The Sunbeam Tiger was basically an American muscle car version of the British-built Alpine roadster. About seven thousand of them were built, and apparently, TV host and car guy Jay Leno had one.
The car was the brainchild of Richard R. Hovis and Walter McKenzie, who determined that the car could take the 260 cubic inch (4.3-liter) Ford Windsor V8 engine. Later on, the Mark 2 Sunbeam Tiger got a 200 horsepower 289 (4.7-liter) engine.
After that, Sunbeam got bought by Chrysler, and they couldn’t possibly sell a car with a Ford engine in it. This spelled the end of Tiger in 1967, so the Sunbeam was a three-year car. It’s a shame, because this car is a hybrid - American engine and European chassis.
After that, Sunbeam got bought by Chrysler, and they couldn’t possibly sell a car with a Ford engine in it. This spelled the end of Tiger in 1967, so the Sunbeam was a three-year car. It’s a shame, because this car is a hybrid - American engine and European chassis.