Geoff Byrd's 1965 Sunbeam Tiger Racecar
Owner: Geoff ByrdCity: Alexandria, Virginia
Model: 1965 Sunbeam Tiger
Engine: Ford 289cid V8
Race prepared by: Geoff Byrd and Gilbert Grable
History of Sunbeam Motorcars
The Sunbeam Motorcar Company Ltd. was officially founded in 1905. However, company founder
John Marston had already produced hundreds of Sunbeam badged cars, starting from about 1901.
The Sunbeam brand goes back to 1877 when Marston founded the Sunbeamland Cycle Factory to
produce bicycles. (The brand had also already been applied to thousands of motorcycles.)
From 1910, Sunbeam Motorcar Company management began enthusiastically supporting a works
racing program. The initial focus was on land speed record cars which were primarily raced
at Brooklands, Britain's famous high-banked speedway. The Brooklands racetrack provided a
place for Sunbeam to test engineering ideas in an era when speed limits were capped at 20mph
throughout most of England and when no private proving grounds existed. Sunbeam grew quickly
and flourished, until World War One interrupted production and changed their direction.
During the war years Sunbeam produced a diverse range of airplane engines, motorcycles,
trucks, and ambulances.
After the great war, Sunbeam merged with a French manufacturer to create Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq
(a.k.a. "STD Motors"). This merger helped Sunbeam leverage itself into its golden age.
Sunbeam became an important player in Grand Prix racing. Even more famously, in the 1920s
Sunbeam was the most successful constructor of high horsepower speedway cars. The first
"Sunbeam Tiger" was a four-liter V12-powered land speed record attempt car, circa 1926.
Sunbeam's golden age reached its zenith on March 29, 1927 when their "1000hp" car
set a land speed record of 203.792mph!
Sadly, the original Sunbeam car company was decimated by the Great Depression. The brand
name and other remains of the company were purchased out of receivership by Lord Rootes
in 1935. Car production at Sunbeam's Wolverhampton factory ceased, and the old factory was
sold off. The brand "Sunbeam-Talbot" would henceforth be applied to badge engineered models
that many components with Rootes' larger brands: Hillman and Humber.
Over the next twenty-plus years, the Rootes Group only occasionally flirted with
sponsorship of racing. Their greatest victory occurred at the Monte Carlo Rally of 1955
in the form of a Sunbeam-Talbot 90 co-driven by Per Malling and Gunnar Fadum. However,
that victory didn't result in car sales. The Sunbeam-Talbot 90 had been discontinued a
year earlier, and the brand name Sunbeam-Talbot had been replaced by "Sunbeam" starting
in 1954 with introduction of that year's Alpine model.
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In 1959, Rootes Group introduced an all-new Sunbeam Alpine. The new Alpine was primarily
targeted at the U.S. market. Sales results were very respectable, considering the scale
of Rootes' investment and the size of its distribution network. Ten years of Alpine
sales would result in a total of 69,251 Alpines produced. Credit for the Alpine's design,
including styling, belongs to Kenneth Howes assisted by Jeff Crompton. Howes had previously
worked on styling for Ford's first generation Thunderbird (circa 1955-1957). Just for
perspective, first generation Ford Thunderbird sales totaled 53,166 cars over three
production years. Interestingly, Ford abandoned the sports car market shortly before
Rootes entered. The Alpine enjoyed some popularity in SCCA club racing, particularly in
the early sixties. In professional racing, the Alpine's greatest success was at 1961's
24 Hours of LeMans where an Alpine based special won the Thermal Index of Efficiency.
(The thermal index prize considers both miles completed and fuel consumed during the race.)
The distinctive Sunbeam Tiger grille emblem.
Chassis No.: B9471121 identifies this as a Mk1 Tiger, 1 of 3762 built between June 64 and August 65.
Chassis No. Suffix: L = left hand drive, R = roadster, X = non-standard, FE = Ford Engine.
Introduction of the Sunbeam Tiger
In 1964, Rootes Group revived the Tiger name for a V8 powered version of the Alpine.
Inspired by the Shelby Cobra, Rootes' West Coast Sales Manager Ian Garrad is credited
with instigating development of the Tiger. Two prototypes were commissioned: the first
produced by George Boskoff of Carroll Shelby's shop and the second produced by veteran
sportscar racer Ken Miles. (Miles had previously been employed by Shelby too, but his
influence is far broader than that.) The first prototype is said to have cost Sunbeam
$10,000 whereas the second only cost $600. Both prototypes were judged successful in
that they demonstrated feasibility. Negotiations with Ford commenced. Meanwhile,
Sunbeam signed a contract with Jensen to industrialize the Tiger concept and to actually
assemble Ford engines into modified versions of the Alpine body and chassis. Only
7,085 Tigers were produced over four model years. Production of the Tiger was curtailed
when Chrysler Corporation purchased Rootes Group in June 1967.
Features and Specifications
| Engine: | Ford 289cid V8.
Edelbrock F4B dual-plane hi-rise aluminum intake manifold.
Holley 4150-series (part# 80451) four barrel carburetor.
Gauze air filter.
Ford distributor.
MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition system, with rev limiter chipped at 6800rpm.
MSD Blaster ignition coil.
MSD Super Conductor 8.5mm spark plug wires.
Canton deep sump oil pan.
Fram oil filter. |
| Cooling: | Griffin aluminum crossflow radiator.
Remote mounted aluminim header tank.
Electric fan. |
| Exhaust: | four-into-one headers with crossover. |
| Transmission: | Ford Toploader 4-speed manual.
Hurst gear selector.
Wilwood 3/4" clutch slave cylinder. |
| Rear Axle: | Dana 44. |
| Front Susp.: | MG Midget steering rack, installed using Dale's Restorations kit.
Koni shock absorbers. |
| Rear Susp.: | Penske tube-type shock absorbers.
Panhard rod. |
| Brakes: | (master) Wilwood tandem master cylinder. Wilwood proportioning valve on rear circuit. (front) Wilwood Billet Dynalite four piston calipers and vented rotors. (rear) Wilwood Billet Dynalite four piston calipers and vented rotors. |
| Wheels/Tires: | (front) Panasport 8-spoke 6"x13" aluminum wheels with Avon AC B10 Sport 215/50/13 85V tires, (rear) Performance (a.k.a. Superlite) 8-spoke 7"x13" aluminum wheels with Avon AC B10 Sport 245/45/13 89V tires. |
| Electrical: | Ford Motorcraft alternator with oversize pulley.
Ford starter. |
| Instruments: | (left to right)
Jaeger fuel level gauge (0-11g),
Jaeger speedometer (0-140mph),
engine oil pressure (0-80psi),
AutoMeter Sport-Comp tachometer (0-8000rpm),
Lucas ammeter,
engine coolant temperature (100-250F),
ammeter (+/-60A), and
Autometer Sport-Comp engine oil temperature (140-280F). |
| Fuel System: | Fuel Safe 18-gallon fuel cell.
Holley "red" electric fuel pump.
Fram fuel filter. |
| Safety Eqpmt: | G-Force 5-point latch-and-link safety harness.
Kirkey aluminum racing seat.
Quick release steering wheel hub, on a Grant steering wheel.
Amerex manual fire extenguisher. |
| Weight: | 2350#, per class rules. |
| Racing Class: | B-Production |
Engine Installation
This Tiger has a Ford 289 (4.00" bore x 2.87" stroke) V8 engine, although
it was originally built with a Ford 260 (3.80" x 2.87").
Aluminum cylinder heads are prohibited by class rules, so the engine has iron heads.
Griffin aluminum crossflow radiator with electric cooling fan.
Wilwood tandem brake master cylinder, and Wilwood 3/4" clutch slave cylinder.
MSD Super Conductor 8.5mm spark plug wires.
Where Ford would have installed a mechanical fuel pump, Geoff has installed an extra
crankcase vent. (This car, like all Sunbeam Tigers, has an electric fuel pump.)
Holley 4150-series (part# 80451) 4bbl carburetor.
Edelbrock F4B dual-plane high-rise aluminum intake manifold.
Gauze air filter.
Ford distributor. MSD Blaster ignition coil.
Geoff runs a Ford Motorcraft alternator with an oversize pulley to reduce drag on the engine.
Extra voltage, compared to running without alternator, ensures that his MSD ignition will
work properly at high rpm. There's no weight savings to be had by eliminating an alternator
because class rules mandate a 25 pound weight penalty for alternator removal.
Canton deep sump oil pan.
Four into one exhaust headers, with a crossover pipe.
Calvin and Hobbes decal, located on the slam panel.
Fram fuel filter. Holley "red" electric fuel pump.
Fuel Safe 18-gallon fuel cell.
Front Suspension
MG Midget steering rack, installed using Dale's Restorations kit. Sunbeam Tigers came
with rack-and-pinion steering, but with poor geometry. Replacing the Sunbeam rack and
and the steering arms on the uprights (often with MGB arms) is a common racing mod.
Converting from tapered tie rod ends to Heim joints makes it easier to shim for bump steer
reduction and also easier to adjust toe-in/toe-out. Afco provides the necessary hardware.
At its outer ends, the Tiger anti-sway bar follows the contours of the lower control arms.
Large aluminum dual piston brake calipers and vented rotors.
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Rear Suspension
Dana 44 rear axle.
Penske shock absorbers.
Panhard bar attachment to the rear axle.
The installation height of the Panhard rod determines roll center location.
Panhard bar attachment to the body.
Leaf spring front mounting points.
Nice detail: a nifty web between spring shackle flanges adds stiffness.
Interior
Original walnut burl veneer dashboard.
(left to right) fuel level gauge, Jaeger speedometer (140mph), engine oil pressure gauge, AutoMeter
Sport-Comp tachometer (8000rpm), Lucas ammeter, coolant temperature gauge, another ammeter,
and an Autometer Sport-Comp engine oil temperature (140-280F).
Quick release steering wheel hub, on a Grant steering wheel.
Kirkey aluminum racing seat.
Hurst gear selector for the Ford Toploader 4-speed transmission.
Removeable cover for easy access to the transmission.
Wilwood brake proportioning valve, plumbed into the rear circuit.
MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition system controller, with rev limiter chipped at 6800rpm.
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The rollcage's side intrusion bar is curved to provide additional elbow room.
The rollcage's side intrusion bar protrudes into the door's cavity.
Careful thought and work has gone into making seat adjustment both convenient and safe.
This way, Geoff can easily share driving with friend and teammate Gilbert Grable.
Seat adjustment provisions include both seat rails and also this backrest support.
Roll cage construction details.
Inspection holes have been drilled so safety inspectors may check roll hoop tube thickness.
Sunbeam Alpine's came with their batteries mounted behind the passenger seat. On Tigers,
dual exhaust conflicted with this location so Sunbeam instead put batteries in the trunk.
Geoff has made modifications to move his battery forward. Here you can see that his
battery box lid is stamped: "GRABLE RACING - BATT BOX - TIGER"
Exterior
Our photos are from November 2010 when we viewed Geoff's Tiger at the Vintage Racer Group's
annual Turkey Bowl race weekend at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, near Washington DC.
Geoff and his good friend Gilbert live nearby, in Northern Virginia.
The two friends shared driving opportunities throughout the Turkey Bowl weekend.
Black helmet: Geoffrey Byrd. White helmet: Gilbert Grable.
One easy-to-spot external difference between early (Mk1) and later (Mk1A and Mk2) Tigers
is the shape of the bottom corner of the doors. Sunbeam started production with rounded
corners (as shown here), but went to square corners after producing about 3762 Tigers.
Turn signal lamps have been deleted in favor of brake cooling ducts. A second
pair of brake ducts are located lower down, on either side of the radiator.
Emergency kill switch.
Low-profile molded acrylic windscreen.
GT Classic mirror.
Sunbeam Tiger exterior door handle.
Sunbeam Tiger fuel filler cap.
GSB Racing decal.
Panasport 8-spoke 6"x13" aluminum wheels with Avon AC B10 Sport 215/50/13 85V tires.
Performance (Superlite) 8-spoke 7"x13" aluminum wheels with Avon AC B10 Sport 245/45/13 89V tires.
Photos shown here are from November 2010 when we viewed the car at the Vintage Racer Group's annual
Turkey Bowl at Summit Point West Virginia. All photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com,
copyright 2011. All rights reserved.
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