1964 Sunbeam Tiger

The late great car designer Carroll Shelby was a legend in automotive and racing history. He is primarily known for his involvement in the AC Cobra and Shelby Mustang but many don't realize how many other projects he had a hand in. Just like when he packed a V8 into the AC Cobra, Shelby took on a project with the British company Sunbeam.

He was able to incorporate a high performance V8 into a Sunbeam Alpine Roadster and his version was dubbed the Tiger. The goal was to earn a contract to build the Sunbeam Tiger in his United States facilities. The Rootes Group who built Sunbeam decided they would instead move production to Jensen in England and pay Shelby a royalty on every car that was produced. There were a total of 7,083 of them made between their introduction in 1964 and 1967 at which point the Rootes Group was taken over by Chrysler who did not have a V8 worthy of the project at the time. The Tiger was entered into the 24 hour Lemans but never completed the race. However, the Tiger did shine when it came to some European rallies earning the American Hot Rod Association's quarter mile record 2 years in a row. These cars have become quite the rare find nowadays and due to the ease of modifications very few are still around in their original form. This 1964 Sunbeam Tiger has been fully restored to original and is an early production model. In fact, it has been inspected by 2 senior Sunbeam Tiger Owners Association members who looked it over in detail. They saw all the indications of an early Tiger and even stated there are certain things on the car they were unable to specifically point out in fear that people would learn those details and start faking early production models. There were multiple indications of it being one of the first 50. The car has been repainted in its original Carnival Red paint which has a great shine and pairs nicely with the Black top. The frame off restoration was very well done and the car has been kept as original as possible. The chrome and stainless trim is all in excellent condition throughout as is the glass. The car really has a neat look and you just don't see a lot of these out there. It has a nice stance and sits on its original painted to match wheels with original hubcaps and thin white wall tires.

Lift the original forward tilting hood and you will find the original 260 V8 motor that made the Tiger what it is. The motor has been rebuilt and runs great. It has an Edelbrock intake topped with a 4 barrel and its original air cleaner. It also has its original chrome valve covers which still has the factory Sunbeam LTD engine number tag. The manual transmission shifts well and moves through the gears smoothly sending power back to the 10 bolt rear end. The car sounds great with dual exhaust that is routed through a portion of the frame and exits out of the rear. The design elements are very unique on these cars and it is clear they were built to perform. The undercarriage is all extremely clean with a majority of components being painted to match the body or painted in a gloss Black.

The interior has been very nicely redone in all Black upholstery. It has dual adjustable bucket seats and throughout it is all in good fresh condition. The original center console provides additional storage space and sits just behind the manual Hurst shifter. The dash is its original woodgrain and is beautifully done. All of the original style knobs, switches, and gauges are in place and working. It also has an original woodgrain steering wheel and factory horn ring. Throughout the car you will find a lot of neat original components like the Rootes Group emblem on the dash and the original "When ordering parts quote" number tag. The car even wears its original servicing tag that indicates oil type, brake fluid type, and even the spark plug gap. The trunk offers plenty of storage space and the bottom lifts up to reveal the spare wheel and battery.

This is a very neat car that is fun to drive and looks great. It even comes with its original set of Sunbeam wrenches. You don't see these come up for sale often especially early production examples like this.