Issue 2 SUMMER 2002 The Magazine of the - The Sunbeam Alpine ...

The Magazine of the SAOCA 

ISSUE 8 

ISSUE 7 

WINTER 2003 FALL SUMMER 20032004 

Issue 2 

ISSUE 10 

SUMMER 2002

For information regarding Invasion IV: 

Jan Servaites (937) 299-8303 

Ian Spencer (937) 395-0095 

SEE INVASION DETAILS ON PAGE 32.

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

• Officer Reports Page 4 

• Member Profile - Ian Spencer Page 7 

• Harrington 101 Page 10 

• Racing Alpine History Page 23 

• New Members Page 28 

• Member Profile - Jerry Logan Page 29 

• Member Profile - Buell Ish Page 33 

Cover: Jerry Logon’s amazing Moonstone Harrington LeMans. 

Back: Steve Kirk sneaks a peek at the Sebring Harrington Alpine. 

SAOCA Club Officers 

Ian Spencer - President 

Mike Phillips - Vice President 

Scott Christie - Secretary & Registry 

Andrew McGraw - Treasurer 

Steve Silverstein - Racing Historian 

The views and opinions expressed in this 

publication are those of individual members and 

contributors and not necessarily those of the 

SAOCA. The SAOCA and it’s editors have 

taken every step possible to ensure the accuracy 

of the material found within these pages and 

cannot accept liability for loss pertaining to any 

error, misstatement, inaccuracy or advertizement 

found within the pages of this book. - Editors 

All written material within this is the sole 

property of the author. Unauthorized copying of 

any material is strictly prohibited without the 

consent of the author. 

Advertize in the Marque: 

Business card ad - $50.00 per year 

Half page - 75.00 per year 

Full page - 100.00 per year 

Contact editor for details. 

Chapter Presidents 

Tom Wiencek - Orland Park, Illnois 

tom@sunbeamalpine.org 

Clete Smith - New Castle, Indiana 

cas20@daimlerchrysler.com 

Bob Berghult - Atlanta, Georgia 

berghult@juno.com 

Jan Iggbom - Balsta, Sweden 

jan.iggbom@swipnet.se 

Steven Silverstein - Marlbrough, Ma 

milano164@mediaone.net 

Paul Scofield - Florence, Colorado 

Canisdog@aol.com 

Steven Kirk - Arlington, Texas 

stevenkirk@mindspring.com 

Brent Kasl - Lincoln, Nebraska 

kasl100@navix.net 

Bruce Davis - La Verne, California 

phyrman5@earthlink.net 

Milton Estabrook - Morrill, Maine 

estbrook@mint.net 

Curt Meinel - Ossining, New York 

cmeinel464@aol.com 

Bill Atalla - St. Helena, California 

atallamcs@aol.com 

Lou Meyers - Yuma Arizona 

bwana@c2i2.com 

Chuck Nicodemus - Clackamas, Oregon 

armorseal@spiretech.com 

Mark Parette - Clackamas, New Jersey 

thirteenth.mule@verizon.net

OFFICERS 

OFFICER REPORTS 

OFFICERS REPORTS 

President - Ian Spencer 

I can’t believe it’s already Summer and Invasion 

IV is just around the bend. I’m looking forward to 

a great event this summer and can’t wait to see 

all my friends at the incredible United States Air 

Force Museum. 

I need to ask everyone to take some time and 

write a story about why they love their Alpine, 

how they found their Alpine or the labor of love 

you went through to restore you Alpine. Just try 

to use past examples as guide lines, or call me if 

you need help. Try to take some good pictures 

to go along with there story too. I will use these stories in future issues of 

The Alpine Marque. Remember... this is your magazine, so please 

contribute. 

I hope you enjoy this all Harrington issue. 

Ian Spencer 

INTERIORS & RACING SUPPLIES 

Martha & Carl Christiansen 

P.O. Box 3716 

Incline Village, NV 89451 

775-833-2424 

PAGE 4 The Alpine Marque ISSUE #9

Secretary - Scott Christie 

With Invasion IV now just around the corner we 

continue to worry over the little details, hoping 

everything has been accounted for. Weather 

permitting we will have yet another fantastic 

get-together. I truly believe our casual, relaxed 

approach is the way to go. This year’s rally will 

be a real test of driver’s skill and eyesight. Be 

prepared for a wonderful afternoon drive 

through picturesque farmland with challenging 

clues all along the way. This will be like no 

other rally at previous Invasions. 

If you are aware of other non-Alpine, but Rootes Group-related vehicles 

in your area, why not encourage that person to bring their car to the 

Invasion? I’d love to see a Humber or two, or perhaps a few Rapiers 

and Imps thrown in for good measure. Let them know they are 

welcome, and if you own one of these, find another driver and bring 

both cars! 

I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to sell my Series 3 GT project. 

I’ve been bitten by a car bug of a different sort and will explain more 

later. In the meantime, if you’re interested in purchasing a rust-free, 

completely dipped GT body with all panels, loads of NOS and nice used 

parts, rebuilt front end and rear, etc. give me a call or shoot me an 

email. For convenience sake I can deliver all the parts to the Invasion so 

you can take them home. The body is currently being prepped at Doug 

Jennings’ place of business and will be on view during the Invasion. So 

bring your cash and let’s deal. 

Get your cars running, get out the maps, and make your final plans for 

attending this year’s Invasion – you’ll be glad you did. 

Cheers, 

Scott Christie 

ISSUE #9 The Alpine Marque PAGE 5

V.P. Mike Phillips 

Time goes by so quickly. It’s hard to realize 

that the year is nearly half over and yet with 

work commitments taking precedence I 

haven’t accomplished nearly as much 

Sunbeam driving and work as I’d promised 

myself. Oh the horrors of being a 

responsible adult, with bills. But 

there’s still lots of warm weather left and I 

will be out and about. 

Invasion is just around the corner now and I hope as many of you can 

make it as possible. It should be a real treat, especially dining among 

the aircraft for this bunch of gearheads. If you guys are like me, old 

machinery of almost any type is fascinating. And the ability to spend 

time around these rare and history making machines is not to be passed 

up. So make your plans to be there. 

On a more serious note, if any of our members are serving overseas, 

particularly in Iraq or Afghanistan I hope this newsletter allows you to 

mentally get away for awhile and feel a bit of your normal life. Keep your 

heads down as much as possible so you can come home to your 

families and the club. The same goes for those who might be preparing 

to leave, we’re thinking of you. 

So, until next time, drive’em til the roads wear out. - Mike 


MEMBER PROFILE 

My Original Harrington Alpine 

by Ian Spencer 

Have you ever 

wanted 

something so 

bad that you couldn’t 

even sleep at night? 

Well, that’s the way I 

felt in the Summer of 

1992 when Tom 

Wiencek called to tell 

me about a 1961 

Harrington Alpine that 

he had found for sale in 

the back of a British 

publication. Tom had known that I was on the lookout for a Harrington 

and he knew how to get me all worked up about a new car. 

I guess my Harrington addiction began soon after I bought my first 

Sunbeam Alpine. It was a Carnival Red series II that had come from the 

original owner. I had started to become involved with Alpines and the 

local owners here in Dayton, Ohio. Having a spot in the area like Tiger 

Auto Service made it really hard to not get hooked by the Sunbeam bug. 

Every time I would stop at Tiger Auto, Doug Jennings would have some 

new Alpine or Tiger in for repair or service. The first Harrington I ever 

saw was Bill Condon’s Carnival Red LeMans which Doug had taken to 

the local British Car Show. I still remember racing Doug in my Series II 

with his son Doug Jr. and daughter Jill in the back seat waving to me 

while we zipped down the back streets of Dayton. I don’t think that Doug 

Jr. would fit back there now, but we still get a laugh out of the story. 

My first knowledge of an original Harrington Alpine was from Chris 

McGovern’s book, Alpine - The Classic Sunbeam. It was here that I 

realized that I had to have one of the early finned versions of this car. 

Being near Tiger Auto and exposed to so many cars, I really didn’t 

realize that Harringtons were that rare. Bill Condon and Bob Webb both 

had their Harrington LeMans Alpines serviced at Tiger Auto and to me 

they were common day sightings. I really had no clue as to how rare an 

original Harrington Alpine was. I didn’t even realize that there weren’t 

any exported to the United States. I did, however, begin my search. 


I recall one occasion where I found an ad in the paper for a Sunbeam 

Alpine GT. I called because in my mind I was picturing a Harrington 

Alpine. I spoke with the owner and described what I was looking for. The 

owner said yes, it has small fins in the back, and yes the roof is 

permanently attached to the body, yes, it says Alpine, and so on. They 

told me it was parked in the driveway and I could come on over. Well, I 

swear I drove past the house a dozen times looking for what I had in my 

mind as a Harrington Alpine before I saw the Alpine script on the side of 

the ugliest looking car I think I’d ever seen sitting in the driveway of the 

house I had been directed to. Needless to say, I didn’t buy the car. 

As time passed my search continued and I became more educated. At 

that time, Harrington information was very limited in the USA and most 

of the facts I was getting from the so called experts was wrong. Most 

anyone that even knew what a Harrington was only knew about the 

LeMans and thought I was an idiot for thinking there was any other type 

of Alpine coupe on the road. I did however get one lead from Curt 

Mienel that took me to the upper East Coast. There had been reports of 

a red finned Harrington up in the Connecticut area. Today, I now know 

that the car I was searching for was the Sebring Harrington Alpine 

owned by Bob Avery. 

It wouldn’t be until my phone call from Tom Wiencek that I would 

actually achieve my quest. I immediately picked up the phone and 

called the overseas number listed in the ad. Ring...ring... went the 

strange sounding ring tone on the other end of the line. “Hello”, yes we 

still have the Harrington.” went the voice on the other end of the line as I 

enquired about the posting. After a million questions about the car I 

finally agreed to send a deposit to hold the car until I received the 

pictures... and who was I kidding, I knew before the gentleman on the 

other end of the line answered that I was going to buy the car. Which I 

promptly did the minute the pictures arrived from across the pond. 

I had done it. I had purchased a 1961 Harrington Alpine. One of around 

110 cars produced and what could be one of the only known original 

Harrington Alpines in the United States. Well, at least it was going to be 

in the United States once I figured out how I was going to get it here. 

If you have ever brought a car from overseas you will know what I mean 

when I say get your checkbook out. Especially if the car you are 

shipping is not running. I really learned a lot about this process over the 

next few months. I first had to hire a broker to handle all the paperwork 

involved. This was without a doubt the best money I spent through the 

entire process. Next I had to locate a shipping company that would 

transport 


a non-running car. This is where it got expensive. The gentleman I 

purchased the car from was very kind and offered to deliver the car to 

port. From there, it was my car sitting in a foreign port waiting to be put 

on a boat. From there I began receiving phone calls, all in the middle of 

the night, asking for money. I paid for everything from having a tow hitch 

welded to the cross member to having the emergency brake repaired. 

It’s funny how $500.00 seemed to be the magic number for every 

midnight phone call. 

The car finally arrived six months later. The sad looking Harrington 

Alpine was in sad shape and I was ready to get started. It would be five 

years before I would get the Wedgewood Blue Harrington back on the 

road again. Thanks to Doug Jennings and Steve Mitchell at Tiger Auto 

the car received a new coat of paint and fresh body work just in time to 

be a part of my wedding. 

Today, the car is the flagship of my collection. In addition I currently have 

a Wedgewood Blue Harrington LeMans, a Forest Green Series V, a 

Embassy Black Series II, and a Series 2 Lotus Elan. I’m also partners 

with Jan Servaites and Andy McGraw with a Sunbeam Imp race car that 

we look forward to getting on the track soon. - END 


Harrington Alpine - 101 

By 

Ian Spencer 

Harrington Alpines are now becoming more and more recognized 

by 

Sunbeam owners in the United States. The European enthusiasts 

have naturally been “in the know” about Harringtons for many 

years, but the Americans have been... well... I guess I’ll say we 

Americans have been a little in the dark about what they really are. With 

that thought in mind, I though a good education on Harrington Alpine was 

in order. 

Most people in America, who even know what a Harrington is, think of 

the Harrington LeMans, when in fact there were three other versions of 

the Harrington Alpine produce that were never sent it to American soil. 

These being the original Harrington Alpine, Series ‘C’ and Series ‘D’ 

which all kept the fin design of the series Alpine. The LeMans was 

produced as a follow up to the original Harrington Alpine after the famous 

3000 RW factory works race car won the Index of Thermal Efficiency at 

LeMans in 1961. Rootes used what may have been otherwise called the 

Series ‘B’ Harrington Alpine as a way to tap on this success and market 

to the American public. Now called the Sunbeam LeMans, this 

Harrington coupe was marketed more as an export than a home market 

vehicle. Naturally, Americans know this as the only Harrington Alpine 

since this is the only one they may have ever seen advertized.

The first or original Harrington Alpine was designed by Ron Humphries, 

the same person who designed the Harrington Cavalier coach. 

Harrington Ltd was after all a successful coach (bus) building firm. Yes, 

they did do other things than bolt fiberglass roofs on sports cars! 

Harrington Ltd was a very large and successful production plant founded 

in 1867. Being one of the pioneers with fiberglass, they were able to 

create radical new designs that changed they way we would look at 

coaches and automobiles forever. Being a Rootes distributor, it only 

makes since that the Harringtons would experiment on the Sunbeam 

Alpine. 

March of 1961 was when the public first got a glimpse of the Harrington 

Alpine. The original version was based on the Series 2 Alpine which was 

being produce at that time. It’s most likely that production serial numbers 

would begin around B9103533 and continued to be built for 8 months 

ending around B9108685 in November of 1961. A total number of 110 

examples of the original Harrington Alpine are documented to have been 

produced. This makes about 14 cars per month on production. 

Identifying the original Harrington Alpine is easy. They have a very small 

boot lid in back and are the only version not to have a hatch back rear 

The original Harrington Alpine is the only example to have 

the small boot lid. Not much room for luggage. 

window. 


Harrington Alpines evolved per customer order. At first they were 

produced in standard series 2 Alpine interior and paint with slightly 

modified engines. As customer orders began coming in they became a 

more customized with three engine stages, microcell racing seats, 

leather interior, and custom paint schemes. I think it’s safe to assume 

that cars built in the first few months were all standard Alpine in 

appearance without much modification. That’s almost half the production 

before cars started to be built to customer order. 

October 1961 brought us the Sunbeam Harrington LeMans. The success 

of 3000 RW at the June 1961 24 hour race would create the name of this 

version in honor of Rootes victory. Still based on the series 2 Alpine the 

LeMans would most likely have serial numbers ranging from around 

B9108685 to the end of series 2 production at B9112484. A total 250 

units produced makes this the most common Harrington Alpine on the 

road. 

How do you identify a LeMans? Easy. It’s the only version that does not 

have the tall fins! This radical design chopped the tail fins the were 

synonymous to the Alpine and replaced them with one of the first hatch 

back rear end designs to be seen in automotive history. The LeMans 

also has other unique features like the chrome spear running down the 

side of the body and the false wood dash. 

Rootes took special interest in the LeMans project and marketed this car 

as if it were their own. They even went as far as to remove the 

Harrington badges from the car and promoted it as the Sunbeam 

LeMans soon after production began. Only an early LeMans car would 

have the classic Harrington steering wheel badge on the lower front 

wings. Because Rootes intended to mass produce the LeMans they 

were more standardized, especially for the American market. I think that 

all LeMans cars that were sent to the USA had standard LeMans interior, 

PAGE 

trim, and 

12 

engine tune. The Alpine Marque ISSUE #9

The series ‘C’ Harrington Alpine would find it’s way on to England’s 

streets while the LeMans was still in production. This version was still 

based on the series 2 chassis and was more of a combination between 

the original Harrington Alpine and the LeMans. By this I mean that it has 

the tall fins with the hatchback rear window. Your search for a series ‘C’ 

will not be an easy one. It’s estimated that around 12 cars were 

produced with only 7 known survivors to date. 

Series 'C' Harrington Alpines were first introduced at Earls Court in 

October of 1962. This would put serial numbers somewhere in the area 

of B9117831 to B9119955 with production ending in February of 1963. 

The series ‘C’ Harrington Alpine was still based on the 

series II chassis. Note the rear vent located above the rear 

hatchback window. This feature was also on the series ‘D’. 

The new windshield design which followed in 1963 with the introduction 

of the series 3 Alpine meant that Harrington Ltd would need to create a 

new roof. This would create the series ‘D’ Harrington Alpine. The series 

‘D’ is very much similar to the series ‘C’ except now on a series 3 

chassis. To further complicate things a series ‘D’ can also be found on 

the series 4 chassis. 

Today we have 4 known series 3 and 4 known series 4 based examples 

of the series ‘D’ known to exist. It is unknown how many were actually 

built, but it believe that a total of less than 12 were produced before 

Rootes put and end to production. 


In the United States at the time of this writing there are 4 Harrington 

Alpines, 1 series ‘D’ and an unknown number of LeMans. It’s been very 

hard for me to get a count on the LeMans because there is always a new 

one popping up somewhere. I alone have 4 sitting in my shop at this 

time, and I can place my hands on about 10 more without much effort. 

There is a total of about 70 surviving today. I would guess that about half 

of the LeMans production would end up in the United States. It’s 

important that the facts regarding the Harrington Alpines are documented 

and correct. Since most of the Harrington production records were 

destroyed, it’s very tough to place all the pieces together. 

Above is a copy of a very rare Harrington build sheet. This 

identifies the serial number, registration number and special 

equipment as fitted to the car. Every Harrington Alpine produce 

would have had a copy of this build sheet. Too bad the 

companies copies were all destroyed. 


Today we must rely on paper documentation to set the facts 

from the fiction. Along with copies of build sheets we have 

been fortunate enough to find copies of letters like the one 

provided to us by Bob Avery. Bob purchased the Theiodoli 

Sebring Harrington race car shortly after the race in 1963. 

This priceless letter below was his response from Harrington 

Ltd after a request for parts. 


The NEW Sunbeam Harrington LeMans 




765-A McGlincey Lane - BLDG A • Campell, CA 95008 

Phone 408.371.1642 • Fax 408.371.8070 

E-mail: sunsp19@pacbell.net

INVASION IV - Dayton, Ohio 

Weekend Schedule 

Thursday, 29 July ‘04 

• Parts room open at 12:00 noon 

• Registration table to sell dinner tickets/memberships/ 

hats & shirts 

• Dinner run to Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant 

• Parts Room closes at 11:00 

Friday, 30 July ‘04 

• Parts room opens at 9:00 

• Visit Bill Merquer's garage in Beavercreek 

• 12:00 lunch and round up for Rally 

• 1:00 Fun Rally at Young's Dairy - 1st car out 

• Dinner 5:00 at Young's Dairy 

• Batting cages at Young's Dairy 

• Putt-putt golf at Young's Dairy 

• Socalize at Holiday Inn 

• Parts Room Closes 11:00 

OFFICIAL Saturday, SAOCA 31 July ‘04 JACKET 

• Parts Room Opens 8:00 

• Car show at AFM 12:00/3:30 

• AF Museum Dinner 5:00 (Includes evening at 

museum) 

• Parts Room re-opens after dinner if time allows 

Sunday, 1 Aug ‘04 

• Parts room open 8:00 

• Parts room closes at 12:00 

• Autocross 

Dinner tickets will be available at the event for the Saturday night 

banquet at the Air Force Museum. Cost per person will be $45.00 

which includes AF museum rental, banquet dinner, parts room, and 

trophies.

INVASION IV - Dayton, Ohio 

Holiday Inn Fairborn 

2800 Presidential Drive 

Fairborn, OH 45324 

Phone (937) 426-7800 

Fax (937) 426-1284 

Please call early to reserve your rooms. Rates are 97.00 per night. 

OFFICIAL SAOCA HAT

CLASSIC SUNBEAM INC 

166 West Oneonta Road 

Otego, NY 13825 

607-432-2662 

classicsun@aol.com 

www.classicsunbeam.com

RACING ALPINE HISTORY 

Steve Silverstein - SAOCA Racing Alpine Historian 

Famous Harringtons in Sunbeam 

Racing History 

Three Harrington Alpines stick 

out in my mind today that made 

a mark in racing history. 3000 

RW, the Harrington Alpine that took 

the Thermal Efficiency Award at the 

1961 LeMans race. The Theodoli 

Harrington Alpine that race at 

Sebring in 1961, 1962 and 1963. 

MEL 63, the Benard Unett/Al Fraser Harrington LeMans which was 

written off after a crash at the Goodwood race course in England. 

Two of the three are still surviving today. Where is MEL 63? Most likely 

it’s long gone along with it’s history and ultra rare Harrington side 

chrome! It’s too bad that someone didn’t think into the future and try to 

save what was left after the accident. But, you never know what will still 

turn up when you least expect it. 

The most famous of the three cars we have mentioned here is 3000 RW. 

This cars unique body design makes it the number one Alpine to own on 

just about anyone’s wish list. Today, this car is owned by Clive Harrington 

who is son of Thomas Harrington. Clive still races the car today and has 

given it a complete restoration back to it’s original racing condition after 

finding it sitting in a barn. Shortly after the ‘61 LeMans victory, 3000 RW 

was advertized in the back of Road & Track magazine by it’s former 

driver Peter Harper for 

the hefty sum of 

3800.00. 

For the next 12 years, 

3000 RW would have to 

learn to survive on the 

street and not the track. 

After changing hands to 

a new owner, 3000 RW 

managed to meet the 

back end of a milk truck 

destroying the 


special front end body work that made this car so unique. After being 

repaired with a standard Alpine front end, the car would soon remain off 

the road until purchased by Clive Harrington in 1974. In September of 

1999, 3000 RW was reunited with the track in Angouleme, France for a 

race and exhibition only for former LeMans cars. Clive Harrington 

proudly drove 3000RW to a second place win. 

At the 1961 LeMans race, 3000RW lapped the circuit 261 times for a 

total distance of 2182 miles or 3491 km. The fastest lap took 5 minutes 

16.5 seconds with an average speed of 95.5 m.p.h. The little green 

Harrington was timed down the Mulsanne Straight at over 115 m.p.h. 

and the total average speed was 90.92 m.p.h. or 145.47 km/h. This 

would be the only race for 3000 RW until the car would find itself back 

into the hands of the Harrington family. 

Bob Avery wasn’t expecting to buy a new car when he drove past D&H 

Classics in New Hampshire one fine day shortly after the 1963 Sebring 

Race. Bob wasn’t expecting to purchase a very important piece of 

Sunbeam Alpine racing history either. Bob once explained to me that he 

knew the moment he saw the car, he had to have it. The car I’m referring 

to is the Theodoli NART team Harrington Alpine that campaigned at 

Sebring in 1961, 1962 and 1963. 

Fillipo Theodoli, an executive for a New York advertising agency. Fillipo 

was very well connected to many in the racing community and one of 

them was John 

Panks, the 

Director for 

Rootes, Inc. the 

US distributor for 

Sunbeam. I’ve 

learned that back 

in the day, John 

and Fillipo would 

have lunch 

together in New 

York. I don't 

know who was 

the better 

salesman but 

during one of 

those lunches Panks convinced Theodoli to race an Alpine in the 1961 

Sebring race. It wouldn't be any Alpine it would be a Harrington - the 

new fastback coupe that would be introduced to the market later in the 

year. 


1961 would be somewhat of a disappointment for Sunbeam being that 

the MGA's did go on to win the class. As for the Harrington, Freddie and 

Fillipo would complete a 153 laps and finish 30th overall and 6th in the 

GT-10 class (this is a different class than the factory roadsters would 

run). Three Arnolt-Bristols filled the first three positions followed by a 

Morgan and a TR-3. 

Freddie Barrette and Fillipo Theodoli would return with the Harrington 

again in 1962. The Harrington covered 151 laps and was 10th in the GT9 

class. 

1963 would be the final year for the Harrington and Sunbeam's at 

Sebring. Not only was Theodoli at Sebring but in addition Sports Car 

Graphics sent Davey Jordan and Jerry Titus in their electric blue Alpine. 

Also, there was a new preparation shop involved - D&H of Bow, New 

Hampshire. This small Rootes dealership, owned by Stan Halinan and 

Tom Frye were known for its speed modifications. Theodoli entrusted 

them to prepare the car, which would now be co-driven with Bill 

Kneeland instead of Fred Barrette. The race was very eventful for the 

team due to a slip-up by a race steward when he not only broke the seal 

to the tank during the first fill-up but also pulled out the filler neck on the 

tank! Eventually, the car was black flagged for spilling fuel on the track 

and only through Theodoli's official status and the fact that the race 

stewart created the problem was the car to continue to run where it 

eventually finished 4th overall in GT9. 

After the 1963 Sebring race the Harrington went back to D&H Classics in 

New Hampshire where it was converted from race car to street car and 

sold to Bob Avery. Bob and his family used the car as regular 

transportation before being parked prior to restoration. 

Today, this special Harrington Alpine is nearly complete after a loving 

restoration carried out by Bob Avery. Some of you may have seen this 

car proudly wearing the number 55 at Invasion II where is was featured 

in special honor. 

As for MEL 63, we still don’t know much. It’s possible that it could have 

been one of the very early Harrington LeMans built. We know this car 

had ties to Benard Unett and Al Fraser. It’s been documented along with 

at least one other Harrington at the 1962 R.A.C. Rally, as well as the 

famous Goodwood Racing Course in England where it appears to have 

suffered a fatal crash. The car was also featured in an article in a 

Swedish magazine called ”The World of the Technique”. I have reprinted 

this article on the following pages. Note the chromed Husky head light 


”The World of the Technique” printed 6th September 1962. 

Original article written by 

Gunnar Friberg 

Translated and sent in by 

Jan Iggbom 

LE MANS STANDS SPONSOR 

TO 

ROOTES-CAR 

Sunbeam Le Mans GT is a real GT-car with good 

performance together with true English tradition. 

Inside trim is partly in wood. 

By any 

reason 

have the 

English car 

manufactures 

always used the 

gigantic 24- hour 

race at Le Mans 

as a suitable 

commencement 

test for there 

prototypes for 

future car 

models. BMC 

matched the new 

MGA here, 

Standard is a steady guest with new Triumph models and so is 

Sunbeam. For instance was Sunbeam Harrington Le Mans introduced 

last year, a tuned up version of Sunbeam Alpine, which body partly had 

been sawn off and then replaced by an elegant plastic roof which 

transformed the car to a real Gran Tourismo. The car managed the 24 

hours race with an average speed of 157 Km/h and won the Thermal 

Efficiency Award. The car was rebuilt by Thomas Harrington Ltd, and 

equipped with a 104 hp SAE Hartwell-prepared Alpine engine. 

This year the factory took part with something which was called 

Sunbeam Le Mans GT, with the same kind of engine but with a more 

beautiful body. So far, there have only been some prototypes made by 

Thomas Harrington, but according to consolidated sources, Sunbeam 

will take over the manufacturing complete, there for the change of name. 

The engine with 1592cc performed as good and fast as last year and 

that means that the sports car enthusiasts will have a mass production in 

near future. Performance and price (165 km/h and about 17000:- Sw. 

crones, $2000) will take the car to compete with MG, Triumph, Porsche, 

Alfa Romeo and other popular sports cars – its only to say “welcome” to 

mass production. 


The final demise of MEL 63? Below we see some pictures copied from 

Chris McGovern’s book “Alpine - The Classic Sunbeam” MEL 63 appears to 

have had a very hard life. Badly beaten during the 1962 R.A.C. Rally prior to 

what I believe to be it’s final demise at Goodwood. - END 

ISSUE #9 The Alpine Marque Page 27

NEW MEMBERS 

“We continue to grow!” 

Robert Kroeger - Omaha, Nebraska 

Ryan Harris - St. Louis, Missouri 

Graham Curtis - Petersburg, Pennsylvania 

John Goodwin - Goodlettsville, Tennessee 

William Clemans - Kennewick, Washington 

Albert Miller - Ellenboro, North Carolina 

Rick Phelan - New Minas, Nova Scotia 

Jack Kessinger - Rolla, Missouri 

Jeffrey Belling - Williamsville, New York 

Bruce Jones - Lancaster, Ohio 

Ryan Ogg - Vancouver British, Columbia 

Thomas Carr - Lexington, Kentucky 

Shawn Arnold - Norman, Oklahoma 

Rick Harvey - Hazelwood, Misso 

John Kennon - Atlanta, Georgia 

Robert Hurd - Camden, New York 

Thomas Barraford - Bellingham, Massachusetts 

Julie Arlotti - Mission Viejo, California 

Steve Hatch - Marshfield, Massachusetts 

Rolfe Holkesvik - Arlington, Texas 

Susanne Hornberger - Los Angeles California 



A Grand Harrington LeMans Saga 

By 

Jerry Logan 

The ad read, "British sports car meet at Mission Valley Park. 

Welcome all makes." Intriguing, since I have a British sports 

car. I restored an original 1964 Sunbeam four years ago and 

never took it out to show off the best paint job I had done in thirty years. 

A moment of thought about the wonderful weather we were having in 

August. And I took a small risk to ask my wife, "Hey you want to go for a 

ride tomorrow morning?" She loves to go out for a ride and this lucky 

moment was no exception. After a bit of battery charging, some valve 

adjustment, and fluid checks we were ready for the adventure to our first 

British sports car meet. 

The car was running pretty well for being garaged over a year. I 

shouldn’t have been so neglectful, but my work has taken a serious toll 

on my sports car hobby. Oh well, we were cruising through the 

countryside on 


our way to the gathering. Laughing with joy at the sound and feel of our 

red beauty, we slipped through the curves and over the hill to the valley 

below. A right onto Mission, a few blocks and we were at the park. I 

could see some of the typical marquees: Triumph, Jaguar, Mini, MG and 

Austin Healy underneath the trees, lined up displaying sparkling chrome 

and paint. It was a wonderful sight. We pulled into the parking lot. I felt 

timid about entering the same display arena as all those magnificent 

cars, so we cruised slowly through the area as I thought about the next 

move. All of a sudden an anxious gentleman came up to the passenger 

window and shouted, "Where are the SUNBEAMS!" 

I understood. I hadn’t seen a single Sunbeam in the park. "Hi, my name 

is Rich and you’re the only Sunbeam I’ve seen here." " There aren’t to 

many in our area", I replied. "That’s too bad. I wanted to give out this 

flyer." (My wife graciously took the flyer not knowing what it was or why 

she would want this solicitation.) As she gripped the flyer I noticed the 

outline of a Harrington LeMans. There are moments when one wonders 

if they can begin breathing again. This was one of those moments. Rich 

went on to say, "If you know anyone who might be interested in buying 

this car I’m ready to sell it." (Did I do something really good lately to 

deserve this gift?) A voice in my head interrupted, "This is a Sunbeam 

Harrington LeMans. He wants to sell. Don’t analyze, intellectualize or 

formulize just listen to what the man has to say." After a short 

discussion, I had to proceed forward so as not to block traffic any more. 

Don’t they understand what is happening here? (Honk – honk) 

Still light headed over this gift from the car gods, I eased into a parking 

spot. As we looked through the fence at all the other British sports cars 

my thoughts turned to questions about the flyer and the Harrington 

LeMans. I extracted myself from my comfortable Sunbeam GT; I looked 

around to find Rich had disappeared. Darn! We should have talked 

more. There should have been more than a flyer to appease this now 

whetted appetite. 

Not even the walk past the many awe-inspiring restored cars at this 

meet could stop my hunger. I needed to get home to research my small 

library and the Internet. (This was when I found the fabulous SOACA 

website.) I needed to learn more about this Harrington LeMans. Hi, 

Rich? Jerry, the fellow at the Sport Car meet with the ’64 Sunbeam GT. 

I see you have had the Harrington LeMans for 37 years. Does it really 

only have 57,000 miles? Has it been wrecked? Where did you get it? 

Does it run? Is the car here in town? May I come and see it? "Jerry, 

Jerry", Rich said. "Slow down partner let me take one question at a 

time." "Sorry Rich I guess I’m excited." 


"Yes, I purchased the LeMans in 1966 from a doctor that raced it at 

tracks around the Portland, Oregon area. I drove it for 23,000 miles and 

blew the number one rod right through the original Hartwell tuned engine 

block and pan. Replacing the engine with a 1725cc I found that it was a 

bit smoother running than the 1592cc engine. Probably because of the 

five main bearing crank. The overdrive unit began to give me problems 

after 6000 miles and I parked it. Even though I could still drive forward I 

was always scared to drive it after a near accident with a 65 Buick at an 

intersection. The good news is it hasn’t ever been wrecked. In fact, I 

dare say this is probably the best original Harrington LeMans you will 

find for restoration. The car is north of Seattle. If you want to see it I 

should be back over there at the end of next week." 

"Excellent Rich, I will be there on Saturday." I hooked up the trailer 

Friday, and off I went to the West Coast. My thoughts about the 

Harrington LeMans swirled around the devastating possibility the car 

would turn out to be a rusted out hulk. This has happened to me before, 

but a letdown on this pursuit would be tough to endure. Saturday 

morning came with a renewed belief that the car would be true to Rich’s 

description. I followed 

the directions exactly. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to see and 

maybe purchase a Harrington LeMans. 

As I approached the address, my scanning eye saw the little beauty 

sitting in the sunlight with its distinctive rear end and flowing fiberglass 

rooflines. My zeal for restoring cars was elevated immediately as I saw 

the straight 

lines down both 

sides of the 

moonstone 

colored body 

and the red 

vinyl interior still 

in supple 

condition with 

no tears or 

cracks. The 

dash and all 

instruments 

were exactly as 

they left the 

factory. I was 

amazed at the 

workmanship and the design put into this Sunbeam Alpine 

transformation to a Harrington LeMans. 


“Do you still 

have the 

original 

engine?" 

"Yes, and a 

few other 

parts. Over 

here is another 

overdrive for 

parts. These 

are all the 

papers on the 

car I kept and 

collected over 

the years. 

Always wanted to restore this little baby, but, arthritis has set in and I 

don’t think I’m up to the task anymore." 

"What is the least you will take for it Rich?" 

"What I told you already." 

"You won’t take anything less." 

"Nope, I will just push her back into the garage for anything less." 

"Hmmm, well I will take it if you can bring over the engine and other 

items you have." 

"Very well, Jerry, its yours." 

My heart stopped again. An immediate cardiac arrest. I had purchased 

an exquisite original Harrington LeMans ready for a complete restoration. 

The remedy for my heart condition was to have a few pictures taken and 

begin loading procedures. Rich did deliver the engine and other parts 

and he has told me more history about this car. I found that the original 

engine block was caste on June 7, 1961 three days before the 24 hours 

of LeMans race and four days before Sunbeam won the Index of 

Thermal Efficiency Cup. 

Rich stopped by recently and saw the progress on the car. He was 

particularly impressed by the steering wheel. Thanks to Ian and Jan a 

stainless steel plate was laser cut to match the original aluminum rim. 

An 

engine tuning (jeweling) technique, precisely as Jan described, was 

used on the stainless, excellent bonding of wood to metal using Gorilla 

glue and presto a functional piece of artwork is given new life. Invasion 

IV will most likely be the debut of this rare Sunbeam. However, given a 

glitch sets back the restoration I have the ‘64 GT or maybe the ’65 Tiger 

for backup. No matter, I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at the 

gathering. That reminds me I better get my registration in to Jan. - END 



Sunbeam Harrington Shopping in England 

By Buell Ish 

My first car was a red Series IV Alpine, bought in 1976. I still own it, but 

it has become what my wife refers to as a “garage ornament”. My 

interest in Sunbeams lay dormant as family and career had displaced 

toys in my life. 

From Chris McGovern’s book, I had learned of Harringtons, so my 

recreational web searches on “Sunbeam” often included the word 

“Harrington”. I had considered such a car impossibly rare, but via the 

magic of the internet, I would find things to read. 

And then in August of 2002, a search turned up a Harrington for sale 

(on the Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club web site: 

www.saoc.demon.co.uk). It was the sort of Harrington I could get very 

interested in, but it was in England. I cursed my poor luck, and went 

back to my normal life. Why couldn’t it have been close enough to 

consider buying, or at least test drive? But I couldn’t forget the car. All 

labor day weekend I did this and that, but in the back of my mind I was 

constantly thinking about the blue Harrington with fins. Via the Internet, I 

got a shipping quote of $900, England to Los Angeles. I was starting to 

think, “Other people buy and ship cars, why not me?” Finally a 

fundamental truth hit me: “When you find your dream girl, you marry her. 

When you find your dream car, you buy it.” (And I did find and marry my 

dream girl.) 

Within about a day I had spoken to the car’s owner, Roy Winters of 

Birmingham England. As I liked everything he said, I mailed him a 

deposit to hold the car. Even though the car had been listed as for sale 

for two months, I was sure it might sell the next day if I did nothing. I 

began learning all I could about Harringtons. The truth be told, I was 

someone who had never even seen a Harrington in person. Ian treated 

me better than I am used to being treated by my best friends. He 

supplied valuable information and put me in touch with a number of 

significant contacts in the U.S. and England. Instantly, thanks to Ian, I 

found myself with a network of knowledgeable Harrington contacts. 

At this point, I put together a trip to England to see and hopefully buy 

Mr. Roy Winters’ Harrington “D” type. I decided that I would regret 

buying sight-unseen. Possibly I’d get a car that was not as represented, 

or 


maybe I’d just feel like I missed out on having the experience of seeing, 

driving and buying the car in person. Fares and my work schedule 

pushed the trip into October. 

And then a funny thing happened. Through my newly acquired 

Harrington network, I started to learn of other cars – all Harringtons – 

that were either for sale or could be seen. Silly me, I had been under 

the impression that these cars were rare. Before I knew it I was 

squeezing additional visits into a fixed amount of time on the ground in 

England. I decided that since Roy’s car was the one I had a deposit on, 

it should be the last car I see. In that way, I would know if I needed to 

talk with him about completing the purchase or getting my deposit back. 

In retrospect, this was a smart way to organize the trip. 

And so the Harrington Odyssey began on Friday morning, October 4th 

bound for Southport in a rental Ford Mondeo. That Ford was destined to 

get a good scratch while being steered from the right seat by an 

American trying to figure out driving on the left side of the road, shifting 

with the left hand, and round-abouts all at once. Unfortunately, that 

same person (me) had been so confident in his abilities to do all these 

new things that he had not selected the Collision Damage Waiver option 

on the rental car (ouch). Well, better a Ford than a Sunbeam. 

In Southport we met Alan Millington, a partner in Sunbeam Sports Cars. 

They operate a small garage that was packed with Sunbeams. There 

must have been about ten Alpines & Tigers there, and considerable 

piles of parts: doors, transmissions, everything. Among all this was Rick 

Kellett’s Harrington “D” type. This is the car seen in the two photos on 

page 87 of Chris McGovern’s book (owned then by Mark Woodfine). It 

looked mighty nice with the sun shining in on it where it was parked just 

inside the garage. After Alan shuffled about 6 cars to get it out, he and I 

went for a drive. This car has a Hartwell tuned engine. The Hartwell 

work was done several years after the car was delivered, per the 

receipts/ 

letters 


with the car. The car was a beautiful medium blue and had “Sunbeam” 

mud-flaps. I think I like “Sunbeam” mud-flaps. 

Next we followed Allan out into the country to see his Harrington “A” 

type. This beautiful Seacrest Green car is on the cover of the November 

2000 issue of ‘CLASSICS’ magazine. In this issue the car is compared 

to a Dove, another rare car made by Harrington based on the Triumph 

TR4. While Allan loves the car, a real estate purchase has him willing to 

sell it at the moment. I appreciated the chance to see the car and 

compare it to the “D” type just seen. 

Next we drove a couple of hours to Lymm to meet Jeff Howarth, the 

owner of Sunbeam Sports Cars, at his home. Jeff has had Sunbeams 

since he was 14 and owns a beautiful Harrington “C” type that looked 

silver to my eye under the street lights. In actuality it is light blue. The 

“C” type, like the “A” type is based on a Series II car and retains the 

Alpine fins. The “LeMans” (infrequently referred to as the “B” type), fell 

between the “A” and the “C” and was the first Harrington hatchback and 

also featured a fin-free design. The “C” is a rare Harrington, as less than 

12 were made. I have not heard of one being in North America. 

Saturday morning (October 5, 2002) we got up and drove. We were 

going to visit Clive Harrington, and our window of opportunity for the 

visit was small. This visit is one that I shoehorned into the trip after most 

of my arrangements were firm. We arrived at the Yew Tree Farmhouse 

which Clive and his wife Lisa own south of Aylesbury at lunch time. As 

we pulled into the driveway Clive walked up in a blue shop coat. He had 

been working on his daily driver, a late model Volvo. We were invited in 

and introduced to Clive’s wife Lisa. For the first hour of our visit, we sat 

in the 


living room and talked over a glass of white wine. I don’t know if it is the 

English or people who love Harringtons, but the hospitality we 

experienced on our trip was far above expectations. And nowhere was 

the hospitality more warm or genuine than at the Harrington’s. Their 

home, the Yew Tree Farmhouse, named centuries ago for a tree in the 

front yard, is a beautiful old place. The back is 15 th century, and the front 

portion is a century or two newer. The Harrington’s are really doing their 

small part of preserving the world’s history by being the stewards of this 

old house. The time and expense involved are considerable. We had a 

lot of fun looking at how crooked and thick the walls were, etc. In many 

ways it is not much different from caring for and preserving old cars, and 

the Harringtons do that as well. 

During this hour in the living room, Clive brought out album after album 

full of Harrington photos and memorabilia. My only regret is that I was 

so overloaded mentally with all that I heard and saw, that I can’t recall 

very many items in particular. I saw photos of his uncle and father 

showing Harrington Alpines to royalty. I saw many photos of 3000RW, 

the car that won the Index of Thermal Efficiency in the 1961 LeMans. 

The car that put Harrington on the map. I heard about how he found and 

purchased the car many years later. I heard about how he restored it 

and how it was even “passed” by his father, who unfortunately passed 

away shortly thereafter so that he never saw Clive race it. I saw many 

race photos, some vintage, some new. One in particular showed Clive 

driving 3000RW and leading a pack of other Sunbeams, a Lister Tiger 

among them, around a track, Goodwood I think. There were also photos 

of him driving at LeMans. I learned much about the history of the 

Thomas Harrington Ltd. firm: the happy history, and some of the sad 

history. 

Next we went out to the garage. The two Harringtons are kept company 

by a 1914 Rover and a 1939 Alvis. I looked them over briefly, but it was 

3000RW that I was most interested in. Clive would have taken me out 

for a drive, but unfortunately his Ministry of Transportation certification 

was not current. It was to be updated soon, as he was preparing for an 

October 19 th race (a one hour historic enduro, 2 drivers). 3000RW looks 

like a race car (i.e. no carpets, etc.), and a shiny one at that. Things that 

caught my eye were the small light on the outside of the door. It shines 

back on the door to light the car’s number during the night for the 

officials at LeMans. Also, I noted the two handles that are in the vent in 

front of the windshield wipers. They are part of a fire extinguishing 

system and are a modern requirement. An emergency worker would 

operate them if need be. We also went over the engine. It was prepared 

by the works competition department and bears their stamp (EXP 421), 

EXP for 


experimental. (The head is EXP 1, but he has a different head on the 

car right now.) We also had a chance to look over Lisa’s LeMans which 

they imported back into the U.K. from the US. The Harrington LeMans is 

very rare in England, as most were exported to North America. In the 

U.S., the opposite is true. Here it is the finned Harringtons that are the 

rarest of the rare. 

Sunday we got up and went to see Roy Winters in Marsten Green. His 

car was the “D” type that I had a deposit on. I had intentionally left this 

car for last, as I expected to be buying it. I wanted to see the others first, 

so that I would know for sure if it was “The One”. Again our visit began 

with getting to know each other in the living room. Roy told me a lot 

about the local car industry. Including how Peugeot is making the 205 in 

the old Sunbeam factory in Coventry, about a half hour from where we 

were. Next, we went out to the detached garage that was reached by 

crossing the back yard. Behind the garage was a gravel alley and on 

the other side of it two parallel fences and a steep slope that lead up to 

one of the runways of the Birmingham Airport. When Roy said he lived 

near the airport, he was not kidding. There was the car under a large 

cloth. As the garage was a small 2 car garage, the “D” type was parked 

with less than an inch of room on the left (mirror folded in) and behind. 

Sharing the garage with it were a red Series II Alpine and a 1961 BMW 

Motorcycle. Roy backed the Harrington out so we could get a good look. 

It sparkled! It started easily even though Roy said it had been a few 

months since he’d started it. I knew very quickly that I would have to buy 

ISSUE #9 The Alpine Marque PAGE 37 

the car. In most respects it

was nicer than I was expecting. Partly this was due to how Roy has a 

matter-of-fact way of stating things. He had told me which parts he had 

replaced and which had been rebuilt, but he does so without any 

embellishment. Roy’s understated manner left me unprepared for how 

nice the car was. The wood dash was gorgeous, and the midnight blue 

paint suited the car. I fell in love with the seat belts in particular, oddly 

enough. They are 3 point belts made by the Irving Air Chute Company 

of Great Britain. Roy told me how he found them at an Auto Jumble and 

just had to have them. They have two aluminum buckle halves that fit 

together in a puzzle fashion. There is a neat emblem on the big buckle 

half. 

Roy and I went for a test drive. The car drove nicely, and everything 

worked. My Sunbeam had never been that way. I never got it so that the 

horn, wipers, turn signals, and window washer all worked at the same 

time. Even the old radio worked. And when you opened the door the 

dome light came on! I had never before seen a dome light in a 

Sunbeam. The carpet was beautiful, and the seats were nice (and 

original per Roy). As we drove Roy told me he thought the stainless 

exhaust was a bit “raspy”. I didn’t know how to reply, as I couldn’t tell if 

he meant it in a favorable sense or not. I was probably most impressed 

by how smooth the engine was and how tight the car took a bump. 

There were no rattles. I asked Roy about this and he described all the 

chassis components that had been replaced or reworked. He thought it 

was a crackin’ nice day to take the car out, and indeed it was. We drove 

around for about 45 minutes, but I only drove a short distance as my 

insurance would not cover me there. I also had a chance to see the 8 

trophies the car had won. Roy decided to keep those. They included: 

Best Interior 1999, Best Engine Bay 1999, Mike Lake Memorial Trophy 

(Overall Winner) 1999, Best Harrington 2001, and Best Interior 2001. 

These are all awards from the Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club National 

held each summer in the U.K. I didn’t get to see the biggy, the Mike 

Lake trophy, as it is reused such that each winner only has it for one 

year. The next evening Roy and his wife Jo took my mother and I out to 

dinner. We sure met the nicest people on our trip to Harrington Mecca. 

And so I fell in love with the car and had to buy it. Now it resides out 

here in Carnation Washington. As far as I know this is the only “D” in 

North America. According to Ian Spencer (President of the SAOCA), 

less than six were made on the series IV platform. There were also 

under six “D” types made on the series III platform. Of the series IV “D” 

types, I understand that the whereabouts of three are known: the two I 

saw on my trip and one other that has been described as being “in bits”. 

Possibly it will one day be restored. - END 


CONTACT THE SAOCA 

Editor: 

Registry: 

Ian Spencer (AlpineIan@woh.rr.com) 

309 Cushing Ave. Kettering, Ohio 45429 

(937) 395-0095 

Scott Christie (schristie@cinci.rr.com) 

1125 Windsail Cove. Loveland, Ohio 45140 

(513) 774-0778 

To join the SAOCA: Please visit www.sunbeamalpine.org and complete 

the online application form. You may also contact Ian Spencer or 

Scott Christie to obtain more information regarding membership. All 

material for this publication must be submitted to the Editor no later 

than the 15th on the months of March, June, September and December 

for quarterly publication. Printed by: Merrick Printing / DPI 

2604 River Green Circle. Louisville, KY 40206.

SAOCA 

309 Cushing Ave 

Kettering, Ohio 45429 

USA 

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Issue 2 SUMMER 2002 The Magazine of the - The Sunbeam Alpine ...

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