I Am Lusting After A Sunbeam Tiger

[FullerH]

I don't know how many of you all remember the Sunbeam Alpine of the early 1960s and its very nice descendent, by way of Shelby American, the Sunbeam Tiger. For the Tiger, they removed the aenemic little 3 main bearing long stroke inline four and inserted a standard cooking Ford 260 c.i.d. V-8 of that era. The result was a sort of poor man's Cobra. It had a good 100 bhp less than the Cobra and a bit more weight, as well as a solid rear axle. But it also had a permanently attached folding convertible top and roll-up windows as well as a real heater/defroster. In other words, it was an eminently practical street machine. I saw one the other day being driven by a fellow about my age and it rekindled the lust that I felt for the car when I was in university. God, how I wish I could afford one in good shape!

The Tiger was a doomed model, as Rootes Group Ltd., the maker, was like the rest of the British auto industry a dying company that was acquired by Chrysler Corp. As soon as MOPAR bought them, the Tiger, with its Ford engine, was a doomed machine. MOPAR did not have a light weight V-8 that would work in the car, so they used up the engines that they had and killed it off. The later ones had any and all Ford markings removed.

It may not have been a Cobra, but they along with the Shelby GT-350R Mustangs did very well in SCCA B Production sports car racing, whipping the small block Corvettes with great regularity for a couple of years. Both cars were set up by Shelby American.

I WANT ONE!

 

[Jeff Clark]

When I was in high school in the mid 60's the coolest ride for the sports car crowd was a Tiger. There was an odder crowd that really went for the Austin Mini Cooper S model. I liked both, but the girls always preferred the guys in Maxwell Smart's car.

 

[Mike Carter Custom Knives]

They just held the 17th annual British Car Bash here in Louisville, KY this past weekend and there were several beautiful Tigers on display. Sweet little car.

 

[Halfneck]

Father was a mechanic in the 60's and 70's I remember all those cool old cars. 2 of my favorite memories with him were a ride in a Pantera and watching his 6'4" body try and wriggle out of a Austin Healy Bugeye Sprite.

 

[Win Heger]

Tigers were very neat, but weren't they based on the Sunbeam Alpine? Brings back memories of TVRs, too!

Win

 

[FullerH]

Tigers were very neat, but weren't they based on the Sunbeam Alpine? Brings back memories of TVRs, too!

Win

Damn, you're right! I'll make the edit now. Thanks. It must be creeping senility.

 

[shaldag]

Sounds like a midlife crisis to me, Hugh. Still, as these things go, it is a realtively harmless one. Indulge yourself, and post pics!!:thumbup:

 

[Dijos]

7-10 years ago, they were still plentiful in my area (suncoast), but then, I went to school with 6 girls who drove 66-68 mustangs.

 

[GarageBoy]

Sunbeam Tiger, the only car you gotta keep an eye on the temp gauge rather than the tach. They also made a Mk II (rarer) with the 289 K-Code
These days, you might see a few nice 302s, etc in em

 

[pcnorton]

While nostalgia is cool. THe reality of upkeep isn't.

http://www.mallettcars.com/sky-conversion.htm

This is something up that alley but modern and brand new. What would a pristine tiger cost you?

I opted for a modern(2004) MINI Cooper s with the works package. For my nosalgia purchase.



Paul

 

[orthogonal1]

Why not a Miata with a 302? Plenty of kits out there, as well as turn key.

Kills the handling IMO, but I saw an older one with a Paxton do some serious burnouts.

 

[macdo]

Top Gear (http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/) had an item with an old E-type and a Aston Martin DB5 (the James Bond car). What did they conclude? Not as fast as they said (the publicity in the 60s was full of lies) squealing tyre handling (probably not a problem in the US) and ready to overheat at the drop of a hat. Best bit was a sad drag race with those two classics and modern Honda Accord (the 4 cylinder UK version). Guess which won? By a big margin? Thay also looked at some modernised (modern engine/brakes/suspension/aircon) in an E type and though frighteningly expensive found it gave you the style and the driving pleasure without boiling radiator worries.

 

[SIFU1A]

if i was looking for something like that i would get one of the kit car shelby cobras, my bud had one with the driveline outta a '95 5.0 stang stock except headers and N20, looked pretty darned cool, & was pretty fast, he sold it a while back for about $20K.

only con was insurance was rather difficult to come by, no one was wanting to insure it because it was a kit car and if damaged who fixes it, how is the cost determined, etc, its why my bud sold it, he finally found a company who would insure but it wasnt cheap at all.

myself, i dont think i want anything like that, just not "me".

 

[A.W.U.K.]

Nothing this week, Hugh.
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WW...urce=0&photo=1&sort=3&ukcarsearch_full=SEARCH
The US Autotrader site doesn't even list Sunbeam.

I read somewhere that the Alpine wasn't too good on cornering, worse than an MGB. The Tiger was probably worse still!

Andy

 

[A.W.U.K.]

Oh, and top gear is usually good for a laugh. In a recent programme, Jeremy Clarkson Put his own style on to a Mercedes s-class by ripping out the interior and converting it into a pastiche of Anne Hathaway's Cottage. This involved pouring 2 tons of concrete into the floor pan, covering the front half with antique floorboards and the rear half with quarry tiles. A real wood-burning stove went in the back with a chimney sticking out of the boot lid. Black-and-white timber framing, lead stripwork on the windows and a selection of antique furniture finished the job off. On the test track, accelleration was sedate to say the least and cornering rather hairy. The chimney had a tendency to blow off at speed and the chairs slipped around on the floorboards making controlling the car and keeping the fire fuelled a problem. Hysterically funny to watch though!

Andy

 

[jackknife]

I remember the Tiger well, as I do the Austin Healy 3000, and the bathtub Porshe. I get very nostalgic when I see the cars and bikes of the late 50's and 60's. I was never into the American made mussle cars, but I loved my 63 Beatle, and my 67 Saab. It used to freak out the gas station guy when I'd pull in and pour a quart of oil right into the gas tank of the Saab.

 

[jackknife]

A.W.U.K.-

Did you catch the Top Gear show where they tried to kill the Toyota pick-up truck.? That cracked me up.

 

[mycroftt]

Didn't they use the Ford 289 cubic inch V-8 in the Tigers - the same V-8 they used in the early Mustangs?

 

[lizardman_u]

Hugh, ya may find a few in the Portland Oregon area for under $2000.00 that you would have to shoehorn the engine into and do the paint.

if you do this post pics as I am very interested to see the finished product (I love cars too)

 

[cockroachfarm]

....as I do the Austin Healy 3000....

I lusted after a brunette and her brand-new 'Mille Miglia" (gift from Daddy) all through high school The last one I saw for sale was a few years ago at US$48,000.