The Sunbeam Tiger was a performance variant of the Alpine and was built in England between 1964 and 1967. It was a collaboration between Rootes Group and Carroll Shelby, eventually produced by Jensen Motors. Power was supplied by Ford in the form of a V8 engine. The seller has a Mark I edition from 1965 and It’s a partially assembled project that needs completion. Located in Norwalk, Connecticut, the seller hopes to get $20,000 for the vehicle and parts here on eBay.
Shelby had hoped he would build the Tiger at his shops but instead received a royalty for every one of them produced. The Mark I used a 260 cubic inch Ford V8 while the Mark II employed the later 289. 6,450 Mark I’s were put together from ’64 to ’67, with many of them exported to the U.S. Because of its light weight the Tiger set a two-year record at the drag strip with the American Hot Rod Association.
Tiger production ended when Rootes was sold to Chrysler and no suitable Mopar engine was deemed appropriate for the Tiger. A 164 hp 260 V8 should have been in the seller’s car, but an apparently rebuilt or new 289 is ready to go in its place. The seller doesn’t tell us the background of this car, so we assume he/she started the project and has decided to move on to something else.
This vehicle is a roller with new suspension parts in or ready to go in. Bodywork is said to have been completed and primer was applied over black paint and the photos show a bunch of bright work in the surrounding area. If you’ve been hankering for one of these rare British cars with an American flare, could this project be in your future?
Some assembly required batteries not included
I wonder how long the rag has been missing from the passenger’s side port on the intake manifold? Also, does it include a case of blue spray paint for the rest of the drivetrain?
You know sometimes this site really pisses me off. I just spent 7 minutes writing a critique on this car, and it erased my entire post because it had apparently logged me out. This car in short is missing a ton of Tiger specific parts. A pic of the VIN would answer a lot of questions. 20k for this is a big ask given the lack of missing parts.
With the tun being in this kind of shape, a rebuilt engine and the set of pie cutter mags ( hubs not removed ) AND most of the Tiger specific parts there, INHO it is NOT a bad ASK . You can always go down but you can’t go up .
Mechanic’s lien & reposession? Is ot a ‘real’ Tiger? I have no way to tell (yes, I don’t know squat about Tigers).
If you look at the eBay listing you’ll see a photo of the valve cover with the numbers. Just like the valve covers which are easily removed, the VIN plate on these cars, right side under hood covered with tape, were attached with screws not rivets, also easily removed. (On the early cars)
There is some pretty convincing reasons to believe this is actually a Tiger, ignoring the weird blue paint on the tranny.
1. The small little raised dots in a line down each side are the factory installed mounts for the thin side trims that appeared on the 1965 and 66 Tigers. The 67 Mark ll cars didn’t have this. This is unlikely to have been added.
2. Clearly visible in the interior and engine compartment photos is a circular hole about 3’ in diameter in the left footwell. This is how you remove the rear spark plug on the left cylinder head.
These cars are a unibody design, and the biggest worry would be rust. Pre primer shots and underside photos are required..
Like any disassembled project car a parts inventory is required. This looks to be a solid car, and they are a blast to drive. Plenty of Alpines, the four cylinder version, are around for spares, so parts aren’t impossible to find.
This was born with a 260 v8, and many today have a 302. The 289 was a 1967 only offering.
When you get this together don’t just drop the clutch for a burn out style launch, because you’ll tear out the panhard rod.
Check out the Tiger Club at https://www.catmbr.org/ for traction bars (LAT option) and get this thing on the road.
I’d be really unhappy with a 3’ hole in the firewall!
Not as unhappy, though, as trying to change the left rear spark plug without it, apparently…
What John Eder said is spot on. Years back a guy that was a couple of years ahead of me in school had one of these. He was at a local garage working on it (changing the plugs). He was on his knees with seat back as far as it would go, had the carpet pulled back and had his head stuffed under the dashboard. I asked him what he was doing and he explained that this is the only way to get the back two spark plugs out. I think his was originally a 260 car, but this one had a 289 in its place.
My friend in HS had one of these. I drove my Opel GT and he had his Tiger. Those were some good times.
20K and another 30K to complete for the car ending being worth around 30K , I would be looking for a complete car before this.
Restored Tigers go for between 60k and 170K and average about $100,000. It’s been a while since you’ve looked at prices.
Question is:Is it a real tiger- or an Alpine rebadged??
The steering is completely different between a Tiger and an Alpine plus 100 other differences, should be easy to confirm if genuine!
I will admit that I was somewhat dubious about the price of this car when I first saw it, but now I only question a couple of things. My sister had a ’67 Mark Ii so I at least have a passing knowledge about them. I thought that the price was high, but as I hadn’t followed the market I did some research and found that 80 to 120 thousand dollars is not unreasonable for one of these. As far as authenticity goes, reader Drago appears to be quite knowledgeable and the small details he pointed out are important. Also, the seller appears to be an individual or a shop that deals with this type of vehicle. The only thing that I would for sure want is a comprehensive list of what is included.
I simply love 2 seater verts but sadly hate dealing with the stone/drunk phone zombies bodymen , i should do all the work on my own and save lots of cash but i really don’t have the patience to do the work anymore
This baby looks like it has loys going for it and the finished price leaves wiggle room for the buyer
YOLO
This car or at least a car with this Vin sold on BAT in 2018 was not this car for sure.,. stinks
Well, if true, that is an interesting turn of events.
I’m curious, what would make a person remember a VIN from 6 years ago? Just wondering.
Actually this is the same red car. After doing some home work on other car sites. It was an original color code 39, which is carnival red,(there’s a pic of the car in red taped to the window). Armed with this info, I will change my statement to fairly priced for what you’ll get. Still will need another 30k in materials and labor to get a maybe 40k car. In this market it’s not going to make sense try and make money with it. If you’ve always wanted one and are fairly capable I say go for it. They are a blast to drive, especially with a warmed over 289.
I agree completely with your guess-ti-mate of dollars to finish it as well as your comment about how fun they are to drive. (My sisters Mark II was a gas to drive) What I don’t agree with is your valuation of the completed car. The average selling prices for nice ones are $80,000 to $120,000. That seems a little nutty to me, but that is the reality of it.
If I wasn’t sinking a ton of money into restomodding my 71 Opel GT (My father bought it new and I’ll never sell it) I’d buy this car and spend the money to make it a 6 figure classic.
Already discussed on tiger boards
Already discussed on tiger boards ?
So , it has been seen but still no takers ?
Price too high?
Too many missing pieces?
Not a real one ?
Inquiring minds want to know ?