Well, it could be cool if you have all of the parts and know-how to put it all back together again. And things get confusing as the car pictured above is a ’67 Alpine Shell and the ’65 Tiger is now just a pile-o-parts (it burned) that can be installed on the ’67 body. But wait, there’s more! Another Alpine, of unknown provenance, is included in the sale and can be used as a miscellaneous parts source. Got all of that? OK, I’m not sure that I do so let’s see what’s really going on here. This Sunbeam Tiger/Alpine project is located in Durham, Connecticut and is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $9,990. Thanks to Chuck F for this discovery!
The seller states, “The primer shell on the rotisserie is a completely rust-free 1967 Sunbeam Alpine California car to transplant all the tiger parts into“. And as can be seen, it is just that a shell. So the next owner will be installing 1965 Tiger parts into a 1967 Alpine body. While the body looks straight and rot-free, it is just a shell and will need everything, topside, bottom-side, and underside. And speaking of the bottom-side, the front and rear suspension components, along with the rear axle, are imaged but whether they’re complete and usable is another matter.
What makes a Sunbeam Alpine, a Sunbeam Tiger is the Ford 164 gross HP, 260 CI V8 engine, at least that’s the one that would have been under the bonnet in 1965. The original engine in this case is stated as being, “toast but this package comes with a period-correct Ford 260“. The engine hardly looks complete, maybe all of the parts are there and maybe not. While stated as being “period correct”, it’s not stated if it “runs correct”, or runs at all. There is an image of a manual transmission among all of the other stuff so at least it’s present and included.
There’s no reference regarding the interior, or images either, so we’ll gloss over that. As is often the case, there are plastic bins stashed away that supposedly contain the needed parts to effect reassembly. That can be a real challenge if you’re not intimately familiar with every aspect of a car’s design and construction. You may end up with a lot of “Search me Fish!” moments in trying to figure out what everything is and where it goes.
Restored examples of ’65 Sunbeam Tigers can bring big numbers, say $65K to over $100K. It’s a valuable, desirable, and collectible sports car but this example(s) has a long, long way to go to get anywhere close to that kind of value status. So what do you think, is this one a pig in a poke or a project worth undertaking?
The only reason to go near this “project” will inevitably turn out to be the yearning to have one no matter the cost. You’ll start out thinking you can do it on the cheap. Then assuming your time is worth nothing you will spend the next 3 years, nights and weekends toiling away towards your goal. Money will be needed, and in no small amounts. Then starts the paperwork dilemma.
Maybe I’m just getting old, but this seems like buying one that needs a little less work would be the smart thing to do.
Have used burned metal parts and panels to restore cars. If the fire didn’t warp them a quick dip and strip gets the rust and you have something to work with. Agree that a good replacement body is easier, but keeping the majority of the original body will do wonders for retaining the value of what is usually an expensive car in good condition.
A little pricey perhaps, however, here is a completed rotisserie restoration of a 65 Tiger.
https://legendarymotorcar.com/inventory/1965-sunbeam-tiger-mark-1-1366.aspx
If you wanted to do your best Maxwell Smart impression it looks like a worthy prop.
sell off any and all tiger parts get a volvo or other mega HP 4cyl which are really lightweight and build the alpine into a tiger killer
This is not, and never will be, a Tiger. If you installed the parts from the burned car in the Alpine shell, you would have a V8 Alpine, sometimes called an “Alger”. The car would have the Alpine VIN and would still be an Alpine (unless you swap in the VIN plate from the Tiger in which case you have a fraud). These parts might be of some value to another Tiger restoration project but it’s a bad idea to think you’ll have a tiger if you buy it.
Looks like a whole bunch of wishful thinking to me. So, a clean Alpine tub is worth what, $3k? A ‘period correct’ V8 that isn’t a Tiger one is worth, say $2k. A pile of burned Tiger parts? Who knows? The will to put all this together and get a V8 Alpine that isn’t a Tiger, priceless.
In no way whatsoever is this a “Tiger”, other than maybe, after a ton of work, a tribute Tiger. It should not be called a “Tiger” at all. Even the Tiger engine isn’t from a Tiger by the sounds of it. So, it’s an Alpine-in-boxes with a V8 and maybe some other parts.
It doesn’t sound like the seller is necessarily misrepresenting anything, but the whole thing is a convoluted disingenuous mess at best.
A solid body shell certainly has some value, with the price of bodywork nowadays. I dropped nearly $10k on some significant bodywork recently, but that didn’t even include primer or finish. Just getting everything solid and straight again. So, there is that…
An Alpine with a V8, even one with an original Tiger V8 and all of the unique Tiger bits, is still not a Tiger. They are generally known in the Sunbeam community as “Algers” and a good Alger will never be worth as much as a fair Tiger. And, for anyone thinking about trying switch VINs and to pass it off as a real Tiger: Good luck! Besides being illegal, that is why the TAC (Tiger Authentication Certificate) process was started and why a Tiger without a TAC is worth a lot less than one with it. There have been a few Algers that reached into Tiger value territory, but they were exceptionally well done. And the process is far more involved than simply dropping the V8 into the Alpine. The firewall needs to be moved and replaced with the Tiger firewall (and, whether a firewall salvaged from a burnt Tiger is still usable is not guaranteed). Same for the transmission tunnel. Sadly, many good Alpines are butchered beyond repair by people who think this is a simple job for a shade tree mechanic. Personally, I’d say the best future for this Alpine shell is to be restored back into a really nice Alpine.
Wife get the garage back after shoveling her car out all winter. Great project for a Sunbeam fanatic.