9th Oct 2005, 03:35

Shades of Maxwell Smart!

Agent 86 of CONTROL loved his Tiger too. The recently deceased Don Adams took a Tiger as part of his salary for playing the bumbling superspy and kept it for a while after the series ended.

Apparently, the car was crashed twice while he owned it, each time by a different daughter of his.

Sorry about that, Chief!

28th Jan 2007, 15:27

Tigers are really cool cars. Everyone I meet loves my Tiger, whether young or old.

What I like is that all the power is available whatever the revs; you just squeeze the pedal and it growls and goes. The first gear goes to nearly 60 mph, so you there is no need for a hurried change of gear from a standing start. I went alongside an Alpha V6 from the lights, anfd he was frantically changing gear trying to keep in the power band, but he couldnt get past me. I just held that old first gear forever!

24th Jun 2007, 01:46

Responding to the last post of 28th Jan, I had exactly the same experience with an Alpha V6! I can't believe the coincidence. He was revving himself into a froth, and my (completely stock) Tiger 260 just stayed ahead right until the next road junction ended the race!

And I too love the high first gear. There is so much torque, you just take off without even trying and it flies.

I have done a couple of track days too, and the handling is totally predictable. Can't quite beat the hot hatches on the corners, or the turbos on the straights, but nothing else can match the great sound of the V8! There is surprisingly little body roll too, but a good set of low profile rubber certainly helps in the cornering department!

24th Jun 2007, 17:46

I rode in a mid 60's Griffith belonging to a kid in my high school possessing a small block Cobra. I imagine it would be very similiar to this model in some respects. Really cool fast car!

24th Aug 2007, 07:17

Totally agree with Jan 07 comment. My brother had a Tiger and I had an Alpine. Of course he would blow my doors off on any straight roads, but on a totally winding road (our local one was called Snake Road), he would brake hard for the corners while the Alpine was capable of nice four wheel drifts through the corners.

29th Apr 2008, 18:12

I bought my 65 Sunbeam Tiger in 1976, it had 200,000 miles at the time, soon I rebuilt her from end to end. I now (2008) have

300,000 miles and we are still going strong, tho 32 years older (both of us). The Tiger has been a wonderful friend for all these years. Totally a blast to drive and performance driving helps to keep me young at 77 years of age. I live in the mountains of South Carolina where there are plenty of great mountains to charge up.

These cars are really cheap to keep up, no computer or weird electronics, of course no AC and not much of a heater. and best of all no rust, still wears the original BRG paint. I have had more expensive cars, but none with more fun per mile.

Always gets you noticed. best regards to all.

8th May 2008, 14:47

I had a 1966 Tiger that had a 302 installed. The stock tires lasted about 4 months. When the rears "thinned out", I replaced them with the fronts. I replaced those tires with some B5013s. I owned that for 17 years. Keeping within the speed limit, I could raise my adrenalin level to the point I would still be shaking by the time I got to work. I loved that car.

17th Sep 2008, 01:47

Hey, what do you think about a supercharged 3.8 drive train from a 1997 TB in 1967 Sunbeam mark 5?

21st May 2009, 00:17

I bought my sweatheart 1966 Sunbeam Tiger in 1976. Traded a nice 72 Karmann Ghia and 66 Ford Econoline van and some cash for. Loved the car. Mine was surprisingly reliable and just a blast to drive. The rearend was tall 2:86 so it wore out 2 clutches in 4 years. Getting away from a stop was a real chore with a first gear that was like second gear on most cars. Wow! It sounded great and handled pretty good except on wet surfaces. I couldn't really wear out the rear tires. The rears lasted 4 years and 41,+++ miles.

Tigger got about 20 miles to the gallon. The car also never needed a heater. The engine was so close to the firewall that your feet very were toasty in the summer, and warm and comfy in winter.

Wish I never sold Tigger. he got me a lot of chicks back in the day.

1st Sep 2009, 14:07

Bought the Tiger car back in 1972. More smiles per mile, reliable, ease of maintenance once the brake, clutch, slave masters were sleeved. That way the aluminum alloy pitting stopped in these hydraulic work horses. Just had the Tiger out with top down on a wonderful summer day in August 09. Car still brings more smiles per mile after all these years.

12th Feb 2012, 20:15

Tiger weight distribution is 49% front, 51% rear.

Alpine weight distribution is 51% front, 49% rear.

The V-8 engine is set back in the frame and the battery is moved to the trunk. Also the spare tire is laid down and further back in the Tiger.

6th Aug 2020, 21:41

Yes, the engine compartment on the Tiger was tight or cramped compared to American iron with humongous space under hood. As newer cars and engineering advanced and cluttered under hoods, the Tiger began to look easy to work on under the hood.

All the "chirpers" writing about the rear spark plug extraction? So what that one has to pull down some driver's side floor carpet, snap buttoned in place. So what a long quarter drive extension does put the plug socket right on that rear plug. Hey, it remains an easy service for knees under 38 years old. The "chirpers" constantly complain how a hard plug change is on a Tiger? Not so!

And all this complaint about electricals? My Tiger has Jaeger gauges, still original and no issues. Even the fuel gauge registers fuel in the tank at 50+ years. Younger writers "chirp" repeat what they read and so goes the misinformation.

Take the braking system. All one has to do with the brake master is sleeve it with brass. Do that one time and simple rebuild kits respond nicely with a smooth non pitted brass cylinder. Same applies with the clutch. Pull clutch master off firewall and also slave below. Send them in to get sleeved. Voila... end of problems. Brass won't pit like the aluminum factory surface.

Look these stock Tigers run forever. I don't mean "run forever" like Honda and Toyota which fill up the junk yards today. The Ford 260 V-8 runs 50+ years folks. And if tired of seeing smoke at start up, just stop putting those umbrella valve steam seals on. Instead use PC guide seals or equivalent? A permanent stainless steal wire always squeezes the neoprene rubber seal against the valve stems. As wear occurs, the neoprene moves closer to the valve stem because the stainless steel spring wrapped around the neoprene keeps the seal up against the valve stem as wear occurs. So eliminates the stock valve stem umbrella smoking at start. Your Ford 260 V-8 will last longer than import or Japanese.

Imagine the surprise at Ford? The 260 c.i.d. pistons had four ring grooves. But Ford only used the top three ring grooves, leaving the lower ring groove empty... The surprise came when the bottom ring groove, having nothing in it, filled up with oil soaked debris and particles, which surprisingly super lubricated the piston and cylinder walls. Ford wanted to save money and ended up making one of the best lubricating pistons ever produced in mass production.

Ford would have been wise to leave a fourth un-used ring groove in more engines.

It didn't hurt when Jay Leno of the "Tonight Show" said he prefers the small block Ford over the small block Chevy. That chapped the anatomy of some bowtie boys.

In closing the Tiger wasn't problematic. The 260 runs forever. It's both easy to understand and work on. Yes, I've heard plenty that Lucas electrical sucks? But my Tiger has Jaeger gauges that remain original to this day, all still working.

Someone out there likes to repeat my writings under their own name? "Chirpers" and plagiarist, not unlike today's magazine writers whom repeat one another without shame. Pitiful.

Cheers!

DMS