Although the ‘Rootes Group’ had a successful history selling road vehicles under the badge of Sunbeam Talbot, they took the industry by storm by marketing the Sunbeam Alpine as a sports car.
The Alpine was created for targeting the American sports car market and was competing with the likes of MG and Triumph. But with the upcoming V8 muscle car in the sixties, the Alpine’s little 1.5L engine needed a makeover to stay competitive, which leads us to the Sunbeam Tiger.
Inspired by Carroll Shelby's success in shoehorning a Ford V8 into the AC Ace to create the legendary Cobra, Rootes asked Shelby to perform the same trick with their Sunbeam Alpine.

Ford's 260ci (4.3-litre) 'Windsor' V8 was chosen and even though it only had 164bhp, this transplant radically transformed the character of the car. In addition, the new Tiger also got a rack-and-pinion steering which creates a very tight and responsive feel.

This particular MK1 Tiger is from 1966 and has had a thorough, high standard, bare metal restoration some time ago now, but has been extremely well taken care for since then. The ‘smallblock’ V8 was completely overhauled and the entire restoration process was photographed extensively. The re-upholstered interior is still very clean as can be seen in the newly taken photos.

During the restoration, the previous owner chose to improve the Tiger with some upgrades such as authentic Minilites, a bigger radiator, an alternator, a Hirst shortshifter and an Edelbrock carburetor! The Tiger was repainted in the very attractive metallic dark green.

The Sunbeam Tiger is an absolute pleasure to drive, the V8 runs wonderful and has a terrific burbling soundtrack! It has no trouble propelling the featherweight 1,203 kg British Roadster and with a 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds, the Tiger is still a very fast car by today’s standards.

If you are looking for an elegant British Roadster with a solid engine and more than enough power to give you an exhilarating sporting experience, then look no further! This is the ultimate car for the person who loves a unique history and a few automotive legends!

“ You don’t just start it… you unleash it! “

- Carrol Shelby -