1965 Sunbeam Tiger MK1

Imperial War Museum | Duxford, Cambridgeshire 35000 - 40000 Registration No: BEH 504C Chassis No: B9472725 MOT: Exempt � Understood to be 1 of just 3,763 MK1 cars (the vast majority of which were built to LHD specification) � Acquired by the vendor, an accomplished engineer, as a stalled restoration project � Known to the Sunbeam Tiger Owners' Club for many years and pleasingly retains its original 260ci engine � Discretely uprated cooling system and 14-inch Minilite-style alloys but otherwise essentially stock � Credible but unwarranted 73,000 miles � Accompanying history file includes photos of the restoration / reassembly The Sunbeam Tiger was conceived in the West Coast of the USA and inspired by the success of the AC Cobra - the result of mating an American small block V8 engine with the British AC Ace. Rootes American Motors Inc. saw the potential for inserting the same powerplant - Ford's 4.2-litre (260 cu in) 'Windsor' unit - into the nose of the stylish but rather pedestrian Sunbeam Alpine. Carroll Shelby was duly commissioned to build the prototype and the rest is history. The basic layout of the Alpine was retained and the car featured independent suspension at the front using coil springs, and a 'live' axle at the rear supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs. The 164bhp engine endowed the newcomer with a top speed of around 120mph and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of under eight seconds. A total of some 7,085 Tigers were eventually produced, including 536 of the now very rare 4.7-litre MK 2s. More information to follow