1964 Sunbeam Tiger

This 1964 Sunbeam Tiger was reportedly raced in the Nassau Tourist Trophy Race during the 1964 Bahamas Speed Week and finished in the top 12 of the 1965 Daytona Continental 2,000-km. It was later used as a street car in California prior to its acquisition in 1976 by the current owner, who commissioned Jim Wallace to rebuild the vehicle to competition specifications in 1982. The owner reports that Doane Spencer was also involved through offering advice on the build and hand forming the rear tonneau cover for this car. After campaigning in various SCCA and CSRG events between 1988 and 2006, the car underwent a bare-metal repaint in black in 2010 while the 289ci Hi-Po V8 was built by Tony Oddo in 2013. Additional equipment includes a four-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear end, a Lexan windscreen, a roll bar, black leather-upholstered bucket seats, 13” Panasport wheels, a fuel cell, and four-wheel disc brakes, as well as a re-skinned aluminum hood, trunk lid, and doors. This Sunbeam Tiger was last raced at Thunderhill in October 2015 and is being offered by the seller on behalf of the owner in Sonoma, California with service history since 1980, digital copies of logbooks and period photos, and a bill of sale. The car was taken to bare metal during the aforementioned 2010 refurbishment, placed on a rotisserie, and repainted black. White number 5 decals have been applied to the body, and the bumpers and headlights have been removed. The hood, trunk lid, and doors received lightened support structures and were reportedly re-skinned in aluminum during the initial build in 1982, at which time a hard shell tonneau cover custom-fabricated by Doane Spencer was added. Additional features include a red-tinted Lexan windscreen, a hood scoop, twin side-view mirrors, front fender vents, kevlar headlight trim rings, and mesh front grille coverings. The four-lug 13” Panasport wheels feature gold centers with polished lips and are wrapped in Toyo Proxes R888R tires sized 205/60. The car rides on Koni shock absorbers, and braking is handled by four-wheel discs that are cooled via ducting routed through the vents in the front valance. The calipers were resealed during the 2010 refurbishment, and a replacement brake master cylinder and lines were installed. The cabin has been stripped and repainted gray and features two black leather-upholstered bucket seats with Schroth harnesses for the driver. Additional equipment includes a roll hoop with integrated door bars, a fire suppression system, a Hurst shifter, a dash-mounted rearview mirror, and a battery mounted behind the passenger seat. A black leather-wrapped Lecarra steering wheel features a quilted leather central pad and sits ahead of a custom panel housing Smiths instrumentation, including an 8k-rpm tachometer and auxiliary gauges for oil temperature and pressure, coolant temperature, fuel pressure, and amperage. No speedometer or odometer is fitted, thus total mileage is unknown. The 289ci Hi-Po V8 was reportedly rebuilt by Tony Oddo in 2013 and features ported cylinder heads along with a Holman-Moody GT40 intake manifold topped by a Holley double pumper carburetor. Additional equipment includes a trunk-mounted fuel cell, Tiger-branded valve covers, and custom headers. The seller reports that the wiring, fuel pump, and fuel and oil lines were replaced during the rebuild and an upgraded oil cooler was installed. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Ford Toploader four-speed manual transmission and a Positraction rear differential with 3.54:1 gearing. Additional underbody images are provided in the gallery below. Various images of the car in competition over the years can be seen in the gallery, along with photos taken during the 2010 refurbishment. Digital copies of SCCA and CSRG logbooks will accompany the vehicle, and a video tour of the car with the engine running is presented below.