| 1966 Sunbeam Tiger |
Here are some pictures of my 1966 Mk1A Sunbeam Tiger.
This has some of the LAT options including hood, Sway
bars and rear axle overrides. Has the CAT roll bar and a few
other things. The motor is a stock 260, with Ford Toploader
and a Dana 44 rear. All powertrain numbers match up
I have a 302 Dart Aluminum Block with TWM fuel injection
that will likely find a nice home in 'Tony'. Likely a lower
compression and smaller cam version of the Ripper's
engine. Mock up at the bottom of the page.
Someone with some background in Tigers mentioned that
the VIN may be one that was from Woodbridge Ford that
may have been slated as one of their race cars. Which
would be very interesting as that is where 'The Ripper' was
once campaigned in the mid 60's
Notable Quote ...
Shelby’s A.C. Cobra wasn’t 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.”
This has some of the LAT options including hood, Sway
bars and rear axle overrides. Has the CAT roll bar and a few
other things. The motor is a stock 260, with Ford Toploader
and a Dana 44 rear. All powertrain numbers match up
I have a 302 Dart Aluminum Block with TWM fuel injection
that will likely find a nice home in 'Tony'. Likely a lower
compression and smaller cam version of the Ripper's
engine. Mock up at the bottom of the page.
Someone with some background in Tigers mentioned that
the VIN may be one that was from Woodbridge Ford that
may have been slated as one of their race cars. Which
would be very interesting as that is where 'The Ripper' was
once campaigned in the mid 60's
Notable Quote ...
Shelby’s A.C. Cobra wasn’t 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.”
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| A couple of picture of the car from the seller. These were the EBay photos. |
| The planned engine is a Aluminum Block Dart 302 Stroker Motor. Click on the picture below for more of that. OR Click Here |
| Simple fire extinguisher mount for the Autopower Roll Bar. This will mount on the diagonal bar behind the driver seat. Simple to build. Or Click Here |
| Tiger Projects |
Visually similar to the concurrent Sunbeam Alpine, the Sunbeam Tiger shared the Cobra’s 260" 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 axle and four-speed gear box
were Ford’s, but the chassis was Sunbeam Alpine’s modified by Shelby with a stiffer suspension and rack and pinion steering. Brakes remained front discs
and rear drums. Handling, road holding, 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 Ford’s 289-cid V-8 rated at 200-hp and badges
that read “Sunbeam V-8” instead of “Powered by Ford 260.” Zero to 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.
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 axle and four-speed gear box
were Ford’s, but the chassis was Sunbeam Alpine’s modified by Shelby with a stiffer suspension and rack and pinion steering. Brakes remained front discs
and rear drums. Handling, road holding, 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 Ford’s 289-cid V-8 rated at 200-hp and badges
that read “Sunbeam V-8” instead of “Powered by Ford 260.” Zero to 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.
| Tiger Information |
| This was a Dana 44 Watts Linkage that was for the Tiger. I captured the picture from Ebay a while ago. Doesn't look all that hard to make. Strength might be a question, but hard to tell from the photo. This might be the product from a U.K. Tiger specialist |
| This was another Watts Linkage with an aluminum diff cover. What is interesting is the pivot does not look centered, but it could be the image. Some thoughts, does anyone make a Jeep version that could be modified? Late model Jeep's (Dodge) may have a Watts Linkage but have no what the diff is. |
| Anyone know who did this dash for the Tiger? It is a thick Aluminum plate with a lot of work done. It would be nice for a race car except for the stereo cut out. Anyone have pictures of it in a car filled up with switches and gauges?? |
| Click the picture of the oil pan or Click Here |
| The Tiger's drivetrain is to include a David Kee built Toploader. Dana TrueTrac Differential, McLeod clutch and flywheel, and a Tilton Hydraulic Release Bearing. The click here or the transmission for the drivetrain page |