One characteristic of British sports cars from the 1950s and 1960s that is often criticized is the lack of engine power. Thanks to some inter-continental cooperation, the Sunbeam Tiger managed to address that issue in no uncertain terms. This particular 1966 Tiger should have a healthy amount of horsepower on tap, and it appears to be in extremely nice condition. If you would like to become the proud owner of a true classic, you will find the Tiger located in Green Valley, Arizona, and listed for sale here on eBay. With bidding having reached $29,000, the reserve hasn’t been met. However, the owner has let the cat out of the bag by revealing in the listing text that the reserve has been set at $60,000.

Finished in British Racing Green, the best word to describe the Tiger is stunning. The owner does point out one small blemish in the paint, but it is only about the size of a nickel. The rest of the paint looks very impressive and has survived well for a bare-metal repaint in its original color that was performed in 1993. There have been some previous rust repairs to part of the floor, but these have been completed to a very high quality. The owner supplies photos of the Tiger’s underside, and it looks close to perfect. The alloy wheels fitted to the car aren’t original, but they do suit the car. The original wheels are included in the sale.

For a car of such tiny dimensions, the Tiger offers an amazing amount of interior space. Two decent-sized adults can sit in the car without rubbing shoulders, which in many cases, is no bad thing. The interior itself presents extremely nicely, with no obvious major problems. The timber dash looks faultless, as do the door trims, wood-rimmed wheel, and the carpets. The upholstery on the seats is slightly stretched, but not really enough to be an issue. The Tiger is fitted with a black soft-top, and this appears to be in as-new condition. Thankfully, there have been no aftermarket additions to this little classic.

The secret to the success of the Tiger lies in what you find under the hood. Based on the Sunbeam Alpine, that model made do with a fairly reasonable 93hp. The Rootes Group entered into a development partnership with Carroll Shelby. The result was the Alpine undergoing some sheet-metal and structural modifications, and then the Ford 260ci V8, and Ford 4-speed manual transmission were fitted, creating the Tiger. This pushed power outputs up to 164hp, although later upgrades showed that up to 220hp could be had with little effort. The engine in this Tiger is completely original and has received no mechanical upgrades. It has never been rebuilt and seems to be in very good health. The car has had some work done in the past, including a brake booster rebuild, and a comprehensive list of work performed on the suspension. The owner holds a solid collection of documentation for the car, including letters confirming its authenticity, a letter from the original owner, plus other pieces of paperwork that are too numerous to mention.

Owning a Tiger will give someone the best of both worlds. They find themselves driving a classic British sports car, but it is one that also provides impressive levels of performance. This one is an extremely nice example that appears to have been the recipient of careful ownership. Values have taken a dive on these in the past 3-years, but they are on the improve. It is possible to locate examples for $20,000, but prices upwards of $40,000 or more are about the norm, depending on condition and originality. Really pristine one will command $80,000, and up to $100,000 is not out of the question. This one is an extremely nice original example, and I think that the reserve price is probably pretty close to the mark.