1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mark IA

Sport Roadster

In 1959, the Sunbeam Alpine was introduced by the Rootes Group. The small 1494cc four-cylinder engine was barely enough to complement the stylish and sporty body. Seeing the success of the Shelby Cobras, Rootes Group approached racing legends Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby for help in doing a V8 conversion. The result was the Sunbeam Tiger, which entered production in June of 1964. With 164 horsepower under the hood, the new Tiger was able to go from zero-to-sixty in just 7.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 117 MPH.

Production of the Tiger was a complicated and global affair. The painted and trimmed bodies were sourced from the Pressed Steel Company Limited in Oxfordshire, England. The engines and gearboxes came directly from Ford in the United States, while assembly was handled at the Jensen Motors Limited Plant in West Bromwich, England.

This car is one of 2,706 MK1A's built from a total production run of 7,067. With the exception of a few minor modifications for reliability, it remains essentially stock.

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382001478 LRXFE
Engine number: 6322 B19KC

Carroll Shelby had a great deal of success sticking a Ford V8 into the AC Ace to create the Cobra. Rootes asked Shelby to perform the same task with their Sunbeam Alpine sports car. The Alpine's 1.6-liter four was replaced with a Ford 260 cubic-inch (4.2-liter) unit. The result was the Sunbeam Tiger which entered production in June of 1964, little more than a year after the prototypes built by Shelby had been released. The painted and trimmed bodies were sourced from the Pressed Steel Company Limited in Oxfordshire, England. The engines and gearboxes came directly from Ford in America. The assembly was handled at the Jensen Motors Limited Plant in West Bromwich, England.

The Tiger could race from zero-to-sixty mph in under ten seconds and peaked at 117 mph.

Sadly, production of the Sunbeam Tiger was killed off by Rootes' new owner Chrysler shortly after the revised Series II Tiger, with the uprated 289ci V8, was introduced in 1967.

Chassis no. B382001478 LRXFE

This example left the factory in February of 1966 wearing Carnival Red paint with a black leather interior. It is believed that its original owner was Charles Tinkham of Peoria, and later Litchfield, Arizona. It was first registered in October of 1967. Tinkham drove the Tiger regularly, keeping careful records until, in 2004, he sold the car to Rodney Ebstein of Menlo Park, California. The current owner acquired the Tiger from Mr. Ebstein in 2007.

At some point, a previous owner had the car re-sprayed Polar Silver. The car rides on a set of Panasport aluminum alloy wheels, six inches wide in front, and seven inches wide in the rear. There are older BF Goodrich radial tires. A removable steel factory hardtop with insulating headliner is also included with the car.

Power is from an overhead valve 260 cubic-inch V8 with a single 4-barrel carburetor. There is a 4-speed manual transmission with disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear.

by Dan Vaughan

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B9473212 LRXFE

This is an authentically restored barn find. It is a late Tiger MK1 that has had a limited chain of ownership desirable mechanical options, and a high degree of originality. The car was equipped early on with a host of Los Angeles Tiger (LAT) options that were offered through Shelby's Southern California shop. Features included a performance intake (LAT 1), cast alloy wheels (LAT 9), and a limited-slip differential with a 3.54:1 ratio (LAT 50 and 53).

The car is believed to have been raced by its first owner. By 1975 the car had come into the care of its second owner, a Texas resident. Then displaying just 27,470 miles, the Tiger was garaged in the owner's barn and remained there for the next 37 years.

The current owner discovered the car in early 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska. A full restoration began, including a rebuild of the original 260 CID Ford Fairlane engine and Cobra intake manifold, improving performance with the addition of 289 K-Code specification headers, crank, and rods. The body was repainted in Arctic White, while the interior was given red leather upholstery - color choices consistent with the car's original factory finish.

Since the restoration work was completed, the car has traveled just 150 miles.

by Dan Vaughan

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382000404

This 1966 Sunbeam Tiger Convertible is one of 2,706 MK1A's built. It has a freshly re-built 289 cubic-inch engine with a Holley 640 double pamper, flowmaster dual exhaust, and a mild cam. There is a 4-speed top loader transmission with short shifter, Jaguar green paint, tan colored soft top and matching convertible boot, new carpet and Cobra Style seats.

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382000879LRXFE

It is believed that 1,826 MkIAs were produced with the 206 cubic-inch Ford small-block V8 - described by Ford as the world's lightest cast iron V8 - with a quoted 164 horsepower at 4400RPM and 258 lb-ft of torque at 2300 RPM, and a 4-speed gearbox. This car has a major but virtually invisible upgrade, a replacement 5-speed is installed that can indeed help the driver us more of the available performance. Rootes Group never offered a 5-speed. An automatic transmission was installed on several prototypes but was never offered to the public; there's no record that a 5-speed prototype ever existed.

Sport Roadster

The 1966 Tiger, often described as the Mk1A, still had the 260 cubic-inch small-block Ford V8 under the hood and rear drum brakes. The 1967 MKII benefitted from the 289 cubic-inch motor and 4-wheel disc brakes. Forgotten today is that Rootes Motors struggled to sell new Tigers every market in American despite aggressive advertising. One headline rear 'Down, Cats, Here Comes the Real Tiger' to be followed by '....it takes a real cat to recognize the top cat - The Tiger - a supremely masculine, true British sports car with a wallop that makes the lesser cars sulk in their garages.' The Tiger name was taken from the 1925 Sir Henry Segrave Land Speed Record car.

Sport Roadster

This late 1966 car was first registered in 1967; these later 260 cubic-inch cars are often known as Series IA. This example has a 289 cubic-inch motor installed. In 1967, the last year, all Tigers had the 289 cubic-inch (Series II) motor installed in the Series V Alpine bodyshell, with less pronounced rear fender 'wings.' Tiger production - 7083 cars, 633 were Series IIs - stopped soon after Chrysler's Rootes Group purchase (Sunbeam brand owners) in June of 1967. Immediately 'Powered by Ford' was removed from the exterior. Chrysler wouldn't continue with Ford motors and they didn't have a V8 that would fit.

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382001811LRXFE

Ford's Windsor small-block V8, originally at 221 cubic-inch and 145 horsepower weighed 470 lbs; in mid-1962 it was a 260 cubic-inch and 164 horsepower and weighed 482 lbs; then 289 CID in 1963 with 195/210 horsepower at 506 lbs. 1968's 302 cubic-inch, installed retrospectively in this MkIA, was built on a heavy-duty Ford Mexico block, nominally made 220/250 depending on spec., its motor weight likely little more than 289's.

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382000023LRXFE

In similar fashion to Carroll Shelby's successful Cobra, the Rootes Group asked Mr. Shelby to perform similar hot-rodding with their Sunbeam Alpine sports car. The Alpine 1.6-liter four was replaced by a 4.2-liter Ford powerplant which offered nearly twice as much horsepower as the outgoing engine. It was named the Sunbeam Tiger and entered production in June of 1964, more than a year after Shelby's first prototypes were initially released.

The Pressed Steel Company Limited in Oxfordshire, England, supplied painted and trimmed bodies. The engines and gearboxes came from Ford in the United States. The assembly was handled at the Jensen Motors Limited plant in West Bromwich, England. In comparison to its Alpine counterpart, the Tiger had a stronger gearbox and rear axle. The rack-and-pinion steering in the Tiger was vastly superior and it could race from zero-to-sixty mph in less than ten seconds on its way to a top speed of 117 mph.

In 1967, Sunbeam introduced the Series II Tiger. The major improvement was to its engine, which was upgraded from 165 horsepower to 200 horsepower, thanks - in part - to an increase in displacement from 260 to 289 CID.

This Series 1 Tiger has been given a recent restoration. It is finished in dark blue metallic over a grey interior. It has a wooden steering wheel and freshly rebuilt Jaeger gauges mounted in a refinished wooden dash. It has the more potent 289 CID engine of the Series II Tiger.

by Dan Vaughan

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382001448
Engine number: 6609 B19KC

The Sunbeam Tiger British Classic Sports car, made by the Rootes Group, England, was the brainchild of Ian Garrad. Ian convinced Rootes to hire American Carroll Shelby, the originator of the Shelby Cobra, to design a new model based on their Sunbeam Alpine Roadster, into a fire-breathing performance matching - the Sunbeam Tiger.

The Carroll Shelby design team removed the Sunbeam Alpine 1.7 liter four-cylinder engine and replaced it with a small block 4.2-liter Ford V8, similar to the way he transformed the AC roadster into the Shelby Cobra.

When Chrysler acquired the Rootes Group, later, they were dismayed to find one of their most popular cars, the Sunbeam Tiger, was 'Powered by Ford.' Production of the Tiger only lasted from June 1964 until June of 1967. Chrysler could not be realistically expected to sell a car with a Ford engine, but had no suitable engine of its own with which to replace it thus the Tiger production was canceled.

Rootes Group Production 1964-1967

- 7,083 built for world-wide distribution

- 4.2liter (260) Ford V8 engine with a Ford Toploader 4-speed transmission

1966 Sunbeam Tiger MK IA

- 1,826 built (August 1965 through September 1966

- 1,486 imported to the United States

Los Angeles Tiger (LAT) Options

- LAT 1 - Super Induction Kit

- High Riser single Quad manifold

- High Performance 4-barrel Holley 600 CFM

- LAT 8 - Tiger Valve cover kit

- LAT 20 - High Performance camshaft kit, solid lifters, heavy duty valve springs, heavy duty duel point distributor

- LAT 73 - competition exhaust headers

- LAT 74 - competition exhaust system

Sport Roadster
Chassis number: B382000044 LRXFE

This Sunbeam Tiger Mk 1A is believed to have its original 260 cubic-inch engine, connected to a four-speed manual transmission. It has the removable factory hardtop, folding convertible top, tonneau cover and boot for the convertible top, and fresh black paint with a tan interior with a radio and seatbelts. Factory options include the Super Induction kit, an engine dress-up kit that features many aluminum parts, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, six-blade water pump fan, high-performance camshaft, Tiger valve cover kit, bolt-on Traction Master, ashtray, cigarette lighter, and polished factory aluminum wheels.

This car has its original engine number tags and chassis.

by Dan Vaughan

Sport Roadster

Based on the 4-cylinder Alpine launched in 1959, the V-8 powered Tiger was born to compete with MGs and Triumphs in a variety of racing series. Due to the company's financial situation, a new engine was out of the question, so Sunbeam-Rootes turned to Carroll Shelby to produce the prototype. Like the production car, it included a 260 cubic-inch Ford V-8. Later models were fitted with a 217 horsepower 289 CID V8.

When restored, this example was upgraded to a 302 V-8 for added performance. While visually the same as the 260 V-8, the original engine was retained by the owner to maintain authenticity of this numbers-matching example.

Lord William Rootes of Ramsbury created the British-based Sunbeam/Rootes 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 famous for its starring role in the TV series 'Get Smart', created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The main character, Maxwell Smart, drove the vehicle to Control each week where he was given his assignment. Agent 86, er Maxwell Smart, received attention where ever he went, thanks in part to the stylish vehicle that accompanied him.

The Sunbeam Tiger continued the long tradition of putting a large American engine in a small European car. Others, such as the Nash-Healey and Facel Vega had done this before. The most celebrated success of this unique combination would have to be the Shelby Cobra where, under the direction of Carroll Shelby, a Ford V8 was planted in an AC Ace.

In 1959 the two-seater Sunbeam Alpine was introduced by the Rootes Group. Under the hood was a 1494 cc four-cylinder engine mated to a transmission featuring overdrive. The small engine was barely enough to compliment the stylish and sporty body. Ian Garrad, an individual involved in the US Sunbeam/Rootes Group, realized that the power of the AC Ace could be transplanted into the Sunbeam Alpine. Most of the engines he tried to install were too larger for the Alpines engine bay. He struggled to find an appropriate engine that was also backed by manufacturer support. He found it in the Ford Falcon 260 cubic-inch 8-cylinder engine.

Garrad approached the road racing legend Ken Miles and the infamous Caroll Shelby for help with this project. Both agreed and began work separately in their own shops. Shortly thereafter in May of 1963, the two prototypes were ready.

The prototype developed by Ken Miles retained the recirculation-ball steering and many of the Alpine's mechanical components. Shelby's approach was different, moving the engine farther back in the engine back to capitalize on better weight distribution. The firewall and transmission tunnel was modified to accommodate the large engine. A rack-and-pinion steering unit replaced the recirculation-ball unit and the prior transmission was removed in favor of a four-speed manual gearbox.

After vigorous testing and multiple road trips, the vehicle was sent to Lord Rootes for his approval. After further testing, the project was code-named 'Thunderbolt' and further testing and development were performed on the vehicle. The chassis and suspension were straightened to compensate for the large V8 engine. This strengthening added to the overall weight of the vehicle, but with a total curb weight of just 2560 pounds, the horsepower-to-weight ratio was still phenomenal. With 164 horsepower under the hood, the vehicle was able to go from zero-to-sixty in just 7.8 seconds. If that was not enough, Shelby and Rootes offered aftermarket products that improved the engine's performance resulting in 245 horsepower. The four-speed manual was standard but an optional automatic was available for an extra $500.

In honor of the land speed record accomplishment by Seagrave, the vehicle was named Sunbeam Tiger. It was debuted at the New York Auto Show where it was offered for less than $2300.

The vehicle was a success but troubles in Europe led Rootes to the Chrysler group for financial support. The Rootes Companies employees were striking, production was slow, and so was the cash flow. Chrysler stepped in, acquiring over 83% of the company. The production of the Tiger continued through 1967 but Chrysler was not enthusiastic about offering a Ford-powered vehicle. The Mark II version appeared which offered a larger engine, the result of enlarging the bore and stroke resulting in a 289 cubic-inch capacity. Shortly after the Mark II introduction, the production of the Tiger ceased.

During its production lifespan, 7067 examples of the Sunbeam Tiger were created.

by Dan Vaughan