Check out this BaT posting

[PeacemakerSG]

1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk 1A

Bid for the chance to own a 1966 Sunbeam Tiger Mk 1A at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #105,842.

bringatrailer.com

 

[puff4]

No TAC certificate?

 

[sunalp]

That car, in its previous state, when it was in PA, was on craigslist for well over a year.
The current owner has done a really nice job bringing this car to its current condition. Don't
really understand doing all that work just to sell it. I'd want to at least drive it for a year or so
before doing that, but then there may be extenuating circumstances.

 

[Scotty]

It's a very beautiful car but is it a legit Tiger?

 

[Barry]

It's a very beautiful car but is it a legit Tiger?

Do you have any reason to believe that it is not legitimate?

 

[Scotty]

Do you have any reason to believe that it is not legitimate?

That's like saying I should assume everything I hear is true.

And if I'm someone who might consider buying one... maybe it's a fair question to ask?

Like Puff4 commented: No TAC? Or do they have one and didn't mention it? It'd be kind of important to note, I'd think.

So hell yes, I'm going to ask. I'm going to verify. I'm going to ask for authentication. I've seen far too many clones get pushed as being real, legit, Tigers. And if I'm, or any other potential buyer, is spending the money, you're damn right proof will be something that's asked for. I think that's entirely fair.

So long story even longer: Is it a real Tiger?

If it is, it's a hell of a restoration.

 

[sunalp]

It's a legit Tiger.

 

[Scotty]

It's a legit Tiger.

Thank you bro! It’s a beautiful Tiger and that current bid is amazing value and I hope it’s current owner at least makes back his investment.

I didn’t mean to sound rude earlier, apologies to Barry if I went off the mark.

 

[sunalp]

The guy selling it is older and his health is failing. Didn't have the time or energy to get it TAC'd.
It's looking doubtful that he'll get what he's got in it, but I hope he gets darn close!

 

[jdoclogan]

Bid to $50,000 - No Sale

 

[Scotty]

Get it TAC’d and she’ll sell.

Cars worth a lot more than 50k.

 

[spmdr]

There seems to be a bit of TAC Fever these days.

TAC is not everything.

DW

 

[junkman]

It is to the BAT crowd.

 

[puff4]

I don’t think it’s so much “TAC fever” as it is that there are so many Algers out there being passed off as legit Tigers, that since folks are now spending truly serious amounts of money for these cars, they’re gonna want some sort of assurance they’re not going to get stung.

 

[spmdr]

Fact is, TAC has been around long enough that it is not reasonable

to expect all cars TACed are the same as they were.

...just like every TIGER WAS original...

At one time, .....and a very high % still are.


AND, TAC is not an indicator of condition!

There are some real POS that have been TACed.

BTW, I was JUST party to a TAC inspection,

It seems THEY (TAC) are changing their stripes...

...about ID on the car... Hmmmmm ..?

AND what THEY inspect??

DW

 

[Scotty]

Fact is, TAC has been around long enough that it is not reasonable

to expect all cars TACed are the same as they were.

...just like every TIGER WAS original...

At one time.

AND, TAC is not an indicator of condition!

There are some real POS that have been TACed.

BTW, I was JUST party to a TAC inspection,

It seems THEY (TAC) are changing their stripes...

...about ID on the car... Hmmmmm ..?

AND what THEY inspect??

DW

So how does a random person on the street know for sure that this is a Tiger and not a clone?

We live in a world where Alpines are being used to 'rebody' heavily damaged or destroyed Tigers, so this is a far more complicated issue than it would appear, especially with folks modifying Alpines into Tigers, some of which do an amazing job at making a clone.

I wouldn't buy a legit Tiger unless it's ancestry can be traced and verified and if it's been TAC'd. If there are other options beyond those for authenticating them, I'd want all of them to be sure, especially given the prices asked.

So to slightly sidebar your comment, what are the ways to ensure a Tiger is real? How do you Tiger boys and girls and whatevers go about this?

 

[spmdr]

Well, I can't speak for the girls and whatevers......

DW

 

[Scotty]

Well, I can't speak for the girls and whatevers......

DW

That’s fine. So how would you go about authenticating this, especially if what you say is true and a TAC is either valueless, redundant or superfluous (I know these words mean an array of things, I wanted to cover the bases here )

 

[spmdr]

Scotty, to answer that would be to go too far afield of the Thread subject.

...But if you start a New Thread...

Imagine having the DEFINITIVE Tiger ID info found on an Alpine Site?

(Don't get your hopes too high...)

DW

 

[Warren]

I've only seen one really good fake in 12 years. It was a MK2 and was built by the owner of 5 MK2's. But it was owned by his brother who lost his way and it was sold in an auction to a unknowing Canadian even though the builder brother tried to buy it first.


Norm Miller had a site that showed the captain obvious fuel pump door and Alpine battery boxes which are put in like the rest of the cars with a abundance of spot welds, as well as generator indent.
A lot of times a wing change makes the generator depression go away. But it's dimensions are in the shop manual.

The owner of the BaT car in question played the "I had a couple in the late '70s card and it didn't work.

He should have shown the areas that successful BaT Tigers have shown.

If you can't open the hood or the boot it'd be a is it real or is it Memorex moment...
But IMHO TAC is really overrated for cars with history that aren't out of the UK, or middle America.. or as BaT recently found out the Cayman Islands.

All this from a guy who bought a Tiger from a yard sale connection and was smart enough then to know I didn't know. But now I know what I know 5.5 Tiger's down and 3 Alpines later.