Sunbeam Tiger
| Company type | Automobile model |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessor | Sunbeam Alpine |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Founder | Rootes Group, Carroll Shelby (collaboration) |
| Defunct | 1967 |
| Fate | Production ended after Rootes acquisition by Chrysler |
| Headquarters | West Bromwich , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | North America, United Kingdom, South Africa |
Key people | Carroll Shelby, Ian Garrad, Lord Rootes |
| Products | Sports car (Sunbeam Tiger Mark I and Mark II) |
| Parent | Rootes Group |
The Sunbeam Tiger represents a powerful V8 version of the British Rootes Group's Sunbeam Alpine roadster, developed in collaboration with American automotive designer and racer Carroll Shelby and manufactured between 1964 and 1967. Shelby, renowned for his work on the V8-powered AC Cobra, originally intended to produce the Tiger in the United States; however, Rootes assigned assembly duties to Jensen located in West Bromwich, England, compensating Shelby with royalties per unit sold.
Two primary models were offered: the Mark I (1964–1967), equipped with a Ford V8 engine, and the Mark II, produced in a limited run of 633 units during 1967, which featured a larger Ford powerplant. Two heavily modified Mark I prototypes participated in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans race, though neither completed the event. Additionally, Rootes campaigned the Tiger in European rallies, achieving moderate success, and it held the national quarter-mile drag strip record for two consecutive years under the American Hot Rod Association.
Manufacturing ended in 1967 following Rootes’ acquisition by Chrysler, which did not have an appropriate replacement engine available. Due to its adaptability and cost-effectiveness, only a small number of Tigers remain in their original factory condition.
Background
The Sunbeam Tiger originated from the Sunbeam Alpine series I, introduced by the Rootes Group in 1959. Recognizing that the Alpine required more power to compete internationally, Rootes lacked both a suitable engine and the resources for development. Initially, they approached Ferrari to redesign the Alpine’s standard inline-four engine to capitalize on Ferrari’s prestigious name; however, these discussions did not come to fruition.
In 1962, racing driver and Formula 1 champion Jack Brabham proposed to Rootes competition manager Norman Garrad that a Ford V8 could be installed into the Alpine. This suggestion was relayed to Ian Garrad, West Coast Sales Manager of Rootes American Motors Inc., who operated near Carroll Shelby’s facility—already experienced with similar V8 engine swaps on the AC Cobra.
Initial prototypes
Automotive journalist William Carroll describes how Ian Garrad used a wooden yardstick to measure the Alpine’s engine compartment for compatibility with a V8 engine. Walter McKenzie, his service manager, identified the Ford 260 V8 engine as an ideal fit due to its relatively light weight of . Garrad then approached Shelby regarding estimated costs and timelines for building a prototype, which were projected at eight weeks and $10,000 respectively. Funding was approved by Brian Rootes, head of sales for the Rootes Group.
To quickly verify feasibility, Garrad enlisted racer and fabricator Ken Miles to construct a prototype swiftly. Utilizing an $800 budget along with a Series II Alpine, a Ford V8 motor, and a 2-speed automatic transmission, Miles completed a functional V8 conversion within approximately one week, confirming the concept’s viability.
Shelby commenced work on his prototype—the white vehicle—in April 1963; it was ready for test drives around Los Angeles by month’s end. Ian Garrad and John Panks, director of Rootes Motors Inc. North America, evaluated an early iteration and were impressed by its performance. Panks compared its handling favorably to an XX-K Jaguar and described it as "a most successful experiment that can now be developed into a production car."
Initially dubbed the Thunderbolt, Shelby’s prototype was more polished than Miles’s version and incorporated a Ford 4-speed manual transmission. Although the Ford V8 was only 3.5 inches longer than the Alpine’s original four-cylinder engine, its width posed significant installation challenges. Shelby remarked that fitting the 260 Ford engine into the Sunbeam’s engine bay was extremely tight: "there was a place for everything and a space for everything, but positively not an inch to spare."
Development
Every Rootes product required authorization from Lord Rootes, who was initially displeased upon discovering the Tiger project had progressed without his involvement. After evaluating the Shelby prototype that arrived from the United States in July 1963, he was sufficiently impressed to negotiate directly with Henry Ford II for the procurement of Ford V8 engines. Lord Rootes placed an initial order of 3,000 engines—marking Ford’s largest single order from any automaker—and chose to debut the vehicle at the 1964 New York International Auto Show, compressing the typical development timeframe from three to four years down to just eight months.
Integrating the substantial V8 engine into a compact car necessitated alterations to the chassis, including replacing the Burman recirculating ball steering with a contemporary rack and pinion system, while retaining much of the Alpine’s original exterior bodywork. Although delivering twice the power of the Alpine, the Tiger’s weight increased by only about 20%, with minor suspension tweaks preserving a front-to-rear weight distribution close to 51.7/48.3.
Shortly before its official debut in April 1964, the vehicle’s name was changed from Thunderbolt to Tiger, drawing inspiration from Sunbeam’s 1925 land-speed-record car.
Production
While Shelby initially aimed to manufacture the Tiger in America, Rootes favored production in England due to concerns about his rapport with Ford. With limited capacity at Rootes’ Ryton facility, manufacturing was outsourced to Jensen in West Bromwich. Jensen’s recent discontinuation of Volvo P1800 assembly and their familiarity with Rootes’ processes made this arrangement feasible. The first 14 Jensen-produced prototypes utilized the Series IV body shell available by late 1963.
Production commenced in June 1964, less than a year after Shelby completed his prototype. Painted and trimmed bodies were supplied by Pressed Steel Company, while engines and transmissions were sourced directly from Ford USA. Engine installation involved unconventional techniques, including modifying the painted bulkhead to accommodate it. Jensen rapidly achieved an assembly rate of up to 300 Tigers monthly, initially limiting sales exclusively to North America. Early models featured a Borg-Warner 4-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox until Ford resolved supply constraints with its own unit found in the Ford Mustang.
Dealers offered performance enhancements beyond the standard 260 CID engine’s modest output, with some tuned versions achieving for an additional $250. These upgrades improved top-end performance but placed additional stress on suspension components and tires designed for stock specifications. A 1965 Motor Sport review lauded this combination as "No combination of an American V8 and a British chassis could be happier."
Versions
A total of 7,128 Tigers were produced across three series. The factory officially recognized only two: Mark I and Mark II. However, because of the transition from Series IV to Series V Alpine body panels during Mark I production, later Mark I cars are often referred to as Mark IA by enthusiasts. The Mark II Tiger, featuring a larger Ford engine, was intended exclusively for export to the U.S. market and was not sold in the UK; nonetheless, six right-hand drive units were acquired by the Metropolitan Police for traffic enforcement and high-speed pursuits, while four additional vehicles were allocated to key Rootes dealerships.
All Tigers utilized a single Ford two-barrel carburetor. The Mark II’s engine compression ratio increased from 8.8:1 to 9.3:1. Additional improvements included stronger valve springs (to resolve high RPM reliability concerns), an engine oil cooler, replacement of the dynamo with an alternator, a larger hydraulically operated clutch, wider transmission ratios, and modifications to the rear axle. Cosmetic changes involved replacing chrome side strips with speed stripes, updating the radiator grille design, and removing headlamp cowls. Every Tiger retained the Alpine IV’s wide steel disc bolt-on wheels fitted with Dunlop RS5 cross-ply tires. Maintenance posed challenges due to limited space within the engine bay; spark plugs on the left bank were accessed via a firewall opening sealed by a rubber bung, and the oil filter was repositioned behind the alternator.
Mark I
The Mark I was equipped with a Ford V8 engine delivering at 4400 rpm, which allowed it to accelerate from 0 to in 8.6 seconds and reach a maximum velocity of —significantly outperforming the standard Series II Alpine’s 98.6 mph top speed and its 0–60 mph time of 13.6 seconds.
Its braking system featured Girling discs on the front wheels and drum brakes at the rear. The suspension setup consisted of independent front coil springs paired with a rear live axle supported by semi-elliptic springs; a Panhard rod enhanced rear axle stability, while firmer front springs were used to balance the added weight of the V8 engine. Apart from these improvements, the suspension mirrored that of the Alpine. The installation of the Panhard rod necessitated relocating the spare wheel from its vertical position in the boot to a horizontal placement beneath a false floor; simultaneously, the battery was moved from beneath the rear seat to the boot area. This resulted in an increase in kerb weight from in the Alpine to .
During its initial release in 1964, nearly all of the 1,649 Mark I Tigers produced were exported to North America, priced at $3,499 each. To attract American customers, "Powered by Ford 260" badges were affixed below the Tiger emblem on each front wing. The Mark I became available in the United Kingdom only by March 1965 at a cost of £1,446 and was also sold in South Africa under the name Sunbeam Alpine 260 for R3,350.
A chrome trim strip running along the sides visually distinguished the Tiger from its Alpine counterpart.
Mark II
The Mark II Tiger, priced at $3,842, was essentially a Mark IA fitted with a larger Ford engine; for comparison, a contemporary V8 Ford Mustang retailed at $2,898. This more powerful Ford unit enhanced the Tiger’s acceleration to 0– in 7.5 seconds and raised its top speed to . Although officially marketed only in the United States as the Tiger II, production occurred during Chrysler’s ownership of Rootes, who replaced the "Powered by Ford" badges with "Sunbeam V-8" insignia.
Demise
By 1964, Rootes was grappling with financial challenges caused by an expensive thirteen-week strike at British & Light Steel Pressings and costs associated with launching the Hillman Imp. In June that year, Chrysler purchased a substantial but non-controlling shareholding in Rootes for £12.3 million ($34.44 million), agreeing not to assume majority control without UK government consent. By 1967, after unsuccessful bids by British Motor Holdings and Leyland Motors to acquire Chrysler’s stake in Rootes, Chrysler secured controlling interest through an additional £20 million investment.
Chrysler found it unacceptable to continue producing a vehicle powered by an engine from a rival manufacturer. However, their own 273 small-block V8 engine was too large to fit beneath the Tiger's bonnet without extensive redesigns. The small-block V8 featured a rear-mounted distributor unlike Ford’s front-mounted distributor, complicating installation; while Chrysler's larger big-block V8 had a front distributor, its size was even more prohibitive. As a result, Chrysler instructed that Tiger production cease once existing Ford engine supplies were exhausted; Jensen completed the final Tiger on 27 June 1967. Chrysler rebranded the car with its pentastar emblem and minimized references to Ford powertrains in marketing materials, describing it simply as equipped with "an American V-8 power train."
Roy Axe, Rootes’ design director, remarked that "The Alpine and Tiger were always oddballs in the [Rootes] range," implying that Chrysler showed limited enthusiasm for these models compared to their family car offerings.
The Tiger nameplate was later resurrected in 1972 with Chrysler’s special edition Avenger Tiger, a modified Hillman Avenger primarily intended for rally competition.
Competition history
For the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, three Tiger racing models were constructed, consisting of one prototype and two official race vehicles. Each unit, priced at $45,000, was a heavily customized version of a production car featuring fastback coupe bodies crafted by Lister. Despite extensive modifications, the cars retained their steel monocoque chassis and tipped the scales at , making them nearly heavier than the victorious Ferrari. The original Ford four-speed manual gearbox was replaced by a BorgWarner T10 close-ratio racing transmission, which allowed these Tigers to reach a top speed of .
Mechanical issues led to early retirements for all three Tigers: one succumbed to piston failure after three hours on track, while another was forced out due to a broken crankshaft. The Shelby-prepared engines experienced overheating problems caused by insufficient development time; as a result, Shelby reimbursed Rootes for the expenses incurred during development. Remarkably, all three Tigers from Le Mans still exist today.
Following the decision to proceed with production, Rootes dispatched an Alpine IV chassis—minus engine and transmission—to Shelby for development into a competition Tiger. This racing Tiger made its debut in Pacific Coast Division SCCA B Production events, providing significant promotional value. As Shelby's focus shifted towards Ford projects, the racing responsibilities were transferred to Hollywood Sports Car dealership. Under their banner, driver Jim Adams achieved third place in the division standings in 1965. At the 1965 24 hours of Daytona, a Tiger piloted by Peter Boulton and Jim Latta secured victory in the small GT category and finished twelfth overall. Additionally, the Tiger held the American Hot Rod Association national record in its class for two years, clocking a quarter-mile time of 12.95 seconds at .
Rootes also campaigned Tigers in European rally events, where they claimed first through third positions at the 1964 Geneva Rally. Two Tigers participated in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally, achieving fourth place—the highest finish for any front-engined rear-wheel-drive vehicle—and eleventh overall. After addressing engine overheating issues by fitting a forward-facing bonnet air scoop, three Tigers competed in the 1965 Alpine Rally. One crossed the finish line first but was subsequently disqualified due to undersized cylinder head valves. By the time of the 1966 Acropolis Rally, it became evident that low-clearance sports cars like the Tiger were unsuited for rugged terrain stages; with only ground clearance available, the Tiger was withdrawn from competition shortly thereafter. Ian Hall, who drove in that rally, described the Tiger as an "out of date leviathan."
In popular media
The 1965 Tiger Mark I gained notable exposure on American television as Maxwell Smart’s automobile in the comedic spy series Get Smart. It appeared prominently in the opening credits during the first two seasons and was featured in multiple episodes. Some scenes depicted fanciful modifications such as a retractable James Bond-style machine gun; however, these were not feasible on an actual Tiger, so rebadged Alpine models stood in for those sequences.
Don Adams, who portrayed Maxwell Smart, eventually acquired one of these Tigers after filming concluded and later gifted it to his daughters; reports indicate it is displayed at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Rootes utilized extensive promotion through Playboy magazine and loaned a pink Tiger with matching interior to 1965 Playmate of the Year Jo Collins for an entire year.
The Tiger also appeared in the 2008 film adaptation of the television series. Since no Tigers were accessible in Canada—where filming took place—a replica was created from a standard Sunbeam Alpine outfitted with recreated Tiger badges. Authentic engine sounds from a collector’s Tiger based in Los Angeles were recorded and incorporated into the film’s audio track.
References