The 52-year-long devoted ownership of a man and his Tiger 260.

By Bill Bulpitt             

I have owned my 1966 Sunbeam Tiger 260 for 52 years. I did not plan it that way; it just happened, and anyone that knows me well pretty much considers the car a part of me. 

          As I was getting ready to leave Georgia Tech to go into the Air Force in 1972, I began thinking of something more “exciting” in the transportation department. I spent some time going over old magazines in the Georgia Tech library, including the previous ten years of Road & Track and Car and Driver.  From several directions the signs pointed to Sunbeam Tigers.

          In High School I had been a hot rodder and an avid reader of car magazines.  Of course, I had followed the Cobra birth and legend through the years starting in 1962 and was vaguely familiar with the links (and similarities) between Cobras and Tigers. I knew that Carroll Shelby and his organization had played a major part in bringing the Tiger into existence. In particular, whenever I had seen and heard one on the street, the V-8 rumble had caught my attention, since it seemed out of character in a “Little British Car.” I decided I wanted to find a Tiger because it was a fast car at a reasonable price (less than $2,000) at the time; a used Cobra was out of reach. Basically, I wanted a British sports car because they were fun to drive, but I also wanted something with V-8 power, so I wanted a Tiger.

          Immediately after buying the car, I joined the largest Sunbeam Tiger Club. At that time, the club had over 1,000 members, which was pretty impressive considering only about 5,500 Tigers in total came to North America. The Club’s monthly newsletter was full of technical tips, parts suppliers, and news of various gatherings around the country. It became apparent that I had essentially joined a “car cult” and began to make friends in the hobby that I have had ever since. One of the beauties of Sunbeam Tiger ownership is that the fraternity is rather small but very helpful to each other in terms of keeping the cars on the road – another major reason to like Sunbeam Tiger ownership.

          Another reason to like a Tiger is the attention it always draws. It’s hard to go to a gas station or the hardware store without someone striking up a conversation about the car. Questions asked often include: “What model Triumph is that?” Or another conversation will start with: “I had a friend that had one of those, and riding in it scared me to death!”

          Living in Atlanta, Georgia, when I take my Tiger to car shows it always fits in somehow. At the British shows I’m certainly in the minority in comparison to MGs, Triumphs or Austin Healeys, but that results in more interest in the stylish Sunbeam. Also, when I go to open car shows with many muscle cars or hot rods, the Tiger generates interest when the V-8 in this small car is discussed, and people begin to think how quick it must be.

          When I’m asked what it’s like to drive, I respond: “It has good acceleration, but the brakes are probably not as good as they should be, and while the handling was fair enough for the 1960s, it is not going to keep up on a switchback road with a 911.” Years ago, I installed a hi-po 289-cu.in. V-8 for better performance, so every so often I will surprise a Mustang in a stoplight grand prix, but at my age, I don’t do that so much anymore.

          Since 1973, this car has been through many adventures and misadventures, including a fairly bad wreck at Road Atlanta in 1979 during a Shelby Club track day. On another occasion at Road Atlanta, Carroll Shelby was Grand Marshal of the SCCA runoffs, and my car was in the pre-race parade laps. He then signed all the cars that were in the laps including my Tiger’s trunk lid.

          During the last 50 years, I have rebuilt its engine three times, had the body painted four times and performed “sympathetic” restorations on most of the components during my ownership. It’s not a show car but a nice driver, and it has allowed me to compete in many club events over the years, gaining me a lot of good friends along the way. It is currently showing approximately 160,000 miles.

          I have tried to be quite active in the several Sunbeam Tiger clubs, becoming a certified authenticity inspector, and have put on a major “Tigers United” show in Atlanta and helped organize several other shows in the southeast where Tigers have been featured. I also assembled a class of Tigers for the Hilton Head Concours a couple of years ago.

          My son has helped me maintain the Tiger over the past few years,k and he knows it will get passed on to him eventually. To sum things up, I never thought I would own any car for nearly 50 years, but it has certainly been more than transportation to me. During the recent pandemic, having the car as a hobby was helpful in keeping me busy on doing small detail items that I might not have otherwise done.