For Sale: 1965 Sunbeam Tiger in Columbus, Ohio

Cruisin Classics is proud to present to you a rather rare car with a well-documented past - this 1965 Sunbeam Tiger MK1. This Tiger was purchased new in June of 1965 from Higgins Motors in Elkhart, Indiana, by James Bock, and we have his original Application for Certificate of Title and a copy of the original title. Mr. Bock owned the car for 50 years and used it sparingly as a fun weekend driver. He took his Tiger to a speed shop in 1975 to have its original 260ci V-8 engine bored for more horsepower, and the job went wrong when the water jacket of the block was pierced. The shop offered Mr. Bock a brand new 289ci to make things right, he agreed, and it's that same 289 that is under the hood today. In 2015, he sold the car to his son-in-law, and we have the Bill of Sale for that transaction as well as a signed letter from the son-in-law that documents the car's story. This gentleman served as caretaker of this roadster until 2023 and saved his receipts for the service work he had done to the car during his tenure. The car was then sold to a gentleman from Ohio whose family brought it to us. Let's dig into the details of this cool British classic with an American powerplant...

This Tiger comes to us today still dressed in its original coat of Forest Green paint (code 86) with white stripe decals added to give it a more sporty look. The 60-year-old paint has held up pretty well and is in driver-quality condition with some chips and scratches that expose the original red primer underneath. There is some corrosion just ahead of the driver's rear wheel, but there are no rust bubbles on the car - it was obviously garage-kept and not driven in inclement weather. Additionally, there are small dings on multiple body panels, and the white stripe decals are showing some wear. The old axiom "they're only original once" applies here - it's rare to find a car this old that hasn't been repainted and had bodywork done. At the front end of the car is a chrome horizontal grille with a Tiger badge at the center and a bright chrome bumper beneath. "SUNBEAM" block lettering is just above the grille. Moving around to the side of the car, more brightwork comes into the picture with bright wiper arms, chrome windshield surround, a thin piece of body side molding that runs tip to tail, chrome door handles, and dual Talbot-style side mirrors. The fenders have "Tiger" script on the side molding and "Powered by Ford 260" badges beneath. The black vinyl convertible top is in generally good condition, but does have a small hole on the left side top in the rear. The top folds down manually and stows away under steel panels - creating a clean open-top look. At the rear of the quarters, where the side molding resolves, there is a "Rootes Group Sunbeam" badge in good condition. Complementing the side view is a set of 13" alloy wheels with gold finish basketweave centers - all wrapped in Goodyear Eagle NCT tires. At the rear of the car is a chrome bumper with overriders, dual exhaust tips, "SUNBEAM" block letters on the decklid that mimic the front, and another "Powered by Ford 260" badge. On the passenger-side rear quarter is a nice chrome gas fill door.

Pull the internal handle and raise the forward-lifting hood to reveal the aforementioned 289ci V-8 that has been very tightly tucked into the small engine bay. The V-8 is topped off with an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor, polished valve covers with Ford and Sunbeam decals, and an oval AC open-element air cleaner. Both the water pump and the distributor appear to have been recently replaced. Steering is manual rack & pinion, but it does have power brakes, with discs in the front (with red calipers) and drums in the rear. The V-8 is mated to a 4-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. Also under the hood are an original trim tag and data plate.

Open the driver's door to find a very nice black interior with wood veneer accents. The door panels are simplistic - black vinyl with a door handle, window crank, and pull handle. The front bucket seats are dressed in black vinyl, and they are in excellent condition. Both front seats lift forward (back and bottom together) to provide access to the tiny black vinyl jump-seat in the rear. The vinyl on the jump seat looks older than the front. There is no back padding, and the carpet behind it looks original. According to the son-in-law (2nd owner), his future wife used to ride back there when she was a small child. Splitting the front buckets is a locking storage box with a padded armrest top and an ashtray to the front. Rising up from the floor ahead is a shifter for the 4-speed with a black rubber shift boot, chrome handle with finger-lifts, and a black pattern shift knob. The black carpet up front looks like new, and it's kept looking good with carpeted "Tiger" logo floormats. Ahead of the driver is what appears to be the original 2-spoke wood steering wheel with bright horn ring (inop). Beyond the wheel is a wood veneer dash that looks great, but is beginning to show some light cracking due to age. There is a black vinyl dashpad on top and more padded black vinyl underneath. Mounted in the wood dash are a full complement of Jaeger gauges, including alt, 5.5K tach, oil, 140mph speedometer, water, and fuel - and they all seem to work just as they should. The odometer reads 39,026 miles, and the title claims those to be actual. Also on the dash are a 2-speed blower switch (working), a 2-speed wiper switch (working), a light switch (working), an add-on clock switch (inop.), and a switch for the panel lights (inop.). To the far right in the glovebox cubby is a non-original clock that is inoperative. Mounted under the center of the dash is a working Pioneer AM/FM/Cassette stereo that plays your favorite cruisin' tunes through aftermarket speakers mounted on the kick panels. Around back, you'll find a very original trunk full of cool surprises. The walls and floorboard are covered in black vinyl, and under the floorboard is what we believe to be the original Dunlop bias-ply spare tire, the factory jack assembly, the original OEM tool roll, and the battery. On top are a black tonneau cover, an original owner's handbook (and a copy of it in a binder), and a binder containing the aforementioned original documents and service receipts.

They only produced 7,085 Tigers (MK1+MK2s) in four years of production between 1964 and 1967, and this is one of those rare cars - with a 289-swap, original paint, and a very cool documented ownership history. You'll not soon find another example like this one! Give our friendly staff a call today and be the lucky one who gets to be the next caretaker of this rare piece of British/American automotive history!

ENGINE
289ci Ford V-8 (new in 1975)
4-Barrel Edelbrock Carburetor
Polished Valve Covers
Oval AC Open-Element Air Cleaner
Newer Water Pump, Distributor, and Fuel Pump
Original Trim Tag and Data Plate in the Engine Bay

TRANSMISSION
4-Speed Manual
Rear Wheel Drive

BRAKES
Power Front Discs and Rear Drums
Red Calipers

EXTERIOR
Original Forest Green Paint
Added White Stripe Decals
Bright Chrome Bumpers with Rear Overriders
Correct OEM Badging
Black Convertible Top (small hole)
13" Alloy Wheels With Gold Finish Basketweave Centers
Goodyear Eagle NCT Tires.
Dual Exhaust Tips

INTERIOR
Black Vinyl Door Panels
Black Vinyl Bucket seat in Excellent Condition
Older Black Vinyl Rear Jump-Seat
Newer Black Front Carpet with Carpeted Logo Floormats
Center Console Armrest/Storage Box
Chrome Floor Shifter...for more information please contact the seller.