"BRINGING A 'BEAM HOME"

By Ohan Korlikian

Ten years ago on a sunny spring afternoon, I was driving through Kerrisdale (a community in Vancouver, BC) when my attention focused on a red convertible parked along side of the road. I quickly pulled over for a closer look. It was a Sunbeam Tiger 260. With camera in hand, I took some pictures. Few years later, I rediscovered these photos and it reinforced my desire to want a Sunbeam, but like anything else, I could not afford one.

In mid November 2002, I found my “dream ‘beam” advertised on the web: a ’67 Sunbeam Alpine Series V in Vancouver, WA. I drove down in early January 2003 from Vancouver, BC to take a look. I liked what I saw; the car was in very good condition. The engine was rough running at first but once it warmed up, it ran fine. Mind you we had to recruit a forklift to tow it in an attempt to kick start it. I was satisfied with the overall aspect of the car and the deal was sealed with a handshake. 

My drive back home was on the side of caution. As my 5^th gear on my Prelude had seized to be and I found myself driving in 4^th gear on I-5 all the way home. 

My next step was to submit the required forms to U.S. Customs. They now required a copy of the bill of sale along with the title in order to conduct the background check. This meant having to make a second trip down to conclude the transaction.

I booked January 16^th off from work and at 05:00 hours I went to my car in anticipation for the trip south. When I started the car, I could hear rattling noises coming from the transmission gearbox. This did not sound too healthy. I left the car parked, went inside and quickly began calling the car rental companies. I lucked out with one at the airport. I made a reservation, hopped into a cab, rented a Malibu and drove down to conclude the deal. 

In preparation, I had drafted a copy of the bill of sale on my computer and saved it on a 3 ½ disk that I brought with me along with all the necessary documents. It’s a good thing that I did because the name on the title was the seller’s wife’s name and not his as I initially thought. A quick access on a computer soon solved that dilemma. Got all the documents properly filled out, bill of sale and title signed and faxed to U.S. Custom in Blaine, WA for the approval.

On the return trip home, just south of Bellingham, a passerby motioned to me that the front right tyre was flat. I quickly pulled over to a safe spot and inspected it. A considerable amount of air had leaked but good enough to get me to a gas station around the next bend. Once there, I replenished the air supply. Not before having to scramble for $0.50 US to feed the air pump.  I was satisfied that this did the trick and continued on my way while periodically checking on the tyre.

Now the hard part begins, finding a way of getting the car home. I contacted various people I knew for their assistance but no such luck. I tried transport companies but the cost was too high. I lucked out when my friend’s uncle, Bob, a British car owner and an aficionado, agreed to help me out with this endeavor.

On January 21^st right after work I boarded the Skytrain from Downtown (Vancouver) and met up with Bob and the King George station (In Surrey) and from there we headed south. The plan was to drive as close to Vancouver, WA and pick up the Alpine next morning.

After a brief interlude with the U.S. Immigration, as we were questioned about our citizenship and any involvement with criminal activities, we were cleared to cross the border.  

We stopped in for dinner Bellingham. Afterwards, we discovered the Land Rover had a flat tyre. Now the fun begins. It is raining and we can’t find the tyre jack. After skimming through the owner’s manual, we found it located under the hood tucked away behind the headlight lens on the driver side - great design. 20 minutes later, the tire was changed, few choice four-letter words were uttered, and we were back on the road.

The journey went without any further complications. We had lengthy discussions about various British cars and Bob told me stories about the time when he participated in the Panama to Alaska rally eons ago.

About 00:30 hours we had reached Kalama, WA. We stayed the night at the local hotel.  The room was cold; obviously the heater was not working. I was tired but was unable to get a good nights rest. I would certainly describe it as sleepless south of Seattle.

At 07:00 hours, the alarm rang and by 07:30 hours we were ready to hit the road. I went to the front counter to check out and wanted to take a snap shot of the framed photos of Elvis adoring the walls. Apparently, the King was in town in the early 60’s working on a film. My guess; “It Happened At The World’s Fair”. Oddly enough, he had stayed in the unit upstairs. As I boarded into the Land Rover, I turned to Bob and said, “After lousy accommodations like this, it’s now wonder Elvis left the building”. We both laughed and proceeded southbound in the pouring rain.

Shortly after 08:15 hours, we arrived at our location. We attempted to start the Alpine with no success. So we pushed it onto the trailer. But prior to that there was a minor obstacle. Will the “knock-offs” clear the railing on the trailer? After careful maneuvering, we were able to clear it by a fraction of millimeters on both sides. We strapped the car down and headed towards the local tyre shop. Bob wheeled in the flat tyre and was advised it was beyond repair as a knife had slashed it. 

South of Bellingham, we pulled over for this photo opportunity. (Alger?, Alger?, More like Alpine.)

By 15:10 hours we had reached the US/Canada border at the Pacific truck crossing. Before entering into Canada, I walked over to U.S. Customs to get their stamp of approval to clear the vehicle. Surprisingly, this only took a few minutes. Conversely, at Canada Customs, I submitted the pre-filled documents and was ready to pay the G.S.Tax and be on my way. Much to my surprise, I ended up having to pay duty as well. The general rule of vehicles over 25 years old being exempt from duty did no longer apply. After about an hour, the car was cleared of its American citizenship and now was Canadian (but with British Rootes of course).

Ohan Korlikian

Vancouver, BC, Canada