1966 Sunbeam Tiger

• Eligible to numerous classic car events
• Powered by the Shelby Cobra 260 V8 engine
• Recent nut-and-bolt restoration

* Please note that this car will be available for viewing by prior appointment in Belgium.

The Sunbeam Tiger is an American sports car produced from 1964 until 1967. It was the high-performance equivalent of the British Sunbeam Alpine roadster, which was fitted with a more modest four-cylinder engine, but did not appeal to customers in the overseas market. The initial idea to fit a V8 came from Jack Brabham, the final design coming from the legendary racing driver and engineer Caroll Shelby. Shelby mounted the powerful Ford V8 engine into the Sunbeam, all else remaining relatively similar to the original version of the vehicle. Despite being responsible for the V8 conversion, serial production was not allocated to Shelby's US facilities, but was kept in the UK at the Jensen factory in West Bromwich. As compensation, Shelby received a royalty per car produced. It is reported that Rootes, the company owning the Sunbeam brand, initially tried striking a deal with Ferrari, in which the Italians would review the previously used four-cylinder engine and put their name on it. After initial negotiations went in the right direction, the project was eventually dropped.

The Tiger, which even competed in the 1964 24 hours of Le Mans (none of the two entries finished the race) was available in two engine versions: the Mark I was fitted with the 4.3-litre V8 by Ford whereas the Mark II was delivered with the 4.7-litre Ford V8. Only being available during the last year of production, the Mark II is the rarer car with just 633 units built, versus a total of 6,450 series 1 examples. When the Rootes Group was bought out by Chrysler in 1967, production of the Sunbeam Tiger came to an end since the new owner of the firm did not have a suitable engine in their lineup that could replace the Ford V8.

The Sunbeam Tiger was always a rare car, and modifying them was easy and cheap. Consequently, very few remain in good and unmolested condition like the example on offer here.

The Sunbeam Tiger presented is a 1966 example and is thus fitted with the 4.3-litre V8 engine. It has been recently the subject of a total restoration and is in excellent condition overall. The bodywork, presented in the typically British colour combination of dark green metallic is in excellent nick. The paint is still shiny, and it was clearly recently applied. The quality of the paintjob is good, and we could only make out a small scuff on the front right, below the headlamp. The same quality is evident in the car's chrome work, which includes the front grille, logos and other smaller trim parts as well as the windscreen surround; all parts are nicely presented and not corroded. It also appears to us that all the original trim parts are still present and in their right place. The fit of the body panels looks good and well adjusted. During the photoshoot, the soft top was down, but the seller confirms it is in good condition.

The silver wheels remain in good order with only minor scratches. All are fitted with Continental tires dating from 2010. Albeit having plenty of thread left on them, we would recommend replacing them given their age. Considering that this automobile is equipped with an engine that has considerable amounts of torque, a high-quality tire with good road adherence is recommended.
The interior of this Sunbeam Tiger is in largely original condition with normal signs of age and a charming patina. The seats appear to be the original ones, though they may have been re-upholstered at some point. It is difficult to confirm this, but what we can say is that they are in good shape with no tears or other damages visible and feature the correct seat pattern. The instruments are in good nick as well and the seller confirms they all work as they should. A second rev counter was added in the middle of the dashboard, where the clock usually sits. This appears to be the only non-original modification to the instrument panel. The wood inlets on the dashboard are slightly cracked in some spots. The new owner can decide whether to keep this patina, or to have the wood restored. The steering wheel is a sportier non-original aftermarket version, an easy fix if the new owner wishes to revert this item back to period-correct specifications. The gear lever has also been modified to the personal preferences of a previous owner.
The carpets, door cards and rear seats are in good shape, without a blemish that would be worth mentioning.

Under the bonnet sits the real highlight of any Tiger. The massive Ford V8, which required redesigning the firewall by Shelby to fit in to the engine bay, is nicely presented in our example. As mentioned, this automobile was the subject of a recent nut-and-bolt restoration, and the mechanics are indeed in excellent working order. There is no sign of rust or leaks in the engine bay, and the works appear to be of good quality. The engine was fitted with some useful upgrades, such as an aluminum radiator (improves cooling in slow traffic or warm weather conditions) and what appears to be an electronic ignition by MSD (increases power output and reliability).

The trunk offers ample room for luggage, and is in equally good condition, having benefitted from new interior fittings, confirming that no corners were cut during the restoration of the vehicle. The trunk is additionally equipped with a fire extinguisher and a spare wheel.

Little is known about this car's early history, but the speedometer in km/h and the left-hand drive layout indicate this could have possibly been a European car from new. The seller reports that he purchased the vehicle few years ago from the Dutch dealer Gallery Aaldering. The vehicle was completely restored previously to the seller's purchase and is on the button. The restoration process was documented with pictures that are available upon request.

The Sunbeam Tiger is what you could describe as a wolf in sheep's clothing: light, nimble, but fitted with a ferocious American V8. These are very rare cars with an interesting British-American backstory. The vehicle on offer is in very nice condition overall, having benefitted from a recent restoration, and has not seen much use since the completion of these works. If you have been in the market for one of these special vehicles, this could be an example that merits close inspection and consideration.