 |
         |
|
|
|
| Normally, it's quite easy to describe a production line. One model releases another, and so on. But... not when it comes to Harrington production. The introduction dates are well known and are for the most part connected to an auto show often at the Autumn the year prior to the year of the model. This holds true for the Harrington models except the original Harrington Alpine which was first shown in March 1961. What is odd about the Harrington line is no one can tell when a model was stopped in the production line. In the Harrington case it was depending on the customers' demand of wanting a certain model. For example, a buyer could order a Harrington Alpine after the Le Mans had been introduced. Again, after the Series 'C' was presented in October 1962, the Le Mans was still under production. Both models were made parallel to each other up until the end of early 1963. The series 'D' had no official presentation date. The first one we know of today was made on an Alpine Series 3 chassis the 24th of May 1963 and registered two month later on the 25th of July. So, there was a gap of almost 6 months during which no Alpines were converted into Harringtons! During this time a new mould was made to fit the new window frame of the Alpine Series 3 and production of other conversions like Daimler SP 250 Dart (just three prototypes) and 50 copies of the GTR4/GTR4A Dove'. There were also changes in the staff and other events beginning to develop at the administration office that would change Harrington Alpine production for the worse. |
     |
|
Harrington Alpine (1961) - 110 Units. The Harrington Alpine was introduced in March of 1961 on the Series II Alpine body. 110 cars were made up. Production went parallel with Le Mans production up to the end of 1961. All in approx. 10 months This means 11 cars per month with some holidays in between, but most likely very few were made after the introduction of the Le Mans. Alpine serial numbers had reached B9103533 by the beginning of March. See Avery letter. Harrington Le Mans (1961 - 1963) - 250 Units. The Harrington Le Mans was introduced in October of 1961. 250 cars were made up until the end of Series II production in Feb. 1963. All Le Mans production was completed in approximately 15 months, which means 17 cars per month with some holidays in between. The Alpine production had reached B9108685 in October just before a three weeks strike. Harrington Alpine Series 'C' (1962 - 1963) - Approximately 20 Units. The Harrington Alpine Series 'C' was introduced in October 1962. It's assumed that 20 cars were made up until production of the Alpine Series II stopped in February 1963. That means 20 cars in 6 months built parallel with the Le Mans production, which meant a slower production speed for each model. Maybe the correct way to count is to add the two models together from October 1962, but 20 cars more or less doesn't mean so much in these calculations. By October 1962 the Alpine production had reached B9119000. Harrington Alpine Series 'D' (1963) - Less than 6 units. The Harrington Alpine Series 'D' (Alpine Series 3) was first seen in June 1963 after a stop in the production. Alpine production had reached B922700. Not more than 6 of these rare cars were built before Series 3 production stopped in October 1963. A long time for just a handful of cars. Could this mean difficulties in manufacturing or no orders? Harrington Alpine Series 'D' (1964) - Less than 6 units. The Harrington Alpine Series 'D' (Alpine Series IV) was first seen in March 1964. Same amount of production as the above. The manufacture of any prototypes was not necessary. The last known example was registered Oct 2nd 1964. From January to September there were probably only four made. This can only mean difficulties and problems with production or loss of interest. * Total = Approximately 384 units total production. Most likely:
Someone who already owned an Alpine could independently take it to Harrington Ltd., for conversion. This could result in a chassis number outside the above ranges and is likely to be the case with any Harrington Alpines made on Alpine Series I bodies. Also a dealership could send a car that had been sitting in their showroom for a while for conversion. It was also possible to buy the coachwork only for £240! It is possible to put a Harrington roof on an Alpine body with the appropriate mechanical skills and create a non-factory Harrington and some examples certainly exist. A factory-original conversion is a super-important factor for some owners and buyers, but the survival and preservation of a Harrington roof on a privately, properly converted car, or re-body due to severe rusting of the original shell, is still worthy of inclusion and participation in the Harrington registry. Rebodied cars are noted in the registry not to make them in any way inferior or less valuable to original conversions but to ensure full transparency for any future purchasers. A correctly converted car will still offer 100% enjoyment to its owner. For these reasons the registry also tries to track "orphan" Harrington roofs. We do not expect a high frequency of private conversions now as a solid Series II Alpine itself has a significant value compared to the plentiful cheap availability in the 1980's and 90's and there is little financial profit likely from such an exercise. Note that this is a different philosophy to Sunbeam Tiger originality where the very high market value of original Tigers has resulted in instances of Alpine V8 conversions being passed off as original Tigers in order to maximize profit, and defraud potential purchasers as well as potentially diluting the value of existing Tigers. The TAC scheme protects Tiger owners against this. The Tiger community is perfectly happy to accommodate "Algers", that is disclosed V8 Alpine conversions, but the market value is not the same. |
 |
©2022 - All rights reserved - |