Lot : 21

The Sunbeam Tiger was conceived in the West Coast of the USA and inspired by the success of the AC Cobra - the result of inserting an American V8 engine into the nose of the British AC Ace. Rootes American Motors Inc. saw the potential for installing the same powerplant (Ford's 4.3-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 0-60mph acceleration time of under eight seconds. A total of some 7,085 Tigers were eventually produced, including 536 of the now very rare 4.7-litre MK 2s.

The Tiger on offer is a manual 1966 example finished in Forest Green complemented by a black vinyl interior. It was imported from the USA some 20 years ago at which time it was converted to right-hand drive and apparently treated to an extensive restoration by Tiger 'guru' and club committee member Brian Postle, for which there is reputedly a full photographic record.

Since acquiring the car in 1999, the vendor has upgraded the original 260 cu in Ford V8 engine to a 289 cu in unit, complete with high compression pistons, high lift cams, dual valve springs and reground crankshaft, new carburetter, fuel pump, radiator etc and added an electronic ignition system. He describes the coachwork as in "good sound condition", the paintwork and gearbox as "good" and the engine as "excellent". The Tiger is MOT'd into October and taxed until the end of August.