[Tigers] Charlotte Auto Fair - Shelby Tribute

[michael@michaelshortt.com]

Sunbeam Tiger

Shelbys A.C. Cobra wasnt the only British sports car to benefit from Ford
V-8 power. The Sunbeam Tiger boasted genuine Carroll Shelby involvement,
and could be regarded as a sort of Cobra junior.

Sunbeam was the sportiest of several English brands controlled by Britains
Rootes Group. Sunbeam had run Grand Prix events and Indianapolis and built
sporting road cars before the Rootes takeover in 1935. Rootes marketed
touring cars under the Sunbeam-Talbot badge, but not until the 50s did the
name appear on a sports car, the Sunbeam Alpine.

Seeking more performance for this trusty if timidly styled four-cylinder
roadster, Rootes contracted with Shelby for a prototype with Ford
small-block power. Dubbed the Tiger -- after Sunbeams 1928
land-speed-record car -- it debuted at the 1964 New York Auto Show and soon
went into production in England.

Visually similar to the concurrent Sunbeam Alpine, the Sunbeam Tiger shared
the Cobras 260-cid Ford V-8, but in milder tune than that 260-hp bomb.
Still, its 164 hp was more than twice what the Alpine had and, at
9.5-seconds 0-60 mph, it was nearly twice as quick. The live-rear-axle and
four-speed gear box were Fords, but the chassis was Sunbeam Alpines
modified by Shelby with a stiffer suspension and rack-and-pinion steering.
Brakes remained front discs and rear drums. Handling, roadholding, and ride
comfort earned high marks, though the skinny tires and torquey V-8 added up
to axle hop and poor traction off the line.

*The Sunbeam Tiger boasted a Ford V-8, which gave it plenty of muscle, but*
*ultimately spelled its doom when Sunbeam was acquired* *by Chrysler, who
did not want a Ford-engined car in its lineup.*

At $3499, the Sunbeam Tiger found 6495 buyers before an improved Tiger II
went on sale in 1967. It had Fords 289-cid V-8 rated at 200-hp and badges
that read Sunbeam V-8 instead of Powered by Ford 260. Zero-60 times
fell two seconds and top speed rose five mph. Most Cobra speed equipment
could be fitted, including dual four-barrel carbs for up to 300-hp.

Sunbeam Tigers were production-class road-racing threats in America and
rally winners in Europe. On the street, they were significantly quicker
than the last of the big Healeys or the first of Triumphs six-cylinder
TRs. But it didnt matter. Chrysler had bought into the Rootes group in
1964 and couldnt countenance a Ford-powered car. The Sunbeam Tiger II was
unceremoniously dumped during 1967.


On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 9:35 AM, Sigma Engineering <
sigmaengr at carolina.rr.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
> My Mk 1a has been selected to represent the Tiger at the Carroll Shelby
> Tribute display at the Charlotte Auto Fair later this month.  They are
> asking me for a bit of verbage describing the car.  I was thinking a brief
> discription of the Tiger in general & Shelbys involvement in its initial
> development.
>
> I know a lot of you are more of a historian in this area than
> myself.....would anyone like to shoot me their ideas on what i should cover
> ?  The organizers will compose signage with this information to be
> displayed with the car.  If i had to guess, they are looking for 200 words
> or less.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Chris Reinke ______________________________**_________________
>
> tigers at autox.team.net
>
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>
>
>


--







Michael L. Shortt
Savannah, Georgia
www.michaelshortt.com
michael at michaelshortt.com
912-232-9390


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