THE SUNBEAM TIGER
Four point three litres of raw V8 power packed into a tiny two-seater sports car with a wheel base of slightly over two metres. The Ford engine could power this aptly named model, produced in 1967, to sixty miles per hour in just less than eight and a half seconds, reaching a top speed of about 120 miles per hour. The Rootes Group that produced this little vehicle was taken over by Chrysler in 1967 and the company rebadged it to eliminate the Ford connection. In South Africa the slightly more powerful four point seven litre model was never imported, but the smaller version produced adequate speed and torque for the younger sporting set that immersed themselves in the euphoria of acceleration and were taken in by the grunt of the phenomenal eight cylinder thrust it effortlessly produced. The price: about R3500 (brand spanking new off the showroom floor) and worth every penny for the pleasure of driving this exhilarating beast.
Chad was a young, twenty-something year old, up and coming banker in Johannesburg. He had landed a job at Trust Bank (founded by Jan S Marais in 1954). The young fellow fitted in seamlessly with the vision of the founder and Chairman who created a “hip” style at his financial institution – prepared to take risks and with a special appeal to the younger generation enjoying the boom of the 1960s, with jobs in greater supply than job seekers. The mid-1960s to 1970s was a period of growth in South Africa and there was an abundance of cash being splashed around. Between 1967 and 1970 there were several quarters in which the GDP grew by between 14 and 20 percent. Given the political system at the time, the main demographic beneficiaries of the economic conditions were young white men. Trust Bank shook off the stodginess of other banking institutions – employing beautiful young female tellers with uniforms that were tasteful, but at the same time edgy. Perfectly manicured and made up to accentuate attractive features, the clientele lured into the banking halls were predominantly male “Yuppies” raking in large incomes.
Trust Bank erected a skyscraper in central Johannesburg from which it conducted its financial dealings. There, Chad had an office and staff commensurate with his acumen as an investment banker of note. The secretaries and typists with whom he surrounded himself were typical of the attractive front line staff in the banking hall, as described. The fellows that formed part of his team had a similar mindset to Chad and the big boss Jan Marais. Risk and risqué went hand in hand as they increased profits exponentially. Marais was not shy to pay his bright stars of finance salaries that matched their sharp intellect, ability and value to the bank. He consequently retained some of Johannesburg’s finest finance “gurus”. When the operation was sold off and later merged into the ABSA Group, it was still a “going concern” and offered sound value.
Chad bought the usual accoutrements that accompany abundant wealth. Savile Row suits, Rolex watches, diamond studded cuff links, were all flashy displays of materialism on the fast track. An up-market apartment in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, gave him the “lock up and go” accommodation befitting a globe trotting, champagne swilling investment banker. South Africa didn’t enjoy cordial relations with the rest of the world, but somehow the rules were always bent for the well heeled. Although there were sanctions at both ends, he found a way to acquire the finest Cuban cigars that found their way onto South African shores.
Boundless wealth engendered an appeal with the most elegant and attractive young ladies, one of whom he regularly had on his arm and whom he could parade at upmarket clubs and social gatherings. Not usually the same girl, but he took delight in showing off the “trophy” girlfriend of the moment. Not the “trophy wife” mind you – he preferred to travel light in matters of the heart.
Chad’s set of wheels he chose, though, as his heart determined. He eschewed the Mercedes and Rolls type of “old men’s toys”. The popular American “wheeled ships” such as the Chevrolet Caprice Classic and Ford Fairlane had no appeal for him either. Despite his bulging wallet, he was still a young fellow. Guided by his passion for power and speed, he set out one fine day for Johannesburg’s motor town. There, on the showroom floor at the Chrysler dealer, his eye fell on a gleaming red Sunbeam Tiger – a convertible with a black top. It was started up for him and the grunt from the tight engine bay under the hood resonated with him. The promise of speed and fun were irresistible. In his mind’s eye he could see the open top and long, flowing blond hair of a female companion surrendering to the wind of the highway. It was with no compunction that he wrote a cheque for the full amount (the bad boy of the motorway getting the better of him), including magnesium wheels which were all the rage at the time, and the latest FM/AM Supersonic radio with an eight track cassette player to match.
1968 saw the official opening of the Ben Schoeman motorway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. In South Africa at the time it was one of the “state of the art” freeways that would morph into one of the country’s busiest motorways over time. After the initial fascination with all things new, the Ben Schoeman road was much less cluttered than it is today. Traffic volumes were moderate in the late 1960s and speed limits were in their infancy – finally set at 70 miles per hour and after metrification 120 kilometers per hour at the close of the ‘60s and early in the ‘70s. Chad took to the motorway and threw caution to the wind. He and his female “flavour of the month” put the Tiger to the test.
The Sunbeam Tiger’s top speed was moderate by today’s standards, but there is not much in the line of motoring that can compare to the relentless beat of a V8 motor being ratcheted up through the Tiger’s four speed manual transmission to settle at about 120 miles per hour (193 kilometers per hour). At the time there were few motor cars that could compete with that. One could have been forgiven for believing that this little rocket was fueled by testosterone, not petrol. It was a time that preceded the Middle East oil embargo and the crisis that sent petrol prices into the stratosphere. The tank could be filled with Super (high octane) petrol for a mere 42c per gallon (about 4.5 litres), a price that would turn motorists of the 21st century green with envy. That would have been the only concession to the “Green Brigade”, fossil fuels being at their pinnacle at that time. Many years and a relentless campaign to turn back the tide of fossil fuel addiction would elapse, before the “music” of a thumping V8 engine could be mimicked by the electric vehicles that are now beginning to enter the market as viable alternatives.
Chad would keep his Sunbeam Tiger for a few years of sport motoring pleasure, before relenting to the march of time and acquiring more sedate luxury vehicles becoming of a senior banking executive. He would eventually retire and settle for an automatic transmission, fuel sipping luxury sedan with air-conditioning and all the bells and whistles that appeal to an old fellow. The blond on the arm became an elegant “aunty” as wife, and his bald patch and wrinkly hide displaced unencumbered youth and vigour. Both would reminisce about their youth of yesteryear, but be grateful they made it to retirement and could relish the wisdom that came with maturity.
The Sunbeam Tiger still has a cherished place in the heart of an old geezer.
©Paul M Haupt
Comments
Post a Comment