Works Tiger rally car for sale
One of five examples built set to go under the hammer at Rétromobile
One of five surviving works Sunbeam Tiger rally cars is for sale at Bonhams’ 7 February auction at Salon Rétromobile, Paris.
First built by Rootes’ Competition Department in 1964, the car competed in the Geneva, Tulip, Monte Carlo and Alpine rallies as a works car, taking a number of class wins before being rebodied in the winter of 1964/1965. A Belgian privateer racer bought the car in 1966 and campaigned it in Belgian and Dutch events. The Tiger’s contemporary racing career finally ended in the early 1970s.
The Tiger was restored to its 1966 specification in 1991, after which it competed in historic motor sport, being driven by famed rally driver, Rosemary Smith, on numerous occasions. It underwent a six-figure restoration in 2014, after which its historic motorsport career has continued, including competing in the Monte Carlo Historique. The car carries a pre-sale estimate of £170,000260,000.
Sunbeam Tiger Owners’ Club chairman, Lou Lusardi, said: ‘It’s a genuine car as far as I know; we had it on our club stand at the NEC about three years ago. It looks lovely, but it’s usable too, having competed in the Monte Carlo Historique.
‘Ex-works Ford Escorts sell for silly money, so perhaps it is worth £250,000, though I would be surprised if it goes quite that high’.
❚ bonhams.com
❚ sunbeamtiger.co.uk