The Sunbeam Tiger was a high performance two seat convertible sports car produced by the Rootes Group from 1964 to 1967. After the success of the Shelby Cobra, and Shelby's penchant for shoehorning giant motors into little cars, he took a stab at the little Tiger as well. Equipped with both the 260 and 289 Ford V-8 engines, crisp handling and exhilarating dynamics, the little roadster came to be known as the Poor Man's Cobra. But that moniker seems to imply that the little Tiger is not all it's cracked up to be. And the one I have for you today certainly is! Up for auction at Barrett-Jackson is lot # 1290, a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger convertible.

A Poor Man's Cobra?

1965 Sunbeam Tiger 5
via Barrett-Jackson

This 1965 Sunbeam Tiger Mk 1 is powered by the smallest member of the Windsor family - the 260 cube V-8 engine. It's paired with a T10 4 speed manual transmission and a live axle at the rear. Production numbers for the Mk 1 were 3,763 units produced and I can't imagine there's even half that number around today.

What You Get

1965 Sunbeam Tiger 1
via Barrett-Jackson

The current owner of the car purchased the Mk 1 from a gentleman in Missouri in 2001 and once he got the car home he set out to give it a complete restoration. After a methodical disassembly, he opted to acid dip the car instead of a rather harsh sand blasting treatment which could have done more than good. It was also pickled, as the process is referred to, to preserve the metal in the car's chassis and body. Areas that had been tended to in prior cleanups and repairs were leaded and in some cases stripped down and releaded. The somewhat restrictive stock heads were swapped out and a new set of free breathing heads were installed during the rebuild. The seller is including the original heads, valve covers and VIN tags, and exhaust manifolds in the sale.

When, Where, And How Much?

1965 Sunbeam Tiger 3
via Barrett-Jackson

The auction starts tomorrow at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, Tent 9 A-17. She'll be up with no reserve and no pre-sale estimate has been given. And while these cars are finally starting to appreciate, they can still be had at a fraction of the price of a Shelby Cobra. Buckle up.

Source: Barrett-Jackson