1965 Sunbeam Tiger 1A

This must be one of the best-prepared rallying Tigers anywhere.

It was bought as a near-concours roadgoing example in 2008, after which an extensive program of works transformed it into a full-house historic regularity rally car. Since then, further development has occurred as and when anything arose, and the car has seen action all over the UK and Europe, never failing to finish an event due to mechanical issues.

It came to the vendor with an extensive history file and he has since added an enormous amount of new receipts and other paperwork, documenting in detail the tens of thousands spent over the years he’s enjoyed the car.

The car is offered with a fresh, very high-quality re-paint and a recent engine build, but it’s not an intractable competition car – it was built and set up with driveability and reliability in mind and could be converted back to pure (fast!) road use without much difficulty.

Of course, it’s no converted Alpine, but a genuine Tiger with a certificate of authenticity from Sunbeam Tiger Owners’ Association in the USA and the Sunbeam Tiger Owners’ Club in the UK, where it’s a well known car both in Classic Rally circles and to the STOC.

To quote the vendor:

‘This car is on the button and requires no additional expense to enjoy successful historic rallying. From my detailed knowledge of the car and rallying I can honestly say that I cannot think of any additional mods that would improve the car – it’s literally all done.’

The paint is Mediterranean Blue, a correct Tiger colour and very pretty, if such a muscular car can be pretty. It’s a terrific finish, clearly flatted and polished up with skill and patience and it’s better than most roadgoing Tigers, never mind rallying examples. But this is no battered old rally warrior; it’s so straight and neat that it looks like it’s never crossed the start line.

It has, however, and on many occasions – hence the Cibie spotlamps, black-painted valance and sump guard that dominate the de-bumpered front end. There’s a towing eye at the front and a strap at the back for the same purpose, while the rear also features three (count ‘em!) reversing lights for maximum visibility to fellow competitors on night stages.

There are large mud-flaps to keep the gravel out of the crowd and off that lovely paint, and the car rides on perfect 14-in Minilites with 185/70 14 Avon CR6 ZZ radials, which look the part and suit the job in hand.

There is a luggage rack on the boot lid, the brightwork is excellent and even the lamp lenses are unmarked. The door gaps are superb and the bonnet only sits up on spacers at the back because it’s the period look for rallying Tigers of the 1960s, which had to get by without the huge aluminium radiators available today – and which this car has. Oh, and it's also sporting a brand new hood.

The interior is very presentable, if not as show-worthy as the exterior. It’s dominated by the Corbeau competition seats with new OMP harnesses, plus the bolt-in roll-bar rising behind the seats. The seats have seen a bit of action but apart from a nick to the side of the driver’s seat, are in very good condition. There is a conventional fly-off handbrake by the driver’s right hand and a hydraulic handbrake (which can be disabled when rally regs forbid it) on the transmission tunnel.

The dashboard wears many additions from the standard Tiger appearance, most notably the Brantz rally timer and trip meter, and the two digital stopwatches. There’s a switch panel in front of the gearstick (a Hurst shifter) to look after many of the modifications, and the vendor tells us there’s a wiring diagram with the car to cover the mods.

The green sun-dimming visors are a nice period touch, as is the Moto-Lita wheel. There are stickers from previous exploits all over the roll-hoop and the string map pocket on the passenger door with its accompanying bandolier of biros is something any rallyist will appreciate. There’s a large, in-date fire extinguisher fixed beneath the co-driver’s knees. The hood is very smart and a good, tight fit, while the vendor has also commissioned a tonneau cover that goes right over the roll-hoop.

The engine was rebuilt around five years ago but hasn’t seen much action since other than some careful running in on the road, so it’s very fresh. Quite how much power it makes we can’t tell you, as the owner never got around to putting it on a rolling road. But it’s a genuine five-bolt 289, built to rally specification…it sounds glorious and it feels bloody quick. The vendor, with a lot of racing and rallying experience behind him, offers his opinion: ‘The last thing this car needs is more power!’

Despite that, it’s not too intimidating to drive, thanks to capable brakes and some help from an electric power steering installation and a quick rack. As anyone who’s driven a Top Loader transmission in a Mustang or similar car knows, the gearshift is hefty but positive.

The engine bay wasn’t refinished at the same time as the exterior and so presents as honest and clean rather than super-smart. The underside of the car is dry and free of any corrosion bar the odd tinge of surface rust, plus a few scuffs from passing scenery, while the boot is somewhat reduced in capacity by a long-range fuel tank holding 18 gallons, and above it, a spare wheel.

There’s a lot more to know about the car’s mechanical specification – too much to list in full, so we’ll include the greatest hits here: limited-slip differential with lower 3.54:1 ratio for quick take-offs, anti-tramp bars, competition clutch, electric fan, twin coils and fuel pumps, adjustable dampers, uprated springs and bushes, fuel cooler, sports exhaust with retaining chains and skid plates, heat-wrapped exhaust headers.

This is about as complete a history file as you could wish to find. We can divide into two eras – the car’s life before it took to competition, and the enormous file of bills racked up since the vendor converted it to a more active lifestyle. For the latter, there is a total spend of something like £40,000.

Going back to earlier times, there are bills of sale from 1972 and 2008 (the car has had only four owners), plus a green log-book from 1967 and a stamped service book dated the same year. Although the car was built in 1965, it wasn’t registered until 1967; not unusual for expensive, high-performance cars in those less affluent days.

Almost all MoTs from 1976 to 2019 are present. There’s a recently expired FIVA identity card which can be renewed by the new owner, as well as the bills mentioned above, there are photographic records of quite a lot of work – one printed album and a whole CD of photos of the engine build. There are lots of handwritten notes from assessments and inspections, plus to-do lists.

We suggest you invest some time to go through the photos of the history – although there are heaps of them, we had to leave out many more – and you’ll get a feel for how much has been done, and how diligently records have been kept. If this car needed something, it got it.

We’ve put an estimate on this car of £50,000 to £70,000. Compare that with the prices asked for unmodified roadgoing Tigers in equally nice condition: they’re about the same, and sometimes more.

That makes a car like this, with immense recent expenditure and mind-bending performance, something of a steal. Remember the difference between a pretty-looking restored car and one that’s truly sorted. The vendor has been over the Stelvio Pass in 36-degree weather without the car overheating, which isn’t something you’d try in every Tiger.

Then there’s the rallying side. This is a genuinely competitive car that can offer trophies as well as thrills for anyone with a will to be near the front. When the right kind of events open up again (and this Tiger will be welcome at anything from single-day road rallies to marathon overseas challenges), all you need to do is arrive and drive…there’s no sorting out required.

And if you don’t want to go rallying, that roll-hoop un-bolts and the race buckets can be swapped for the original seats – the vendor has these for sale, along with the bumpers, chrome grille and steel hard-top roof for sale by separate negotiation. The first time you go steaming past an E-type roadster, you can ponder how much you’ve saved.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.