The Sunbeam Tiger was conceived by Ian Garrad, the U.S. West Coast manager for Britain's Rootes Motors, Inc. The Rootes' Sunbeam Alpine roadster, a small European sports car, was a perfect candidate to receive American V-8 engines. After Garrad obtained approval from Lord Rootes' son Brian, a Ford 260-cubic-inch prototype was developed in conjunction with Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles (soon after, Ken joined Shelby American). The car was tested by Garrad and then shipped to England for evaluation during the summer of 1963. The project soon gained approval, code-named 'Thunderbolt' and Jensen Motors was selected to build it in West Bromwich.
The Rootes Group-owned Sunbeam, as well as Hillman, Humber, and Singer. The appropriately named 'Tiger' (in honor of Rootes' own 1925/26 V-12 Land Speed Record car) became available in the United States in 1964. It became available to the Home Market in right-hand drive the following year. The Tiger had plenty of performance and nearly won the SCCA B/Production National Championship in 1966. In 1965, it won the AHRA National Championship in its class.
Production continued through 1968 along with two distinct series, with approximately 7,000 examples built. Approximately 6,498 examples of the MK I and MKIA were produced. The updated, 289-powered MKII production reached approximately 536 with most being sent to the United States. After Chrysler's 1967 takeover of Rootes brought the eventual end to the Ford-powered Tiger.
The Tiger MKII had a top speed of 122 mph, with zero-to-sixty mph taking 7.5 seconds.
Styling changes on the Mark II included an egg-crate grille with the distinctive 'grille eyebrow', lower body stripes, Sunbeam script on the hood and trunk, rectangular reverse lights mounted below the rear bumper, and an updated oil cooler. The headlight trim was slightly revised, the interior was upgraded with a burled walnut dashboard, and stainless steel was used on the rocker panel and wheel-well moldings. by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019
Related Reading : Sunbeam Tiger History
Lord William Rootes of Ramsbury created the British based SunbeamRootes Coventry Company after extensive experience gained from the Singer Company. He had been actively involved in automobile racing and development for a number of years. In 1926 a Sunbeam powered by a 12-cylinder engine and driven by Sir Henry Seagrave had set the land speed record at 152.3 mph. The Sunbeam Tiger is probably most.... Continue Reading >>
1967 was the last year of the Tiger and was sold almost exclusively in the United States as the Tiger II. This example is superbly restored by Rootes Group Depot of Santa Clara, California. The 1967 model is the rarest of Tigers with its fresh egg-bo....[continue reading]
This is one of 536 Mark II Sunbeam Tigers produced in 1967. These Tigers were produced with the Cobra-style 'egg crate' grille and the stainless steel chrome-type wheel arch moldings and rocker trim. The Tigers were in production from 1964-67.....[continue reading]
Sir William Rootes declared after opening his new showroom on Park Avenue in New York, in April 1950, that the way to sell cars here was to mimic American cars but in a British-size. It took until 1955 to send over the Sunbeam Rapier sedan (mimicking....[continue reading]
Sunbeam produced just 536 examples of the Tiger MK II model. The small European sports car was given a powerful American V-8 engine which provided plenty of performance in a small package. The Rootes Group, which owned Sunbeam, as well as Hillman, Hu....[continue reading]
1967 was the final year of Sunbeam Tiger MKII production and just 536 examples were produced. This example is known as 'Number 10' for being the 10th Tiger produced that year. It was sold new by J. Sargent Ltd. in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March of....[continue reading]
Sunbeam's new car was initially named 'Thunderbolt' but was quickly renamed the Tiger after a famous 1920s Sunbeam racer. The car went into production in time for the 1964 New York Auto Show. Between 1965 and 1966, Rootes built 6,498 Tigers in both l....[continue reading]
Production of the Mark I Tigers, between 1964 and 1967, reached 6,450, with about half of them unofficially designated Mark IA, based on the Series V Alpine. In 1967, a Mark II version was introduced with the 289 cubic-inch Ford engine. Just 633 of t....[continue reading]
The Sunbeam Alpine, with its 4-cylinder engine, was an ideal candidate for a small-block Ford V-8 power. Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles created V-8 powered prototypes which were sent to England as the blueprint for production. The unit bodies were rein....[continue reading]
The Sunbeam Tiger was an Anglo-American hybrid of British Sunbeam Alpine coachwork placed atop a big American Ford 260 cubic-inch V-8. Carroll Shelby, who created the Cobra by stuffing a Ford V8 into an AC Ace, built the prototype. The result was int....[continue reading]
Options on this Sunbeam Tiger MKII include the 'LAT 70' alloy wheels, an Edelbrock intake manifold with a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and traction bars. It is believed that the car has been given a restoration, just a high-quality repaint, a new r....[continue reading]
The Sunbeam Tiger is based on the Sunbeam Alpine which was a British roadster produced by the Rootes Group from 1960-1976. Lord Rootes was initially unenthusiastic about the Tiger project until he drove a prototype. He then personally contacted Henry....[continue reading]
Sunbeam introduced the Alpine in 1959 and its humble beginnings included the underpinnings of the Hillman Husky and powered by a four-cylinder, 1.5-liter engine of the Sunbeam Rapier delivering 78 horsepower. The Alpine wore a finned body penned by R....[continue reading]
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1967 Sunbeam Tiger MKII Production Figures
Sport Roadster 633
11,400 total vehicles produced by Sunbeam in 1967 Total 1967 Sunbeam Tiger MKII production: 0
