1965 Sunbeam Tiger MK1
Rare, home market example and freshly restored

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.

Among the mere 800 or so ‘home market’ Sunbeam Tigers, chassis B9472725 was granted the Stoke-on-Trent number plate ‘BEH 504C’ during June 1965. Showing just three former keepers to its V5C Registration Document, the 2+2-seater was acquired by the last of these in 1989. Taken off the road not long after, the Sunbeam was carefully disassembled pending restoration. Work progressed as far as having the original 260ci (4.3 litre) Ford V8 engine overhauled, the bodywork repaired and the four-speed manual gearbox refurbished. Well-stored over the next three decades, the Tiger was complete when the vendor took possession during July 2023. Receipts for work done were reassuring as was the state of replacement parts. An accomplished engineer, the seller set about reassembling the Roadster and ‘double checking’ the previous works. To this end, the fuel system was rejuvenated with a new pump and lines, the electrics and instruments tested, the braking system renovated (the front discs being uprated to Princess 4-pot callipers; a popular period mod), the engine tuned (complete with uprated Edelbrock manifold and carburettor), the ignition system renewed, the cooling system upgraded (high output water pump, increased radiator size, Revotec electric fan with manual override, larger mechanical fan and bonnet louvres) and the suspension treated to new dampers (x4) and rear spring bushes (fittings are in place for a Panhard rod and tramp bars but neither have been installed). Thoroughly stripped, the bodywork was painted Giallo Fly, sound deadening added to the floors, a fire extinguisher and new seat belts added and the replacement hood and screen professionally fitted. Strating readily and running well during our recent photography session, ‘BEH 504C’ has been known to the Sunbeam Tiger Owners’ Club for decades. Decidedly unusual as a ‘home market’ Tiger with matching chassis and engine numbers, it is offered for sale with an original workshop manual, Alpine owners’ handbook (for hood raising / lowering instructions), emergency tyre repair kit, correct jack and wheel brace plus assorted restoration photographs and invoices.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737