My A90 Atlantic is better than your SP250

[healeynut]

Was looking through my March 2009 issue of Classic & Sports Car and on Page 112 ... my A90 Atlantic was rated the #1 dud of all time. Cracking!

The Daimler fi.. sh ... erm... SP250 could only muster a limp wristed #6 on this list, behind the AMC Pacer which was rated #5. Dreadful to think the Pacer is a better dud if you ask me. Interesting it says the SP250 had a tendency for its doors to fly open in a turn. At least my turtle can keep its doors shut.

 

[JPSmit]

I think it would be really good to ship the car to me, I promise I will keep it behind closed garage doors and only take it out at night to remove you experiencing any further embarrassment.

 

[Andrew Mace]

Is there anything DUMBER in the automotive press or elsewhere than lists such as these? I suppose the Bugatti Royale could have been considered a total dud; after all, they only made 6 (maybe 7?) of them, right? :wink:

Just for kicks, I did some quick lookups on the NADA guide web site:

1950 Austin A90 Atlantic 2 Door Convertible high retail $13,400 (sadly, the sedan does not fare nearly so well, pricewise)

1962 Daimler SP 250 2 Door Roadster high retail $34,100

1976 American Motors Pacer 2 Door Sedan X/DL with V-8 and A/C high retail $6135

The value for the Atlantic actually seems rather low to me. I'm not surprised about the value on the SP 250. As for the Pacer....

 

[JPSmit]

I'd love an A90 - sedan or convertible, Pacer not so much, though my son would likely prefer the Mirth Mobile - to each their own I suppose, though I, like you Andrew, get a little weary of the lists.

 

[healeynut]

I think the NADA guy's been smoking some medicinal dope. You wouldn't be able to touch a A90 convertible in the US for less than $20K unless it was a wreck. The Saloons are non existent in the US, not even sure if they shipped any to North America. Too bad I passed on the complete convertible, relatively rust free, in Canada about 8 years ago... the seller only wanted $1,000. I paid him the $1,000 for all the running gear (I have a Healey 100) and he sent the body to the wrecker. If I only knew back then what I know now.

At NZD 18,500 I probably paid 20% too much for my saloon, but she's a pretty nice car in pretty decent shape...

 

[DART]

First off, the doors issue on the fish cars was the early run of "A" spec cars and soon corrected with extra stiffening to "B" spec. Some "A" specs here in states were sent back for mods, in fact. I've had an "A", never had a door fly open.

Secondly- I agree with you about the accuracy of the top retail value estimates, tho there have been some non-selling listings on fleebay with BIN's in the 40's.

 

[Sherlock]

When I lived in Ontario, an active member of our club had an A90 Atlantic convertible that he had done a beautiful restoration on... He restored it to pretty much 100% original and he loved the car, driving it often... It was certainly seen at many club events and car shows... The one problem he mentioned was how the car was virtually a traffic hazard because of all the stares by people passing him, wondering what the heck it was because of the rather unusual styling...

If anyone knows of a gorgeous example somewhere in New England (a white convertible), that's where he sold the car to back in 2002...

 

[billspohn]

There are many other cars that rate higher on the filed before they got started scale.

The A-90 was a bit of a bodge, though. It was the not so brilliant idea by an Englishman of what would sell in North America, and he was proven wrong and badly wrong very quickly when the buying public looked at the new car and mostly laughed. I recall that they used a modified starter motor to raise and lower the top - interesting.

The car had good and bad aspects. Brakes and handling were deplorable. Styling that only a mother could love. Darned good engine - gutsy and strong, considering the tiny bore huge stroke geritage it came from - the car actually set up some decent high speed records.

The Daimler also had good and bad. A right jewel of a little engine mated to the worst handling chassis that BMC and Standard Triumph could put up between them (I've owned enough TRs to know it intimately), very good brakes and again, controversial styling, I suspect aimed at the same theoretical North American ideal as seen by the Englishman.

Ironically, another styling joke, also allied to low power and poor brakes and handling, DID do better over here - the Nash Metropolitan. Maybe it was pricing, maybe it was the connection with an American auto maker, but whatever did it, we still have quite a few metros about the place today.

 

[Andrew Mace]

There are many other cars that rate higher on the filed before they got started scale....

Ironically, another styling joke, also allied to low power and poor brakes and handling, DID do better over here - the Nash Metropolitan. Maybe it was pricing, maybe it was the connection with an American auto maker, but whatever did it, we still have quite a few metros about the place today.

At one point, the Nash/Hudson/Austin Metropolitan could've been a Standard-Triumph collaboration instead of BMC. Meanwhile, and along those same lines, there was the immortal Triumph Mayflower, or "Watch Charm Rolls" as it was sometimes known. One either loved or hated the stubby, truncated razor-edge styling, but it did have some nice features, such as a roomy interior and great visibility all around. Oh, and the innovative front seats that slid forward for entrance to the rear seat area were pretty cool.

On the down side, there was that tiny side-valve engine, coupled with a three-speed gearbox with hideous ratios; 1st could pull stumps, but the gap between it and 2nd was far too wide.

It was supposedly aimed at the US market (I almost said geared for, but that would've been too obvious -- and contradictory -- a pun), but it really didn't sell all that well here (some 500 sold through Fergus Motors in NYC and others probably from somewhere on the West Coast and Canada).

That said, a surprising number remain!

 

[78Z]

I dunno I rather like the A90 - styling and all. I'd love a drop top.

 

[healeynut]

I have a '51 A90 Atlantic with the later brakes (hydraulic all around and big ones up front) and she brakes quite well actually. She stays nice and cool and, yes, the motor is nice and gutsy, reliable, fast and easy on the petrol. She's quite spritely off the line, actually.

The handling is rather shameful, she rolls and pitches like a WWII corvette boat, and I have new front springs on her no less. Sometimes it's quite delightful to bounce about the pavement as she hurtles down the expressway at death defying speeds.

I've been giving serious thought to putting an anti-roll bar on the front, it would be pretty easy as she shares most of the suspension with the Austin Healey, would just have to make a custom bar but the attachments are easy. I have to assume this would help with the roll...

Actually, I think the car looks much better in person than in pictures, I'd say 70% of people who see the car are absolutely captivated by the shape and look of the car. 15% are oblivious, and the last 15% think I am a pillock for soiling the road with her. Well they can just shove it, eh?