1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk 1
Carroll Shelby’s successful AC Cobra conversion inspired Rootes Group to commission a similar transformation of their Sunbeam Alpine roadster, leading to a Ford V8–powered prototype in 1963 and series production soon after.
The Tiger was built under contract at Jensen Motors in West Bromwich, with painted Alpine-based bodies supplied by Pressed Steel and Ford small-block V8 engines shipped from the U.S. for installation.
Installing the V8 required significant modifications including a change to rack-and-pinion steering in place of the Alpine’s original steering gear, plus a stronger gearbox and rear axle to cope with the increased torque.
The 260 cubic inch V8 in the Mark I was factory-rated at roughly 160–165 horsepower, nearly doubling the output of the four-cylinder Alpine and cutting the 0-60 mph time to under about 9 seconds while raising top speed to the high teens in mph.
Despite the larger engine, the Tiger’s curb weight increased by only around 20 percent compared to the Alpine, preserving much of the car’s nimble character while adding substantially more straight-line performance. The result was a compact Anglo-American sports car that offered serious speed for the money but required careful attention to cooling and traction when driven hard.
Total Mark I production amounted to roughly 6,500 units through the mid-1960s, making it by far the most common Tiger variant.
The updated Mark II, introduced late in 1966 with Ford’s 289 cubic inch V8 producing about 200 horsepower, saw only a few hundred examples (on the order of 500-600 cars) completed before Chrysler’s acquisition of Rootes brought Tiger production to an end in 1967.
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