Chassis Number: B382000653
According to the Sunbeam Tiger Production Record, 000653 was finally assembled on October 12, 1965, prior to being finished in Mediterranean Blue, fitted with a hard top and shipped to the United States. After import to the U.K. by Bruce Stevens, the Tiger was purchased by our vendor in 1990 and U.K. registered on January 30, 1991.
As always with long-term ownership and extensive rebuilding, there is no room here to detail the tens of thousands spent, so it’s best to refer to the four-volume Owner’s File.
Fitted with an aluminum boot lid and hard top (the only ex-Works units known to exist; three sets were originally made for Rootes Works cars), this versatile Tiger was adapted to circuit racing later in the 1990s, competing at Silverstone, Lydden Hill, Donnington and Snetterton. Subsequently, the car was occasionally used as a road car before being allowed to rest for a few years.
The decision was taken in 2014 to awaken 000653, and the second major rebuild of its life was entrusted to Automotive Solutions in 2015–17, repairing any minor damage from earlier years but with all body panels remaining as-original, including the aluminum hard top and boot lid.
For this rebuild, a complete Ford 289 Hi-Po (FIA-spec) engine was sourced. The engine is a genuine 1965 unit, verified by EDA in the history file. The full spec is in the file but includes a Tilton twin-plate competition clutch, Salisbury LSD rear axle, Thruxton-spec four-pot aluminum calipers with vented discs, Tilton starter, Holley Blue fuel pump, servo, MSD ignition and a competition battery. A Zero-360 FIA fire extinguisher system and a Safety Devices FIA-spec full roll cage were fitted. The engine was dynoed at 397 hp.
The detailed files contain photos of many parts that would allow rebuilding to a full road-spec vehicle and are included in the price.
