Buying a Mustang GT350 or a Tiger - No Bad Choices

One might have thought that my first Sunbeam Tiger experience (recently described here and and here) would have put me off that particular model of Little British Car for good. Instead, my drive from Connecticut to New Jersey in that well-worn example, not to mention my chagrin when all of its rusty warts were exposed, only intensified my desire to own a higher-quality Tiger at some point.

Over a decade later, that point finally came. It was December 1996. By chance, I had picked up a copy of the local Want Ad Press, and leafing through the “Cars For Sale” section, I found a listing from someone wishing to find a new home for a 1966 Tiger. Strangely enough, the contact number listed in the ad had the same first three digits as my home landline phone, meaning that the seller likely lived only a short distance away.

Looking through the membership roster for one of the Sunbeam car clubs I had joined, I was able to confirm that the seller was also a club member, and literally lived in the next town, about eight miles away from me. Amazingly, I had never noticed his Tiger at any of the events I’d attended. His ad description noted a relatively recent refurbishment by a well-known Sunbeam restorer in Pennsylvania, as well as an engine rebuild. Noting the phone number, I called one workday evening and we agreed to meet.

Single-marque car clubs are the most important resource for anyone considering the purchase of a classic car. The small membership cost will be repaid many times over.

Pulling up to the seller’s home, I noticed that he had pulled the Tiger out of his two-car garage in readiness for a test drive. While we exchanged Sunbeam tales for a while, I spied the vehicle parked in the other half of his garage- a 1966 Shelby GT350 Mustang, black with gold striping. I didn’t want to insult the owner’s intelligence by asking the usual, lame “Is it real?” question, but fortunately he had noticed that my gaze had temporarily wandered, and immediately said “Yeah, that’s a real Shelby…and I’m selling it, too.”

I passed up the chance to own the seller’s ’66 GT350H, identical to this one. (Source: www.kimballstock.com)

Needless to say, I didn’t see that curveball coming! In 1996, genuine GT350s were worth significantly more than Sunbeam Tigers, as they are now. I must admit to doing some quick driveway calculations involving bank balances and home equity loans, but in the end I remained focused on my intended prey.

The seller fired the Tiger up, letting it idle for a few minutes while he described what he knew of the car’s history. He had bought the 87,000-mile Tiger in 1984 at a classic-car auction in Atlantic City, New Jersey, one year after it had been refurbished by a well-respected Sunbeam guru in Pennsylvania (a club member with whom I was familiar). Within the last 500 miles, its original 260 V8 had been rebuilt and modified with a somewhat hotter cam, roller rockers, headers, and other internal mods. A 465-cfm four-barrel Holley carb replaced the original two-barrel unit. No dyno sheet was available, but the seller estimated the breathed-on 260’s horsepower output at roughly 200, a noticeable step up from its original 164-HP rating.

This was taken during a 1000-mile sports car rally sometime later, so I make no apologies for the dusty engine bay. Rootes really shoehorned that 260 V8 into the engine compartment!

Most of the other so-called “day two” modifications were appearance-related, from the finned Tiger rocker covers and oil pan, to a set of “pie cutter” mag wheels, all of which would have been available as accessories from the parts department of one’s friendly local Sunbeam dealer.

Some of the accessories and “merch” offered for the Tiger when new, and their 1966 prices.

On the inside, the original wood-rim steering wheel had been replaced with a Moto-Lita unit (not an improvement in my book), but the original wood veneer dash looked great. Though this Tiger lacked official authentication (a service provided on an irregular basis by qualified Sunbeam club members who inspect and certify the existence of specific Tiger build details), after reviewing records from the car’s previous owners as well as notes taken during the car’s refurbishment, I was convinced that it was, in fact, a true Tiger.

Unquestionably 1960s (and earlier) British, a row of gauges set into a wooden plank. Essential to completely enjoy the driving experience, though.

The seller initially took the wheel as we headed out for a test drive on some of the two-lane highways rolling through the hills and valleys of Morris County. With its engine mods and healthy –but hardly annoying– exhaust note, the Tiger’s response was quick and smooth. Unlike my previous purchase, there were no squeaks, rattles, or other unusual noises. This car was surprisingly tight for a thirty year-old British sports model, another welcome difference from my Connecticut rust bucket.

Those impressions were only intensified when I slid behind the wheel, restraining the impulse to drive quite as enthusiastically as did the seller. After returning to the seller’s home, a deposit was quickly handed over, and a handshake deal was done. In this case, there was no repeat of the “Are you sure?” seller’s query I heard a decade ago.

I was convinced that this was the Tiger for me. After nearly thirty years of sports car club events, multiple-day rally competitions, and ownership, and lots of fun top-down drives to nowhere in particular, that’s still the case.