[Tigers] List - ownership stories

[awtiger at cox.net]

Ibll jump in here with you Mayf, since we seem to be the only ones connected
right now.  My Tiger story started in 1979 when I was nineteen years old.  I
attended a local rod and custom show in Oklahoma City and laid eyes on my
first Cobra.  I took nothing else away from that show other than the nagging
thought of, b
Ibve got to have one of those!!!b
  However, as most folks
do at that age, I was living from paycheck to paycheck and I quickly
discovered that there was no way I could put together the coinage required to
buy a Cobra.  In the meantime, I had met a guy in OKC who knew another guy who
owned a Tiger, and he suggested one of those as an alternative.  Before long,
I had met the Tiger owner and we had become friends.  Well, it just so
happened that he was wanting a new Corvette and he made me a sweet deal on his
Tiger, B9470058.  So, in October of 1979 at the ripe old age of 19, I took the
plunge into the world of Rootes cars and never looked back.  I ended up owning
that car twice, believe it or not, finally selling it for good somewhere
around 1983.

While I still owned that car, I got a wild hair to build another Tiger, but
this time for racing.  To make a long story short, in late 1981 (I believe),
some friends and I trailered to Evergreen, CO and I bought B9471717.  By 1984,
I had it track ready and started running it at Shelby Club open track events.
Then in 1985, I got the Shelby bug and sold everything I owned to buy a b65
G.T.350.  Even though I had gotten rid of my Tiger racer and had seemingly
turned my back on all things Rootes, it turned out to be only temporary.

Sometime around 1987, I got b
Tiger feverb
 again and bought B9473517 out of
Bastrop, LA.  It needed everything, but this time I was equipped to really do
it right.  My wife (at the time) and I drove the car for a while just for fun
before I finally tore it down sometime around 1991 for a ground-up
restoration.  Unfortunately, before I got it finished, my wife decided that
she needed to be somewhere else with somebody else and she bailed out on the
marriage.  As it worked out, I got to keep the Tiger but, at about the point
of 85% completion, I found I just didnbt have the bucks to finish the car
correctly and ended up selling it to a friend of mine in the OKC area.  He
finished the car and it really made a nice one.  The last I heard, that car
ended up in California somewhere (maybe it belongs to someone on this
list!!!).

About a year later, another fellow I knew here in the OKC area decided to sell
his Tiger.  I knew this car as I had helped him for several years during the
restoration process.  We made a deal and in April of 1995, I bought my current
Tiger, B382001600.  Over the years, Ibve just maintained it and straightened
a few things out on it that werenbt done correctly, but mainly Ibve just
enjoyed it.  In fact, I still get a rush every time I step out into the shop
and take a look at it.  At this point, Ibm remarried (this time to a girl
who really likes cars) and, in addition to the Tiger, we have a 1989 Saleen
Mustang and a 2004 Thunderbird (which is my wifebs car and is really the
nicest car we own!!).  Future plans for the Tiger include a light interior
refurbishment and a change back to the stock cam and intake setup.  God
willing, my wife and I plan to enjoy the car for many years to come!!!

Andy Walker
Edmond, OK
B382001600LRXFE
TAC #740