Time to get your claws into a Sunbeam Tiger

I’ve told you several times to keep watching Sunbeam Tigers carefully. They had a very good year in 2019 with some strong international sales results. In fact if you look at the price curve since 2015, Tigers have steadily increased in value and 2019 represents a high-water mark. The Americans have always loved them and US prices have been historically stronger than here. But that’s a fact worth remembering – because out of the 7085 Tigers built, only a small proportion were rhd, so Uksupplied versions are much rarer than US cars.

Prices here are beginning to reflect this now, with Silverstone in November selling a very fine and fully restored (but not standard) ’65 for £65,250. In September Brightwells sold the first production rhd – a blue, restored ’65 for £57,120, and in May it dispatched a well-restored ’66 for £55,500. Good standard-spec, right-hook, homedelivered cars are now firmly between £45k and £65k and likely to keep on gently rising. Shame we didn’t realise that back in 2015 when Historics sold an early ’65 press car in fine original condition that was featured in period magazine road tests plus an appearance in a 1965 Noel Coward film. That went for a bargain £35,840. You can double that now. The odd one still pops up for £35k online and if it’s a genuine UK car, not overly modified and doesn’t need much work, it’s worth buying. Look for cars in standard spec and check that the 260 4.2 V8 is numbersmatching because many had 289 or 302 engine transplants in the Seventies. As long as Cobras keep on rising, so will Tigers as the Carroll Shelby effect still has a strong upward pull on values. But don’t forget the Tiger’s other compelling virtues – that hair-raising V8 soundtrack and the fact that even on a slightly damp road you can get the rear wheels spinning in every single gear.