LOT 160 ¤

1966 Sunbeam Tiger Chassis no. B382001974LRXFE

Sold for US$60,480 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 160^¤

1966 Sunbeam Tiger

The Greenwich Auction|4 June 2023, 12:00 EDT|Greenwich, W. R. Berkley Corporate Headquarters

1966 Sunbeam Tiger
Chassis no. B382001974LRXFE

289ci OHV V8 Engine
Single 4-Barrel Carburetor
200bhp at 4,400rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Front Independent Suspension – Live Rear Axle
Front Disc – Rear Drum Brakes

*Desirable Mk I example
*Equipped with both its soft and hardtops
*A Cobra on deep discount

THE SUNBEAM TIGER

Inspired by Carroll Shelby's success in shoehorning a Ford V8 into the AC Ace to create the Cobra, Rootes asked Shelby to perform the same Anglo-American hot-rodding with its Sunbeam Alpine sports car. Ford's 260ci (4.2-liter) unit was chosen, and even though it had 'only' 165bhp on tap, it produced nearly twice the horsepower of the contemporary Alpine's 1.6-liter four. The aptly named Sunbeam Tiger entered production in June of 1964, more than a year after Shelby's first prototypes were initially released.

The Pressed Steel Company Limited in Oxfordshire, England, supplied painted and trimmed bodies and the engines and gearboxes came directly from Ford in America. Assembly was handled at the Jensen Motors Limited plant in West Bromwich, England. Compared to the standard Alpine, the Tiger was fitted with a stronger gearbox and rear axle plus rack-and-pinion steering and was vastly superior to its Alpine progenitor in performance terms; the Tiger stormed to 60mph in less than ten seconds and peaked at 117mph.

In 1967, the Series II Tiger was introduced, with the major change being an upgrade of the 165 horsepower 260 to the 200 horsepower 289ci V8. Sadly, the Tiger was terminated shortly thereafter when Rootes was acquired by Chrysler, who was understandably opposed to selling the Ford-equipped Tiger. However short their production run, the Sunbeam Tigers were an excellent and important example of Anglo-American hot-rodding and offer blistering performance in a handsome, decidedly British package.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

The Tiger MK1 offered here with both soft and color-matching hard top has been kept garaged over the past couple of years. Minimally driven in the last several years, the mechanical condition of the car is unknown, and a thorough check of the car is recommended before extensive usage.

Saleroom notices

Please note that the car has recently received recommissioning work, including a full tune up, new radiator and brakes being flushed and bled.

Additional information

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact customer services.
Buyers Premium and Charges
The final bid (hammer) price of each lot will be subject to a buyer's premium.
For MOTOR CAR lots the premium is 12% on the first $250,000 of the bid price and 10% on any amount of the bid price exceeding $250,000.
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For AUTOMOBILIA and other non-motor vehicle property, the premium is 28% on the first $50,000 of the bid price, 27% on the bid price above $50,000 up to and including $1,000,000, 21% on bid price above $1,000,000 up to and including $6,000,000, and 14.5% of any amount exceeding $6,000,000.
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All vehicles will be removed from the venue directly after the auction. Vehicles will be uplifted and held to order by Passport Transport. Uplift and storage charges are at the buyer's expense.
Automobilia lots will be available for collection until the end of the auction. Uncollected Automobilia lots will be removed to Bonhams New York, 580 Madison Avenue, for shipping or collection by the buyer or its authorised agent.
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All vehicles will be removed from the venue directly after the auction. Vehicles will be uplifted and held to order by Passport Transport. Uplift and storage charges are at the buyer's expense.
Automobilia lots will be available for collection until the end of the auction. Uncollected Automobilia lots will be removed to Bonhams New York, 580 Madison Avenue, for shipping or collection by the buyer or its authorised agent.
For more information, please contact Client Services.
Shipping Notices
All vehicles will be removed from the venue directly after the auction. Vehicles will be uplifted and held to order by Passport Transport. Uplift and storage charges are at the buyer's expense.
Automobilia lots will be available for collection until the end of the auction. Uncollected Automobilia lots will be removed to Bonhams New York, 580 Madison Avenue, for shipping or collection by the buyer or its authorised agent.

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¤	No Reserve
	Unless indicated by the ¤ symbol next to the lot number (or bearing an explicit statement such as "No Reserve" or "Without Reserve"), which denotes no reserve, all lots in the catalog are subject to a reserve. The reserve is the minimum hammer price that the seller is willing to accept for a lot. This amount is confidential and does not exceed the low estimate value.