I used to build street rods in the 50's in my youth. Eight months
after graduating from college in 1966, I bought my first Tiger off
the showroom floor. It was stock for about two weeks. By 1969, I
had replaced the 260 with a 289 and had met some other Tiger owners
at a local circle track. Thus began the Sunbeam Tiger Owners
Association. By the first Tigers United in Grants Pass in '74, it
was Pearl White with flared fenders and a warmed up HiPo 289. It's
currently on the rotisserie in my shop undergoing a lengthy redesign
and reconstruction after 39+ years of yielding a whole lot of
enjoyment to it's owner.
My second Tiger was purchased in '81. It already had a 289 but it
had been overbored too far and had over heating problems. Replaced
the engine with a junkyard special and drove it for 10
years. Restored this one in '95 with a crate 302 and a homemade 5
speed and many other improvements including it's Mediterranean Blue
paint job. For the record, these Tigers are TAC # 001 and 002.
I only own a piece of the latest Tiger, very Red and quite
original. I share ownership with Rob Guerra, my son-in-law and a
pair of Australians. Rob also owns two other Tigers. We each have
one running Tiger. If you add my age to Rob's age and divide by two,
we won't change the average age very much.
So after almost 40 years, I've managed to have a lot of fun, meet a
lot of interesting people, travel to England, Australia and all over
the USA to meet with other owners, and somehow gotten the next
generation of my family fully involved in the Marque. I never had an
inkling in October '66, how much this car would change my life.
Tom Hall
ModTiger Engineering LLC
www.tigerengineering.net
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