1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk1

• The West Coast Sales Manager of Rootes American Motors Inc. set about changing the Sunbeam Alpine's image using the Shelby Cobra as a guide
• Sunbeam asked Carroll Shelby to produce a functional prototype which was fabricated by Shelby employee George Boskoff and sent to England for evaluation - the Tiger was born!
• This particular Mk1 Tiger was originally registered to Rootes Ltd. themselves on 29/03/1966, we believe as a demonstrator; it was subsequently sold to a Mr Willey of Streetly, Sutton Coldfield
• Beautifully finished in Navy Blue with original black leather interior, the subject of a bare-metal repaint in 2014
• Holley 600 carburettors, Edelbrock inlet manifold, electric fan and stainless steel exhaust system

A muscle car version of the Alpine Roadster, the Sunbeam Tiger was conceived on the West Coast of America, inspired by the success of the AC Cobra - the result of inserting a small-block American V8 engine into the British designed AC Ace. The West Coast Sales Manager of Rootes American Motors Inc., Ian Garrad, realised that the Sunbeam Alpine's image was that of a touring car rather than a sports car and he saw the potential for performing a similar operation on the stylish but rather pedestrian Alpine, replacing its humble 1.5-litre four with a big Yankee V8. Carroll Shelby was hired to develop the prototype and Ford's 4,261cc (260ci) Windsor unit was the power unit of choice. George Boskoff was the project engineer tasked with shoehorning the V8 into the Alpine's engine bay which he managed by moving the firewall back to create additional space and redesigning the rack-and-pinion steering and the exhaust system.

A total of some 7,085 Sunbeam Tigers were eventually produced, including 536 of the now very rare 4.7-litre Mk2 versions which arrived in 1967. The final cars rolled off the lines in 1968, production being shelved when Chrysler took over the Rootes Group, their new bosses unable to sanction a car powered by their arch-rivals, Ford.

The car presented here is a UK-supplied, right-hand drive 1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk1, making it a relatively rare car. Interestingly, it was first registered to Rootes Ltd. themselves on 29/03/1966, we believe as a demonstrator. It was subsequently sold later that year to a Mr L. Willey of Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, as documented by the original registration document. Beautifully finished in Navy Blue with an original black leather interior, this Tiger was the subject of a bare-metal repaint in 2014. As a result, the paint retains an excellent shine and the car presents very well indeed. Mechanical components include Holley 600 carburettors, Edelbrock inlet manifold, electric fan and stainless-steel exhaust system. The interior is wonderfully original retaining its period wood-rim steering wheel. This 'British Cobra' is coiled and ready to strike!

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