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The Birth of the Tiger
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Lew Spencer experienced some problems with the Sunbeam tiger at laguna Seca in May 1964 even before he totaled it. Photo: David Friedman
Fabulous Fifties

The Birth of the Tiger

 Art Evans

In 1953, the Rootes Group in England, which had acquired the Sunbeam Company in 1935, produced a handsome sports car, the Sunbeam Alpine.

 Its styling promised more than it could deliver. With a wheelbase of 97.5 inches and an overall length of 168 inches, it weighed in at almost 3,000 pounds. Sporting the 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine from the Humber Hawk sedan that produced only 80 bhp, it was sadly underpowered in comparison to other sports cars of the time.

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Brand (Alpine)Brand (Chrysler)Brand (Ford)Brand (Rootes)Brand (Shelby)Brand (Sunbeam)Featured (Fabulous Fifties)People (Bill Carroll)People (Ken Miles)

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Art Evans
Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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