Hey Erich,
In a message dated 1/6/98 7:32:30 PM, you wrote:
<<How can I conclusively identify it as
an authentic Tiger instead of an Alger or some other clone?>>
Having just bought a Tiger I went through the same process over the last
couple of months. Please bear in mind that I am far from being an expert at
anything, let alone evaluating Tigers.
Sorry, but I doubt you can ever be really sure about authenticity... The
TACers--for what they consider good and sufficient reasons--do not disclose
the "maker's marks" on which they base their certification. Remember that the
TAC cert merely certifies that the chassis was a Tiger when it left the
factory. Beyond that, it does not certify "authenticity." This is to say
that a vehicle with a Chevy 350 or a Sunbeam 4 banger could very well have a
TAC cert.
Interestingly enough, TAC certs can even be issued to vehicles that have
fraudulent VIN tags. That, to me, is the thing you really need to be aware of
and beware of. Based on the literature and online exchanges, it appears to be
fairly common practice for Alpine converters (aka, "vile unspeakable
modefilers") to remove the VIN tag from a Tiger and stick it onto a re-engined
Alpine. Depending on who you listen to, this either "preserves an otherwise
unrestorable Tiger" or "creates a counterfeit Tiger."
I personally know of several instances when this swapping of VIN tags was
done. This was the main reason that I eventually decided to limit my Tiger
Hunt to TAC'd vehicles.
Personally, I see absolutely nothing wrong with an Alpine conversion provided
it is acknowledged as such. Based on what I saw in my hunt, the marketplace
seems to say that conversions are "worth" about 2/3's of what an equivalent
Tiger is worth (if the car is worth 15K as a Tiger, it is worth 10K as a
conversion).
Certainly, the VIN tags were the key thing to me. If they had been removed
and "reapplied," I had no interest.
The Tiger's speed is also a concern... They are so fast and so fun that quite
a few have been EXTENSIVELY campaigned as racers and in autocross. Why buy a
car that has been beat to death? I would suggest that you try to determine a
car's history for at least the last few years before buying unless you have
already decided on a ground up restoration.
As far as I can tell, the Tiger's biggest inherent weakness is that it seems
to be prone to rust. In my case, that meant my hunt centered on California.
Actually, I would have preferred a car in the LA area but there didn't seem to
be anything available while there were several in the Bay Area, so that's
where I went.
Based on what I saw, prices for TAC certified cars are all over the map.
Basically, for over 20K you can buy a totally restored car. 15 to 20K will get
you a very, very nice car--pristine, good running with two tops and an
immaculate body and with a well documented history limited to 2 or 3 owners.
10 to 15K is a very nice, very good running but cosmetically flawed car. 8 to
10K is a car that needs considerable work--body, paint, interior--but is still
strong running.
Below 8K the cars are basket cases or poor conversions.
This list is a good place to start your hunt. Just post for the world that
you are hunting and state approximately what you can spend and see what
happens. Also be aware that the basic question you raised regarding "how do
you tell...." is the subject for much acrimonious comment on this list.
The most touted book is Norm Miller's Book of Norman, $58 plus shipping,
available only from Sunbeam Specialties. It looks interesting but I can't
personally vouch for it as my copy has not yet been delivered.
Also take a look at <A HREF="http://www.real-comps.com/SunbeamCentral";>
http://www.real-comps.com/SunbeamCentral</A>. From this entry point you can
access a dozen Sunbeam sites including the
<A HREF="http://shell3.ba.best.com/~rootes1/index.html";>Rootes Depot</A> and "
<A HREF="http://cablepop.sc.intel.com/tiger/";>T</A>
<A HREF="http://cablepop.sc.intel.com/tiger/";>he Anglo American Dream"</A>
<A HREF="http://cablepop.sc.intel.com/tiger/";>.</A> These are sources of
important information.
That's about it.
Incidentally, I used to live outside Austin and have a daughter living there
right now. "Cedar Fever" is what drove me out. Here in New Mexico the
weather is fine today and my Bride of 32 years and I will be going out for a
top down prowl this afternoon. Unfortunately, "top down prowls" are still the
only kind we can do...."
--Colin Cobb, Las Cruces, NM
'65 Tiger & '66 Morgan
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