MEL63 REDISCOVERED
 

 Fifteen years ago a feature was written by Ian and me at the SAOCA home page called "What happened to MEL 63?"

 http://web.archive.org/web/20040604153450/http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/feature/back_issues_00/jul_00/jul.shtml
 

 The mainreason for the first story was that many pics were in the McGovern book" Alpine the Classic Sunbeam" and an article I found among my father's motor magazines just after I had bought my first Alpine in Oct -65. That article was written already in 1962 and is still in my bookshelf.


Some water has flown under the bridges and more information have floated up to the surface since then. MEL 63 is mentioned in the feature by Justin Harrington about "Alpines at Le Mans" and in the story about 2 EGG written by Graham Gould "1962 RAC rally". Its racing/rally history started with The Goodwood Veedol Trophy in March 24 1962. In the same race another famous Alpine started too, XRW 302 the oldest Alpine alive now owned by John Willshire.

Here in the paddock with MEL 63 before start and the crash of MEL 63.

 

 
 
 Here follows a big BUT, is this the same car which raced in the Tourist Trophy in August 18 (pic. left below) same year just six months later. In the pics above the car has steel wheels and in all other pics of the car both before and after it has wire wheels so also in the RAC rally Nov 1962. At this time the car was converted to a rally car.
 

 
 
 MEL 63 also participated in the 1963 RAC Rally. No info about any racing/rallying between the two races.
 

 
 

 Pic at the right is taken 1964. The car looks newly painted and very original HLM. This is probably the last pic of the car from "back in those days”. Car in front of MEL 63 is 9203RW now owned by Justin Harrington.

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 Nothing heard about the car for many years until a friend of mine reminded me that he once had told me about the two HLM's he owns, one which had been a rally car and the vender told him that it is probably MEL 63. The other one has glasscovered headlamps like 3000RW. My friend didn't pay any attention to it until recently when he began the restoration of the rally car. He had earlier sent me pics of it with Lic.number 5805D not special looking almost like an ordinairy HLM, could have been rallied wherever but not in any big events, I thought. From another friend I also got a pic. which showed strange hinges for the rear door.
 

 
 

 MEL 63 started its life in Nov 24" 1961 and registered in Brighton most likely Apr. 6 1962, 5805D was registered in Maidstone after its rally life. The lic.no MEL 63 was probably kept by Alan Fraser. Car above had a flexible map lamp as an evidence that it had been rallying sometime. Note, the headlamp rims.


In 1982 the present owner bought it and brought it to the Netherlands, got it registered and it was put away in a storage until two years ago when a restoration began. The car was completely knocked down and interesting things showed up.

 

 
 
 First there had been a heavy dent on the left front fender and then holes on the bonnet where the straps were fastened to hold it down. Those holes are exactly where MEL 63 and 2EGG had theirs.
 

 
 
 These things made the connection to MEL 63 very obvious. The final thing is that 2 EGG and MEL 63/5805D have the VIN's after eachother B9108952 OD HRO and B9108953 OD HRO. Left Rootes same day. Unfortunately DVLA has no info about 2 EGG. Did Alan Fraser keep that Lic.no too?
 

 
 
 Almost ready, the final thing to do is make it LHD. More pics will follow when complete.

 

 

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