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Live and let drive

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Tiger

Jedi Warrior
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After a quarter century, I'm re-reading some old James Bond novels (ran out of reading material, and awaitimng a shipment of new stuff).

In chapter 16 of 'Live and Let Die', in Jamaica, Strangways (remember him getting shot in the beginning of the movie Dr. No?) gets Bond a car to drive: a "Sunbeam-Talbot Coupe". Hmmm. Not, I've seen the Sunbeam-Talbots in 4-door sedans, 2-door dropheads, and of course the 53-55 Alpine (book dates from 1954, BTW) roadster, but never a "coupe" as in enclosed 2-door. Could be no more "coupe-like" than the Rover P5 "coupe" just a 4-door with a different roofline, I guess, but.....?
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Tiger said: In chapter 16 of 'Live and Let Die', in Jamaica, Strangways (remember him getting shot in the beginning of the movie Dr. No?) gets Bond a car to drive: a "Sunbeam-Talbot Coupe". Hmmm. Not, I've seen the Sunbeam-Talbots in 4-door sedans, 2-door dropheads, and of course the 53-55 Alpine (book dates from 1954, BTW) roadster, but never a "coupe" as in enclosed 2-door. Could be no more "coupe-like" than the Rover P5 "coupe" just a 4-door with a different roofline, I guess, but.....? <hr></blockquote>

Thinking outside of the box... Mr. Bond could have been driving a pre-WW II Sunbeam-Talbot, which probably came in a coupe. Or else... [considering the fact it is a novel] maybe the author also took some literary licence and made up a car that doesn't really exist.

Any other ideas?
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sherlock:
maybe the author also took some literary licence and made up a car that doesn't really exist.<hr></blockquote>


Maybe; OTOH, Ian Fleming seems to have researched his books thoroughly. In Casino Royale, he goes into some detail on his Bentley, including the Amhearst-Villiers supercharger. In L&LD, Leiter drives a Cord instead of his Studillac.

Inless your pre-war premise is correct -- a possibility -- maybe it's just a simple error or, as you point out, artistic license. I just thought maybe there was a model of S-T that I hadn't seen before (I recently saw a picture of a Rover P5 convertible, despite reading for years that they only came as 4-doors).
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Tiger said: (I recently saw a picture of a Rover P5 convertible, despite reading for years that they only came as 4-doors). <hr></blockquote>

Actually they never "sold" a convertible Rover P5. This is just one of many examples of one-off prototypes, special coach-built versions of cars, etc...

For example consider the companies who coachbuilt Rover P6 station wagons, these were never considered factory cars from Rover's perspective. Quite possibly your Sunbeam-Talbot is one of these... That website calls the Sunbeam-Talbot pictured a "coupe", looks more like a convertible to me.

But then, don't forget that some of the convertibles in the U.K. are called "drophead coupes" - I believe this refers to a certain kind of convertible.
 
But aren't they gorgeous.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> thegoodbeamer said: But aren't they gorgeous<hr></blockquote>

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On this side of the pond Sunbeam-Talbot convertibles are usually referred to as drophead coupes. I imagine this is what Fleming meant.
 
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