What do you get when you drop a Ford V-8 engine into a tiny British sports car? You might immediately reply: the Shelby Cobra. You would be half-right. Most auto enthusiasts are quick to tell the tale of the potent Shelby Cobra, the legendary British roadster with a massive American V-8 and the reputation for traveling from zip to 100 and back to zero again in a mere 13.2 seconds. Fewer gearheads know about the mighty Sunbeam Tiger.
The Sunbeam was Shelby’s second foray into cross-pond V-8 shoehorning. Following on the Cobra’s success, Shelby’s team slipped a Ford V8 engine and four-speed manual transmission into the handsome Sunbeam Alpine, thus spawning the Sunbeam Tiger.
A good number of Sunbeam Tigers have survived, many of which you can find listed on eBay at any time.
The Sunbeam Tiger was produced in two versions, with a total production run of about 7,000 units from 1964 to 1967. The Tiger Mark I was equipped with a 260 cubic inch V8 and is the most common of the pair. The Mark II was fitted with the venerable 289, but saw a very limited run.
The Tiger was not a speed demon by today’s standards, despite the V-8 engine, with the Mark I clocking 8.6 seconds for zero to 60—and the 289-equipped Mark II covering the distance in 7.5 seconds, as reported in R.M. Clarke’s Sunbeam Tiger Limited Edition Extra, 1964–1967. It was more about balance than pure speed.
The brilliant Signal Red 1965 Sunbeam Tiger MK 1, shown above and featured in an eBay listing, is a barn find. The seller says its in excellent condition with little rust.
It still packs its original 260 V-8 and is fitted with a hardtop. The seller explains that it “starts right up, idles smoothly…and is a joy to drive.”
Another shining example of a Sunbeam Tiger also from 1965 (above)—offered by Moto Exotica—is a soft top with a pleasantly refreshed interior featuring black vinyl upholstery with tasty red piping, new carpets, and a wooden Grant steering wheel. The Tiger’s V-8 powerplant is fed via a Ford twin-choke two-barrel carburetor and is dressed with polished aluminum valve covers and air cleaner. The original wheels have been swapped out for 15-inch VTO Minilite-style alloys, clad with 205/55-R15 Yokohama tires.
Tiger shoppers beware: between the years of 1959 and 1968, roughly 10 times as many Alpines were built than Tigers. Many Alpines have seen their tiny inline-fours swapped out for larger displacement engines. While that’s fine for a track car or a daily driver, the value of a true Tiger is much higher with the original roaring V8 placed in the British roadster’s small light frame.
