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Sunbeam Tiger Mk1

Sunbeam Tiger Mk1

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Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Sunbeam Tiger Mk1Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Lot number 161
Hammer value £57,120
Description Sunbeam Tiger Mk1
Registration DHS 350C
Year 1965
Colour Midnight Blue
Engine size 4,261 cc
Chassis No. B9471830HROFE
Engine No. 9471830HROFE
Documents V5C; correspondence with the the ST Owners Club; ownership history; invoices

AMENDMENT -  Due to a small amount of paperwork in the file for this car that relates to a different vehicle, please make yourself aware of the following: 

Since cataloguing this car, it is important to note that it has become evident that the engine is NOT a replacement and is stamped as June/July 1964 and therefore is believed to be the original 260ci unit. Although there are many invoices that have surfaced since the time of cataloguing, photographs of any restoration have not. It is not clear whether Brian Postle was involved in the restoration although a number of parts were purchased from the Sunbeam Spares Company. Not necessarilly a prototype but certainly known as the first right hand drive production Tiger.

Probably the finest Tiger in the world? Well, perhaps that would be hyperbole, but it is probably the best we have seen here at Brightwells – and we have had quite a number pass under our gavel.

However, DHS 350C is not just a pretty face, it is, in fact, the very first production right-hand drive Tiger produced by Sunbeam.

Well-known within the Sunbeam Tiger Owners’ Club, DHS 350C has featured in the club magazine “The Cat’s Whiskers” on a number of occasions. The car is only for sale following the death of its long-term owner, Mike Griffiths, an occasional contributor to the whiskers himself.

The car is thought to have been one of six prototypes used for testing by the factory and was sold as a production model to one of Sunbeam’s dealers in Scotland who had seen the car during its testing phase and had been so impressed with it that he bought it. One thing - in fact – two things that didn’t impress him, however, were the seats, which he removed and replaced with competition bucket seats sourced from the Rootes’ factory sporting accessory catalogue. The car is still fitted with those seats.

The first owner kept the car until his death, in the late 1970s, when it passed to a family member. The car was traded on, in 1980, for – of all things – an Austin Healey 3000. The car is believed to have then gone into storage before being bought by Mike Griffiths in 1989. Mr Griffiths was initially unaware of the importance of the car but discovered the fact accidentally some years alter, with STOC historians subsequently confirming its provenance.

The car was then restored over a number of years from 1994 onwards. The total cost of the restoration is believed to have been in the region of £40,000, which was a considerable sum at the time. There are receipts for parts and work on file and it is hoped that more history and photographs will be supplied in time for the sale.

The restoration work was carried out by Brian Postle at The Sunbeam Spares Company in Consett, Co. Durham. As many of the original main components as possible were retained during the rebuild: engine, gearbox, rear axle, bodyshell and interior. Other parts were replaced or refurbished as appropriate, including new genuine Minlite alloy wheels, a new hood, wiring loom and a host of new brake, steering and suspension parts, plus a stainless steel exhaust system.

In more recent times, the engine was replaced with a new Ford 289 cu. in. (4,727cc) V8 as used in the later MK2 Tiger and the AC Cobra (which, like the Tiger, had also been developed by Carroll Shelby). The new engine was stripped, ‘blueprinted’, balanced and generally turned into a fast road engine, at a cost of £9,000. This included the fitting of new Edelbrock aluminium cylinder heads, new pistons, uprated cam, and Edelbrock carburettor. The original, and very rare, air filter was retained. Please note the amendment above especially regarding this paragraph.

The result is a car that not only looks fabulous but sounds fabulous too. Mr and Mrs Griffiths covered many miles in the rebuilt car and enjoyed trips at home and abroad including several visits to Le Mans.

This is an extremely fine Tiger that has been completely restored and cared for by a real enthusiast. It is impressive without being excessive and the Midnight Blue paintwork suits it down to the ground.

A subtle ‘60s supercar, perhaps the only indication of its true nature are the louvred bonnet and twin tail pipes (and the sound they produce): awesome, we are told. But then, so is the rest of the car.

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