Our Cars: Independent Agent John R. Engle’s Sunbeam Tigers
Independent Agent John R. Engle has been buying performance cars since he was a junior in high school, so it’s only natural that he would grow up working in an industry related to the cars he loves.
Agency: Lampton/Engle & Associates in Beavercreek, Ohio
Years working with Hagerty: I’ve been actively selling Hagerty for 12 years. I went into the insurance business in spring 1992 with Prudential. After approximately 7½ years there, I became restless and began thinking about my next phase in the insurance business. A Rotarian buddy teamed up with me to form Lampton/Engle, an independent agency, and I began concentrating heavily on property and casualty insurance − after all, the biggest door into most homes is the garage door. Initially, I contacted Hagerty to insure my own toys, but I quickly determined that I wanted to represent them and began selling them with fervor to all of my car acquaintances.
Cars: My toys of choice are my Sunbeam Tigers. I’ve own a 1966 Mark 1A for 29 years and a 1967 Mark II Tiger for 24 years that is one of only 536 built. Several years ago I also added a 2003 SVT 10th anniversary COBRA Mustang to the fold. This is one of 2,003 made and one of only 369 Torch Red anniversary convertibles.
Background: I bought my first car − a 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible 389 tri-power 4-speed – as a junior in high school, so performance cars have always been a part of my life. I have only owned one car that had an automatic transmission in it – a ’72 Chevelle that I had for about nine months. Otherwise, they have either been 4-, 5- or 6-speeds. Even my daily driver is a PT Cruiser GT convertible with the high-output turbo and a 5-speed Getrag transmission.
Repairs and modifications (planned or completed): I did rotisserie restorations on both of the Tigers, so I know every nut and bolt, and everything has either been painted, plated or polished. I enjoy building and restoring cars but also remodeling and doing home projects to personalize my house to suit mine and the boss’s (aka wife’s) needs.
Hobby activities (clubs, events, etc.): Besides attending car shows and cruise-ins on a weekly basis, I also do an invitational car show for the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, which is a two-day event held the weekend after Labor Day. I spend the spring and summer selecting some of the finest examples of cars and trucks to show in my invitational classes so attendees are seeing the best of the best. I am also a concours judge for the Dayton Concours and have been with that event since 1997.
Favorite drive: My wife and I have been on many enjoyable drives in my Tiger, and probably the most memorable have been the international Sunbeam conventions in Snowmass Colorado in 1989 and the 2009 convention in Rapid City, S.D. These were trips of 3,400 and 2,800 miles, respectively, and my Tiger has never left me by the side of the road, broken down.
