1965 Sunbeam Tiger

Throughout this description, you will slowly fall in love with an original Sunbeam Tiger that has had an extraordinary life that many cars could only wish for. It came back to the UK from South Africa in 1989 and has since become a competitive and championship-winning historic racer.

The previous UK owners have been extremely thorough with their record keeping which has resulted in a wealth of paperwork. These include owners club magazines to expensive suspension/geometry setup sheets. You can just tell that this car has been well-developed over the years and is just itching to get back out on track again.

Over the next few sections, we will dive deep into the car's history, modifications, and overall condition. So, sit tight and watch the video below to the end so that you can hear that V8 burst into life.

In a world where car manufacturers are churning out bulbous identical SUVs, the small stature, and simple lines of this 1965 Sunbeam Tiger make for a beautiful sports car that everyone will admire.

The paintwork of this Sunbeam is in very good condition all round, with only a few minor marks to the very striking deep red paint. Its hardtop roof has been finished in a contrasting black, and this too is presented in very good condition. You may find a few chips to the paint here and there, but no large areas of damage or corrosion to the original bodywork.

Sticking with well-presented exterior parts, the Minilite wheels are in very good condition. These have been wrapped in sticky Toyo R888 tyres which look to have a lot of life left in them. The vendor mentions that there were two extra sets of Minilite wheels and tyres that will come with the car too.

There are a couple of stickers on the exterior that hints at the car's past in the AMOC championship, but you’ll just have to wait until the history section before we start to divulge this car's championship-winning past.

As the car is a road-legal race car there are a few elements that you wouldn’t see on a normal Tiger. For instance, the bonnet is slightly open towards the windscreen section, to help with cooling that huge 5.0l engine under the bonnet. There are also two heavy-duty towing eyes front and rear.

Overall, the exterior of this Sunbeam Tiger is in very good condition. Not only will it look great in your garage, but it will also look spectacular on the racetrack.

The car will come with its original bumpers, seats and hard top should the buyer wish to return it to a more standard look.

Inside this Tiger is very much a race car. Every piece of unnecessary weight has been removed leaving an almost bare cabin. It may be bare, but it has managed to retain all of that classic car character.

There are still two seats fitted to this Sunbeam. The passenger seat is the original type of simple seat, whereas the driver’s seat is a proper carbon fibre Tillet racing seat. This Tillet seat will keep you in the optimum position when pushing on. To keep you strapped in, an FIA-approved set of TRS harnesses have been fitted. The original driver's seat will also come with the car.

A fire suppression system is also fitted in the cabin. You may notice in the photos that it was due a service when they were taken. After corresponding with the vendor, they have agreed to get this system serviced so that it is ready to go when you pick up the car.

Behind the removable steering wheel, the original dash still sits proudly. You may notice some age-related wear to the veneer, but all of it is still in place which is sometimes difficult to find on classic British sports cars.

Set into this dash are some very important dials. The original speedo, water temp gauge, oil pressure, and fuel gauge are still fitted. A new Sport-Comp tacho has been fitted with a healthy redline of 6,000 RPM. There is also a Racetech fuel pressure gauge.

Another non-standard feature is of course the full roll cage that will protect you in the worst outcome. The cage fitted to this Sunbeam does not get in the way too much and is easy to navigate over into your seat. There is also a nice nod to its Team Tiger past with a Tigger present on one of the pillars.

In the boot, you’ll find the race fuel tank. At 85 litres there should be more than enough fuel to live out your racing driver dreams between fill-ups. This Forge Motorsport fuel cell is also foam filled, another safety feature for racing.

Overall, the interior of this Tiger is in great condition and ready for any racetrack that you may wish to take it to.

This is one of the sections where this Sunbeam will stand out from the crowd as under the skin this Tiger is a thoroughbred race car.

Opening the lightweight bonnet reveals a beautifully presented David Henning Motorsport prepared 302 5.0l engine and boy does this powerplant pack a punch! It takes petrol and turns it into power and glorious V8 noise.

The engine is far from standard, as part of the David Henning treatment it has had the following works completed.

• Block re-bore to +0.030
• Aluminium Performer Heads
• Larger inlet and outlet valves with lead free guides
• Forged domed pistons
• Shot peened rods
• Bigger baffled sump
• High volume Edelbrock water pum
• High-volume oil pump
• Windage tray
• Rebuilt ported, polished and gas flowed head with new lead-free guides
• Screw in rocker studs/roller rockers/competition valve retainers/collets stem seals
• High rev lifters
• 280 high-lift cams
• High-tension rod bolts
• Remote oil filter
• McLeod CD ignition
• High voltage coil
• 11:1 compression ratio
• Holley 650 double pump carburettor which is fed through an Edelbrock inlet manifold
• Carter fuel pump
• Forge Motorsport fuel tank
• High output alternator
• High torque starter
• Cooled by a custom-built aluminium radiator with twin electric fans

As you can now tell this Sunbeam Tiger is no slouch out on the track or in fact the road. But the mechanical additions don’t just stop with the engine works, they also carry on throughout the drivetrain and suspension setup. It also has had the following extra parts.

• Hurst 4 speed gearbox with 6-bolt bell housing
• A new McLeod Kevlar HD Competition clutch
• Running Watts linkage
• Anti-tramp bars
• Koni adjustable shocks
• 3.07 LSD
• Front Brembo 4 pot calipers with RS4 4/2 Pagid Pads
• Sitting on Four Revolution Minilite style wheels shod with Toyo R888 tyres.
• The car has also been seam welded but retains all original bodywork

Attention has then been paid to getting the geometry and suspension set up spot-on. There is a recent invoice from Simon James for almost three thousand pounds which documents some of the work carried out to make sure the car can handle all of these upgrades.

As this car is road legal, this writer able to sample just what this Tiger has to offer, you’ll have to believe us when we say this is some of the best fun you can have in a car. Starting the V8 produces an earth-rumbling soundtrack that penetrates the cabin, slipping the car into first gear and setting off only invigorates all of your senses. The noise, the smell, and all round sense of occasion this Tiger offers is like nothing else on the road. Thanks to all of the drivetrain work this car can easily keep up, and outpace, modern traffic or your rivals on the track.

It must also be mentioned that the vendor has also saved the original, numbers matching, 260 ci engine and ancillaries. There are also two sets of additional Minilite wheels and tyres that will come with the car.

This Tiger has an amazing championship-winning history, which is something that many race cars cannot boast. Upon returning to the UK in 1989 the car was turned into a competitive race car and as such, it has had a lot of success at the hands of Paul Clayson as part of Team Tiger. During the 2000s it had the following success:

• 2005 Class A Joint Class Champion
• 2006 Sunbeam 3rd in the Championship, Class A Joint Class Champion
• 2007 Sunbeam Intermarque Championship winners, Class A Runner Up and Runner Up in Championship
• 2009 Sunbeam Intermarque Championship winners, Class A Runner Up and Runner Up in Championship
• 2010 Sunbeam 3rd in Championship and Class A Runner Up

In its more recent history, it has not been to many race events, in the past seven years it has only experienced four track days. However, this is not to say that it hasn’t been regularly maintained and prepared. All of the safety equipment has been kept serviced along with all of the mechanical components.

A lot of the work and history can be evidenced thanks to the car’s massive history file. Almost all of it has been photographed and can be found below in the extensive gallery.

We think that this Sunbeam Tiger is an amazing find, with a guide price of £40,000 - £50,000 you are looking at a very affordable way into historic racing. When you think about all of the championship-winning history that this Tiger has, you’ll start to understand that this is an excellent opportunity.

Whether you want to use it on the racetrack or the local B-roads you’ll always have a smile on your face.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Litlington in Hertfordshire. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.