Sunbeam Tiger History

The Sunbeam Tiger was conceived when Rootes engineer Ian Garrad approached Carroll Shelby — fresh from the AC Cobra — to prototype a Ford V8 installation in the Alpine shell. Shelby's team completed the first working prototype in a single weekend. Rootes contracted production assembly to Jensen Motors in West Bromwich, paying Shelby a royalty on every car built.

The Mark I Tiger (1964–1967) was fitted with a Ford 260 cu in (4.3 L) V8 producing around 164 bhp, giving a top speed of approximately 120 mph against the four-cylinder Alpine's 100 mph. The rare Mark II, of which only 633 were built in the final months of production, received the larger 289 cu in (4.7 L) Ford V8 plus a revised grille and side stripe. Total Tiger production across all variants was approximately 7,083–7,128 cars.

The Tiger's end was a casualty of corporate politics: Chrysler acquired full control of Rootes in 1967, and continuing to build a car fitted with a Ford V8 under Chrysler ownership was commercially absurd. Chrysler had no V8 small enough to fit the Tiger's engine bay. Production ceased once the stock of Ford engines was exhausted; the last Tiger left Jensen's works on 27 June 1967. The Tiger is today the most collectible Sunbeam model.