These days, if you attach the name Carroll Shelby to almost anything with four wheels, you can expect to pay a premium price. The exception being the cheap and cheerful Mopar products of the 1980s, of course. But if you don’t want to go the econobox route and still want some prestige, the logical choice is the Sunbeam Tiger. The Tiger takes a lesser car – in this case, the Sunbeam Alpine – and gives it the full Shelby treatment with a Ford 260 V8 and T10 manual transmission, among other upgrades. These days, high-quality Tigers like this one listed here on craigslist for $84,900 are not cheap, but it’s still a pittance of the cost of a genuine Cobra.
This Tiger is listed for a friend by the seller, who appears to operate a late-model used car dealership. As such, you’re not buying it from a local specialist shop or perhaps the owner himself, depending on the terms of the consignment agreement. This shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but just be aware of who you’re talking to. The seller points out that this Tiger is painted a very pretty shade of green known as Forest Green Metallic, and it looks absolutely killer sitting on a set of what appear to be Minilite wheels, a popular choice among Sunbeam owners. The body appears to show no corrosion of any kind, which can be a problem with these cars.
When Shelby agreed to build the Tiger, it effectively turned the Sunbeam Alpine from a humble British roadster competing with the likes of MGs and Spitfires into a fire-breathing hot rod that could go toe-to-toe with muscle cars of the era. I can remember sitting in my friend’s Alpine when I was just beginning to learn about the Tiger and feeling very underwhelmed by the driving experience; it would later dawn on me that the Tiger and the Alpine may as well have been from different planets. The interior of this Tiger looks sharp in black leather, and it seems likely that this example was extensively restored at some point.
The seller mentions that the Tiger “shows” under 66,000 miles, but it’s always hard to tell if that’s meant to be interpreted as genuine mileage. The Tiger is a terrific car to buy not only for the performance, but also for the provenance. Finding success in both rally-style events as well as major racing circuits, the Tiger was recorded as achieving a top speed of 160 miles per hour when competing at LeMans in 1964 using a coupe-style body. From the Shelby connection to the hot rod performance to its on-track pedigree, the Tiger checks all the boxes – and still seems rather affordable compared to other cars of the era with similar credentials. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip.
I like the Tigers and this is a very nice car……. I will pass at $84K, though…..a bit too rich for my car habit!!!
Nice-looking example, but highly optimistic price — the Tiger market has been soft for some time. Though early Mk1 cars had the Borg Warner T10 transmission this Mk1a should have the Ford Toploader. Also, Tigers had vinyl, not leather, upholstery. The alternator is a common mod, though a generator was fitted originally. Ad needs more photos and more info given the asking price, which hardly seems “affordable” (I know it was just in comparison to Cobras, but still).
The first Tiger prototype(s) were built by the Carol Shelby crew but the rest were built by the Rootes Group, with assembly work contracted to Jensen in West Bromwich, England. Production took place from 1964 until 1967, with a total of 7,083 units manufactured. They are nice cars but this is high for what they are averaging these days. They are hovering around 50 grand for nice ones on sales shown on sites.
Good luck with the sale and Tigers are fun cars!
Thnk you Jeff. I didn’t think Shelby built Tigers. Some people would like us to think so, though…
$84900 can is $61000 usd.
The $84,900 is US dollars. Vancouver, WA (Washington), not Vancouver B.C.
Right you are, my mistake.
Did you ever wonder why,,, my mentor and fellow crabby old fart, the late Andy Rooney had this exact car. I don’t think it’s his as I believe his daughter still has it. She had the car restored for him but it took too long, and he never saw the car restored, he died in 2011 at 92. My favorite quote:
“People will believe facts of truth only if it agrees with what they already believe. Amen.
Definitely not his. He’s dead.
$84K?? C’mon. I mean do you include a few kilos of coke in the trunk?
I had two Tigers back then. Both stock 164 horse,260 cube, 2.88 rear end. Neither one of which was particularly “fire breathing”.
Ok, I only know enough about Tigers to be dangerous. So fellow Barn finders help me out. This is obviously a Series II car. (Year and squared off door corners) But being a ’66 wouldn’t the engine be a 289? Or did that not happen until 1967? And also I thought that it was normal for the Series II cars to have alternator. I recently inspected a Series I car that I think was not real as it didn’t have a rear panhard rod. (Correct?) Please help me sort this out in my head of jumbled facts.
All Tigers had the 164-hp 260 except for the Mk II, which had the 200-hp 289, but only 536 were built. This is a Mk1A car (differences in some body details from the Mk1), not a MkII, so had the 260 originally. The MkII did have an alternator instead of the generator of the 260 cars.
All Tigers had the Panhard rod, AFAIK. It might have been removed on the car you saw.
Thank you Vance! It’s clearer now. And glad my buddy passed on a fake Tiger. The car was solid, but a tad shabby. The seller’s other cars (XKE 2+2, Cobra, and an original Cooper S RHD Mini) were museum quality.
84k$ is original 289 money, imo!
And people in hell want ice water.
A friend just bought the rearest model year at a yard sale for $2500. Needs some restoration but he feels he stole it.
“Missed it by THAT much!” “Chief, we have to use the Cone of Silence!” “No Max, not the Cone of Silence!” It should be red, but I’ll cut them some slack, it does look sharp in British Racing Green! GLWTS!