This car is most well know for being the model driven by Maxwell Smart in the original series "Get Smart." It is a great little car with a V8, better handling than a Lotus, and very crash-worthy (for its day and size)... Sunbeams are made by Rootes Group, Ltd. in England; therefore it was rare to find Left-Hand Drive versions of the car. Although this was the case at first, it is not so much now. Many of these rusted to death in England; however, many have been restored here in the US.
Sunbeam took the Alpine (known as a non-sports coupe) and changed the frame somewhat, added better suspension and used a V8 motor from Ford. However, briefly in 1966 (and why I like it better) they used V8's from Ferrari. It was much lighter and gave more bang! They made the change because Ford could not keep up with their own needs for these V8's at that time and were having manufacturing issues. Good news for an independent company who can run out and get them from someplace else...
Lord Rootes was presented the first Tiger in 1964 and simply loved it. They started making them. In 1966 the Ford motor issue arose, and approx. 33 were made with the Ferrari motors.
1 comment:
That's some fancy driving there! I call shotgun!
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