Buying Classics Abroad
Sunbeam Tiger
Though it’s possible to acquire a decent, righthand drive Tiger in the UK, unrestored examples in top condition are virtually unheard of. If you’re a perfectionist and have a wallet strong enough to withstand the current poor exchange rate, you’ll probably enjoy scanning the classifieds in the USA, where Carrol Shelby’s involvement in the car’s development helped to ensure its sales success.
Corrosion is the single biggest reason to import, says John Drew, a Sunbeam Tiger Owners Club (sunbeamtiger.co.uk) veteran who has owned many Tigers over nearly 50 years. John has imported numerous British classics from the States, preferring to search in Arizona and New Mexico, and is probably the only person brave enough to have imported a Tiger over the last couple of years.
‘They were built to rot,’ he warns. ‘In the late 1960s I had a Tiger with 9000 miles on the clock and even that had surface rust. There was also a fad in the UK for putting bitumen underseal on them (much more primitive than modern products) and that just made the rust worse.’
Prices vary wildly in the USA, tending to be strong due to the model’s popularity with modifiers and more purist enthusiasts alike. A poor survival rate – not entirely helped by the car’s propensity for throwing its back end into lamp posts – has kept supply relatively low in relation to demand.
John was lucky in finding a righthand drive car in the USA, helping him to secure a good price, but he has slight regrets. ‘In hindsight I maybe should have bought a left-hand drive one that had spent all its life in the USA, because my car does have a few small rust spots on it, probably originating from its first eight years spent in Europe’. Despite being a right-hooker, John’s car was first registered in Vienna.
‘There are some lovely one-owner cars for sale in dry States at the moment,’ John adds. ‘ You’re going to pay a lot of money for them – asking prices sometimes clear $100,000 – but you’ll get the best. Otherwise you can easily spend £20,000 bringing a Tiger up to scratch.’
Cars built for the USA had virtually identical spec to UK Tigers, the drive side being the only point of difference. The conversion to righthand drive isn’t a complex process but acquiring the parts has become difficult, so John recommends that left-hand drive is just something you learn to live with.
Prices are reportedly a little more attainable in mainland Europe, but you’ll need to check for corrosion just as carefully as you would for a UK car.