Most 1960s cars associated with Carroll Shelby are expensive, starting at around $150K and moving well past a million dollars. Many enthusiasts think that the easiest/inexpensive way into a true classic Shelby vehicle is with one of the later GT350s. Honestly, there is a different option to get the Shelby experience that in some ways is more interesting than a comparable Shelby Mustang. That car is the Sunbeam Tiger. A 1967 example of this British-American hybrid is currently offered on AutoHunter by the selling dealer with spare 260 engine block, steel hood, certificate of authenticity, and clear title.
The Sunbeam Tiger was born due to the company’s need to make the Sunbeam Alpine (on which the Tiger is based) a higher-performance car. Sunbeam initially contacted Ferrari about using one of its four-cylinder engines, but eventually it would commission Shelby to develop a V8 version of the Alpine using the Ford 260ci small-block V8. There is more to the story but, in essence, Shelby developed the Tiger for $10,000, and Sunbeam bought a bunch of Ford V8s and built the Shelby-developed cars in England. Shelby supported the car with a number of LAT (Los Angeles Tiger) performance parts that made the Tiger an even better vehicle. Production ran from 1964-67, with a total of 7,083 Tigers produced.
The seller describes this Embassy Black 1967 Tiger being powered by a 289ci V8 mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
The seller goes on to say that this Tiger received a restoration roughly 25 years ago. During that time, it had its 260ci V8 swapped with a performance-enhanced 289ci V8, with a five-speed manual in place of the old factory four-speed. That should work to give this Tiger quite a power bump over a stock example. This Tiger also features a black soft top and a fiberglass MKII hood. The 13-inch aluminum mag wheels are wrapped in 185/70 series tires.
The interior of this Tiger looks to be in excellent condition, with both the black vinyl upholstery and wood trim needing no excuses. Other features include a wood rim steering wheel, Jaeger instrumentation, and floor-mounted manual shifter.
Under the lies the Ford 289 V8 with a Holley four-barrel carburetor mounted on an Edelbrock aluminum intake. It also features a chrome air cleaner, correct “Tiger Powered by Ford” aluminum valve covers, Racing Concepts aluminum radiator, electric fuel pump, and electric cooling fan.
Known imperfections include a soft top that has shrunk and will not attach properly, some solvent pop seen on a lower panel, and a minor ding on the passenger door.
On the plus side, the car includes a spare 260 engine block, original steel hood, and certificate of authenticity.
I have a bit of time behind the wheel of these cars, having driven three different examples. It is the fastest little British roadster ever and offers a lot of fun behind the wheel. It will surprise your friends driving muscle cars due to low weight combined with muscle-car levels of horsepower. The Tiger can be summed up with the word fun.
Yes, the Tiger may be the cheapest way to enter the Shelby automotive world, yet it is as substantial as more expensive Shelby creations. Skip the Mustang and step up to the plate to his hybrid because the auction for this 1967 Sunbeam Tiger ends Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (PST).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery
