Vehicle Description
From the day it first appeared at the 1964 New York Auto Show,
Subeam's fabulous Tiger has maintained a loyal and passionate
following from a group of dedicated enthusiasts. Commonly
attributed as a Carroll Shelby project, the initial idea of
shoehorning a V8 into the capable but underpowered Alpine actually
came via none other than Jack Brabham. The champion Formula 1
driver and constructor had a close relationship with Rootes Group,
running a successful tuning operation that specialized in Sunbeam
automobiles, so he had firsthand experience with the Alpine's
potential - and limitations. Brabham made his suggestion to Rootes
Competitions Manager Norman Garrad, who then relayed the idea to
his son Ian, who happened to be acting as West Coast Sales Manager
for Rootes American. Ian set about finding a suitable engine that
would fit in the tiny Alpine's bay. Using precision techniques
(sending his service manager to various dealers armed with a wooden
yardstick), it was determined Ford's compact new 260 cubic inch V8
would be perfect for their project. Ian Garrad then contacted the
nearby workshops run by his neighbor Carroll Shelby for a quote to
construct the first prototype. As an interesting side note, Shelby
was paid $10,000 and allowed eight weeks to build the first
prototype, but Garrad was terribly impatient to learn if the
project would even be feasible, so he gave a second Alpine along
with $800, a Ford V8 and 2 speed automatic transmission to Ken
Miles. In about a week, Miles had a running and driving car! The
final car would of course be much more refined and feature things
like rack and pinion steering, uprated suspension, and disc brakes.
Shelby had hoped to secure the contract to produce the car, but
Rootes Group decided to give the job to Jensen in West Bromwich,
England, though Shelby's efforts in developing the car were
rewarded in the form of a royalty on every single one built. The
Sunbeam Tiger would prove to be one of the happiest of the
Anglo-American hybrids. Ford's 260 V8 gave plenty of "go" but was
light enough to allow for balanced handling. The Tiger would gain
cult status, spawning a vigorous club scene and countless
passionate enthusiasts who would go on to preserve, maintain,
modify and race their "baby Cobras" the world over. As often comes
with American V8 engines, the urge to modify and race these cars
was strong, and as a result many cars have been heavily reworked,
raced, crashed and hastily repaired, so to find an absolutely
correct example restored to factory-correct specification is a very
rare occasion, indeed. On offer is such an example: A truly
outstanding 1965 Sunbeam Tiger MkI that has been fabulously
restored to its original, very rare and very attractive colors of
Balmoral Gray over a blue interior set off with a contrasting
factory hard top. This car has its all-important STOA Certificate
of Authenticity, having been inspected and validated in 2011. Its
known history dates back to the mid-1970s in California, where
receipts and records show the car was well maintained and driven
regularly. Included photos from the late 70s show it in red over
black livery, wearing aftermarket wheels that were somewhat dubious
but de rigueur for the time. Those photos also show the car in very
good condition and in the company of numerous other Tigers,
revealing it was owned and enjoyed by a true enthusiast who
cherished his Sunbeams. It passed to another California owner
before being discovered in 2006 by Neal Wichard of La Jolla
California. The car was remarkably original, still wearing its
factory hard top and in very sound, but slightly tired condition.
In 2007, Mr. Wichard commissioned Cobra and Tiger restoration
experts Doug Pratt and Tom Shelby (Carroll's nephew) of Only
Yesterday Classic Autos to perform an exacting, nut-and-bolt
restoration to factory correct standards. This is one of just 27
Tigers originally finished in Balmoral Gray and its looks simply
resplendent, particularly with the contrasting blue hard top in
place. Fit, finish and paint quality are exquisite, with
outstanding bodywork and panel gaps. Chrome and bright trim quality
equals that of the paint and body, and the car now rides on a set
of period appropriate Minilite alloy wheels. The interior was fully
restored to original specs as well, with correct grain vinyl
material in medium blue, piped in navy blue. The cockpit fittings
are thoroughly correct and excellently presented, with high quality
and correct materials used throughout. The correct original
steering wheel and shift lever remain in place, as is a wonderful,
period-correct Radiomobile 1070 radio. Beneath the factory hard
tonneau cover resides a navy blue soft top in hard-wearing Haartz
canvas. No detail has been overlooked and the boot has been fully
restored to correct standards, while under the floor resides the
correct original jack, handle, and tool kit. As one would expect
from such a high level restoration, the Ford 260 V8 is fully
detailed to show quality standards. It seems there's always a
temptation to modify an American V8, but thankfully this car has
been left in factory correct specification with the exception of an
upgraded larger oil filter, although an original one comes with the
car. The undercarriage is similarly exquisite; fully detailed with
correct Koni shock absorbers, and outstanding quality finishes. The
expert restoration translates into a car that not only looks the
part, but one that runs and drives beautifully. All of the effort
on the part of the past owner and the restorers has resulted in
numerous awards and accolades. The car earned two Best in Show
awards at Sunbeam Tiger Owners Association concours in 2011,� a
Best in Show at the SAAC meet in Santa Monica the same year, as
well as having been exhibited on the lawn at the prestigious Quail
Motorsports Gathering in 2010. This Tiger remains exquisite, and is
easily counted among the finest Sunbeam Tigers extant, ready to
join any collection of important high-performance cars.
