Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America's Fort Lauderdale
event, March 31-2, 2017.
Chassis No.
B382100120LRXFE
Estimate:
$135,000 - $150,000 US
Enthused by the performance success of such cars as the Shelby
Cobra, the Tiger continued the established convention of taking an
American V-8 and putting it into an English sports car chassis. The
Sunbeam Tiger, made by the Rootes Group, England, was the
brainchild of their U.S. West Coast Sales Manager, Ian Garrad. Ian
convinced Rootes to hire Carroll Shelby, the originator of the
Shelby Cobra, to create a new model based on their Sunbeam Alpine
roadster; a fire-breathing performance machine. Using an enhanced
small-block V-8, Shelby presented what was essentially a
"mini-Cobra." Weighing only 2,650 pounds, it provided an effective
performance result of 0- to 60-mph in 7.8 seconds and a top speed
of 124-mph.
When Chrysler Motors Corporation acquired Rootes (as well as Simca
in France), they were mildly embarrassed to find one of their
products running with a Ford engine. The plain truth was that the
new parent company didn't have an engine that would fit this
package without major re-engineering, so they graciously kept the
Ford unit onboard instead of dropping the car, like many
manufacturer's would have likely done. Road & Track magazine stated
in period that "it is a fine automotive package without which the
world of sports cars would be poorer." The outside badging was
appropriately changed from "Powered by Ford 260" to "Sunbeam V-8"
as Chrysler let this small issue go at that.
The main feature which distinguished the Tiger Mk II from the Mk I
is the addition of the highly respected 289-cid, 260-hp V-8 engine
in place of the 260-cid unit. With the stronger engine came several
other related changes, such as a slightly larger clutch, wider
spaced gear ratios in the four-speed all-synchro manual gearbox, a
mild suspension rearrangement, an alternator instead of generator
and an oil cooler added in front of the bottom of the radiator.
This exciting roadster exhibits the new-for-1967 lower body side
stripes, Panasport wheels, Dunlop Durenza ZII tires, dual chromed
sideview mirrors and the eggcrate-style grille that also came with
the Mk II edition. Other prominent features include a wood-rimmed
steering wheel, woodgrain dashboard, Jaeger instrumentation, red
piping on the black seats, owner's manual, service manual, spare,
jack and toolkit; plus it has been signed on the engine bay cowl by
the late Mr. Shelby and the hands-on creator of the Shelby American
prototype Tiger, George Boskoff.
Tiger production ceased in 1967, with approximately 7,100 in-total
produced during its 1965 to 1967 run. Today they have become highly
sought after for its remarkable performance and the obvious
connection to Carroll Shelby. This would be a wonderful automobile
to drive and enjoy, or to display in local shows with equal pride.
