgrades to comply with GSA standards, where could the Alp=
ine/Tiger be built? Rootes looked at alternatives including moving the enti=
re Alpine/Tiger production from Pressed Steel to Jensen. At one point Roote=
s even offered to purchase Jensen. Jensen refused. The move never happened.=
Rootes never found an alternate contractor to build the cars.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">Papworth cites all of these factor=
s in the decision to end Tiger production.</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal">Buck Trippel</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> <br></p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"><strong>From:</strong> Tigers <=
tigers-bounces@autox.team.net> <strong>On Behalf Of </strong>Ross Hulse =
via Tigers<br><strong>Sent:</strong> Sunday, March 8, 2020 1:57 AM<br><stro=
ng>To:</strong> Curt Bowland <cbowland@msn.com><br><strong>Cc:</stron=
g> tigers <tigers@autox.team.net><br><strong>Subject:</strong> Re: [T=
igers] Urban legend</p>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size: 24.0pt=
; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">The demise of the Sunbeam Tiger wa=
s that they did not sell very well. The USA import regs for cars woul=
d require expensive modifications to the car. So in February 1967 the=
decision was made to finish the cars that were in the line and send them t=
o Canada. Everything about not fitting a Chrysler engine is just a</s=
pan> <span style=3D"font-size: 24.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',=
serif;">rumor. </span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=3D"ox-d381c2097f-MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>_______________________________________________=20
<br>=20
<br>tigers@autox.team.net=20
<br>=20
<br>Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html=20
<br>Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/tigers http://autox.team.net/=
archive=20
<br>=20
<br>Unsubscribe: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/tigers/tym2@comca=
st.net=20
<br>=20
<br>=20
<br>
</blockquote>
<div style=3D"font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; c=
olor: #333333;" class=3D"default-style">
<br>
</div>=20
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