1965 Sunbeam Tiger Mk I Coupe (by Harrington)
Carroll Shelby’s engineering expertise transformed the refined Sunbeam Alpine into a formidable American-powered sports car in 1964.
By the time the Rootes Group began building a V8-powered derivative of its Alpine, the Anglo-American sports car formula (made famous by Shelby’s work with the AC Cobra) was already well established. The Sunbeam Tiger applied this successful formula to a more civilized British roadster.
The first Tigers were equipped with a 260 cubic-inch Ford V8 engine mated to a four-speed Top Loader transmission, producing 164 bhp at 4,400 rpm and 258 lb-ft at 2,200 rpm.
While considerably more powerful than the Alpine’s 75-horsepower four-cylinder, the Tiger used a relatively mild version of the Ford small-block V8 compared to the high-output engines in the Cobra.
The Tiger retained the Alpine’s sophisticated features, including wind-up side windows, front disc brakes, and leather interior trim. The chassis was modified to handle the increased power, with rack and pinion steering, revised suspension, and stiffened bodyshells. Final assembly was handled by Jensen of West Bromwich.
During the Tiger’s production run, Sunbeam produced 6,495 examples of the Mark I and Mark IA, and 571 examples of the Mark II, making it a relatively rare but accessible alternative to the more expensive Shelby Cobra.
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