This 1965 Sunbeam Tiger Mk 1 was acquired out of Florida by the seller in 2020 as a rolling chassis that was lacking an engine and transmission. A 1963 Ford 289ci V8 was sourced, modified, and installed along with a four-speed manual transmission. Finished in blue over beige vinyl upholsery, the car is equipped with VTO 14″ wheels, a tan soft top, front disc brakes, a walnut dashboard, a Moto-Lita steering wheel, a Hurst shifter, a GPS speedometer, and a JVC stereo. This modified Tiger is now offered at no reserve with a Rootes Archive Centre Trust certificate, refurbishment photos, partial records from current ownership, and a Washington title in the seller’s name.
Finished from the factory in Wedgewood Blue (53), the car was repainted following bodywork that was performed during the aforementioned refurbishment, which also involved Corroseal rust converter being applied to appropriate areas. A tan Robbins replacement soft top was installed, and the exterior brightwork was replated. A replacement Triplex windshield also was installed, and the windshield-wiper motor was rebuilt.
VTO 14″ aluminum wheels are mounted with Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires measuring 175/65. Braking is handled by front discs and rear drums. The brakes and calipers were replaced during the refurbishment, and the stainless-steel caliper pistons were rebuilt.
The interior features bucket seats trimmed in beige vinyl accompanied by matching door panels and rear cockpit trim, and the dashboard reportedly is constructed of solid walnut that was fitted during the refurbishment. Equipment includes a Hurst shifter, a JVC CD stereo, four aftermarket speakers, a heater, a passenger-side glove compartment, and a center armrest with storage. The floors around the occupants’ feet were replaced with 16-gauge tin, according to the seller.
A Moto-Lita wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of a 140-mph GPS speedometer as well as a tachometer and gauges monitoring oil pressure, coolant temperature, amperage, and fuel level. The digital odometer shows 10 miles, and true mileage is unknown. The tachometer has been converted to operate in conjunction with the car’s electronic ignition.
The small-block V8 is said to be a 1963-manufactured Ford 289 that was bored .030″ over and received replacement pistons and camshaft during the rebuild, and the crankshaft was polished. The cylinder heads were rebuilt with larger valves, hardened seats, and pinned rocker-arm studs. A PerTronix distributor and coil were installed along with a Ford Fairmont water-pump pulley. The radiator was recored with dimpled core tubes, and the fuel tank was flushed and chemically sealed. Copper/nickel brake and fuel lines were installed, the wiring harness and the exhaust system were replaced, and Los Angeles Tiger hood-exhaust vents were added.
Power is routed to the rear wheels through a Toploader four-speed manual transmission that was rebuilt with wider ratios during the refurbishment.
Additional refurbishment photos are presented in the gallery below.
The reproduction chassis-number plate is shown above. The body-number plaque pictured in the gallery aligns with information provided by the Rootes Archive Centre Trust.
The Rootes Archive Centre Trust certificate indicates that the car was built around December 27, 1964 to North American specifications for export to the United States.
The VIN cited on the Washington title omits the “LRXFE” suffix at the end of the chassis number B9471653LRXFE. The title bears an Antique brand.