For Sale: 1966 Sunbeam Tiger in St. Louis, Missouri

Outstanding MK1A with fresh restoration to both cosmetics and all mechanicals! All factory, number's matching drivetrain with STOA Certificate of Authenticity! Finished in factory code correct Carnival Red over Black interior possessing all original body tags! A unique chance to own a rare piece of sports car history! Representing one of only 2,706 MK1A units built!

With the Rootes Group Sunbeam Alpine already positioned as a fine touring automobile in Europe, the internal sales team realized it would need more horsepower to better position the Alpine as a proper sports car to buyers worldwide. When talks with Ferrari about building a beefy 4-cylinder power plant went nowhere for Rootes, a Southern California Sunbeam-Talbot sales manager, Ian Garrad, teamed up with Carroll Shelby to build a prototype for their consideration. The result would be a product more suited for sports car enthusiasts often visiting their USA showrooms. Efforts to build a suitable sports car that could attract these young, performance-minded individuals was successful and accredited to Shelby American. It was already well known that they could shoe-horn V8 horsepower into just about anything you asked them to, so the Ford 260ci V8 was selected for its size and ample power output. It was tucked into the small English chassis with only a "few" refinements to the engine bay and firewall, and a "baby Cobra" was born with the official name, Sunbeam Tiger! The Mark IA, a revised & improved version of the original, was produced from August 1965 through February 1966 with production totaling just 2,706 units.

Finished in correct Carnival Red (code 39) over textured black vinyl interior, this stunning 1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk1A is in remarkable condition! Under the hood lies the original, matching number's 260ci V8 engine mated to the Borg Warner T10 4-speed manual transmission gripping the ground through a 2.88 rear end! Options include chrome 13" Cragar SS wheels with BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires, burled walnut dash, wood LL slotted 3-spoke steering wheel, leather wrapped shift handle, Jaegar instrumentation, locking center console, Girling power front disc brakes, dual Talbot style rearview mirrors, windshield washer, soft boot cover, and auxiliary hardtop!

This example was said to have survived most of its early life out west in California before making its way to the East coast in September 2011 with only 62,000 actual miles on the odometer. Just prior to its departure from California, it would be authenticated by the Sunbeam Tiger Owner's Association (STOA) for authenticity on September 8th, 2012. It now possesses the coveted STOA sticker under the dash along with its matching Certificate of Authenticity #955 with STOA embossed stamp. It had been cosmetically restored once already, with a color change to burgundy metallic at some point in the 1990's. It remained this way until its arrival to the St. Louis Car Museum. We elected to refurbish this worthy Tiger back to its original, factory specifications starting with a complete disassembly to perform a bare metal repaint of the exterior. Beginning a restoration to this level takes total commitment, many man hours to perform, and lots of new or refurbished parts & equipment to finalize properly. With this in mind, we methodically went through each step accordingly over the past 3 years.

The exterior body was completely stripped down bare metal by Mid-America Auto Body and rebuilt to ensure any rust present in the rocker panels, wheel houses, fender arches, etc. was all professionally addressed before being completely primer sealed, sanded meticulously, then sprayed in a two-stage base coat/clear coat application of new Carnival Red paint. The results would be carefully color-sanded and polished to a brilliantly smooth finish! It would have every piece of exterior chrome re-plated by Highline Plating awaiting installation upon its return as well as new body side moldings, all weather stripping, and exterior emblems.

The complete interior was restored by our very own Danny Silvinski here in our upholstery shop. A gorgeous burled walnut dash would be supplied by C&G Woodcraft that now includes a proper glove box door, and new interior carpet & underlayment, seating foam & upholstery, door panels, door trim, inner sill plates, new convertible top with boot cover, and much more, all supplied by Classic Sunbeam Inc.

The factory issued engine was completely rebuilt by Auto Air Garage of Sullivan, MO. It was cleaned & magnafluxed, then meticulously overhauled at 65,000 miles with a .030 overbore and new UEM Silv-O-Lite cast aluminum pistons & new rings, machine turned crankshaft .010 & polished, reconditioned connecting rods, original camshaft mated to new lifters, cam bearings, main bearings, rod bearings, rod bolts, timing chain & gear, new oil pump, water pump, etc. were all included. The heads were clean, magnafluxed, and resurfaced .007 for a perfect mating surface to the block. They would receive knurled valve guides, new valve seats, new exhaust valves, reground intake valves, and fully assembled with fresh paint and valve adjustment. The generator & starter were all rebuilt to operate as new. The radiator & heater core were cleaned and resealed professionally by Al's South County Radiator Service. All fresh engine gaskets, hoses & clamps, fluids, filters, are new! The all-important numbers associated with this Tiger are below and still attached with their original rivets.

VIN: B382001533LRXFE
JAL: 661545
ENGINE #: 6815-B19KC

Upgrades to Tiger's were common, although we are proud to say this one retains its original 2-barrel intake & Motorcraft carburetion, AC air cleaner housing, factory valve covers with foil stamped engine number identification, and original fan shroud. A resurfaced flywheel and new Rhinopac clutch kit were installed as well as new brake master cylinder, front rotors/pads, rear shoes/cylinders, and fresh brake fluid. The factory exhaust manifolds were mated with a fully polished, stainless steel dual exhaust system! There is far too much to list, so all restoration receipts will be provided to the next owner.

We are very proud to have such a prize in our showroom and invite serious investors to stop in for a closer look! Tigers of this caliber are rare, and continuing to rise in value even in a slow market. Act quickly, and please feel welcome to call with additional questions! Thanks for looking!