1965 Sunbeam Tiger MK1

The Anglo-American sports car, made successful by Carroll Shelby and the AC Cobra, was a well-established concept by the time the Rootes Group began building a V8-powered derivative of its Tiger sports car. Mr. Shelby was involved in developing the initial prototype for Sunbeam, installing a Ford small-block V8 engine into the small bonnet. The first Tigers were given the 260 cubic-inch V8 engine and mated to a four-speed Top Loader transmission. The chassis was modified to cope with the increase in power. Rack and pinion steering was added, the suspension revised, and the bodyshells were stiffened. Jensen of West Bromwich, who was already building their own Anglo-American GT cars - was subcontracted to build the Tiger.

The British manufacturer Rootes introduced the Sunbeam Alpine Series I in 1959 and quickly realized it was in need of more power if it were to compete in the world markets. Lacking a suitable engine and without the resources to develop one, they turned to Ferrari to redesign the standard inline-four engine. Negotiations were promising at first, but eventually failed. The idea was revisited several years later, this time with a proposed Ford V8.

In the early 1960s, Formula 1 champion Jack Brabham suggested to Rootes competition manager Norman Garrad that the engine bay of the Alpine may be a suitable contender to house a Ford V8 engine. The idea was circulated to Garrad's son Ian, then the West Coast Sales Manager of Rootes American Motors Inc. Shelby American had success with the AC Cobra conversion, encouraging Ian to send his service manager Walter McKenzie to visit the local new car dealerships and acquire a Ford V8. He returned with a Ford 260 cubic-inch engine which weighed 440 pounds, and the same powerplant initially fitted into the Shelby Cobra. Since Ian lived near Carroll Shelby's operation, he was able to get Mr. Shelby's advice on how to make the idea a reality.

Putting the powerful Ford engine in the bay required updating many of the mechanical components, including the transmission, suspension, and brakes. To expedite the process, Ian commissioned racing driver and fabricator Ken Miles to build a prototype. This project had a budget of approximately $800 and included a Series II Alpine, a two-speed automatic transmission, and a Ford V8 engine. Another prototype, this one approved by Brian Rootes, head of sales for the Rootes Group, had a $10,000 budget and Shelby's input. The Miles prototype was given a week to complete while the Shelby prototype had eight weeks. Shelby began work on the 'white car' prototype, provisionally known as the Thunderbolt, in April of 1963 and was completed by the end of the month. Unlike Miles's prototype, Shelby's used a Ford four-speed manual transmission.

Lord Rootes tested the Shelby prototype in July of 1963 and was so impressed, that he contacted Henry Ford II directly to secure a shipment of Ford V8 engines. He ordered 3,000 engines as that was the number of Tigers expected to sell in the first year.

The 1964 New York Motor Show was selected for the unveiling of the production-ready Tiger. It had gone from prototype to production-ready in just eight months, much shorter than the typical three to four years needed by the company to bring an idea to production. The production Tiger was approximately twenty-percent heavier than the Alpine and was twice as powerful. The larger engine required suspension modifications and the replacement of the Burman recirculating ball steering mechanisms with a more modern rack and pinion setup.

Shelby was optimistic about receiving the production contract for the Tiger, but Rootes ultimately decided to build the car themselves in England. Since they did not have the capacity to build the Tiger, they contracted the job to Jensen in West Bromwich. Jensen's contract for the Volvo P1800 had recently been canceled, so the timing was favorable.

When the V8-powered Tiger was first offered for sale in the United States in 1964, it brought the performance to a new level to the relatively pedestrian Alpine. It was appropriately named 'Tiger' in honor of Rootes' own 1925 Land Speed Record car and made available the next year in right-hand drive form. The top speed was in the neighborhood of 200 km/h and zero-to-sixty took just over nine seconds. The Riger nearly won the SCCA B/Production National Championship in 1966, and it was a fierce drag racer, taking the 1965 AHRA National Championship in its class.

Pressed Steel in Oxfordshire provided the painted and trimmed bodies, Ford provided the engines and gearboxes, and Jensen assembled the vehicles. Until Ford was able to resolve supply issues with its transmission, the early Tigers received a Borg-Warner four-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox. The 260 cubic-inch V8 used a single Ford two-barrel carburetor and offered 164 horsepower. Some dealerships offered modified versions with up to 245 horsepower.

The front suspension was independent with coil springs while the rear used a live axle and semi-elliptic springs. Stopping power was courtesy of Girling-manufactured 9.85-inch disc brakes at the front and 9-inch drums at the rear.

The Tiger was built in two distinct series through 1968, with approximately 6,495 examples of the MK I (including the MK I and MK IA). Production of the MKI was also roughly divided between those with convertible top metal covers and those with a vinyl top boot.

A revised Mark II model was introduced in 1967, bringing with it a larger 289 cubic-inch V8 with an increase of compression of 9.3:1, up from 8.8:1 of the smaller block. Additional modifications included an engine-oil cooler, upgraded valve springs, modifications to the rear axle, wider ratio transmission, a larger single dry plate hydraulically operated clutch, and an alternator replacing the previous dynamo. Modifications to the exterior included a modified radiator grille, the removal of the headlamp cowls, and speed stripes (replacing the chrome strips) traversing the bodyside.

When Chrysler took a controlling interest in Sunbeam in 1968, the Tiger was hastily dropped and production came to an end.

During the production lifespan of the Tiger, Sunbeam produced 6,495 examples of the Mark I and Mark IA, and 571 examples of the Mark II.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019