There is an interesting article this month about the efforts Rootes made to design and sell a V-8 car. The magazine is Classics Monthly (December 2022 edition) from the UK. Of course, the Tiger is included, but there were other efforts for V-8 sedans. Cars discussed include the Sunbeam Venezia, the LeMans Tigers, Humber Sceptre, and Humber Super Snipe. Not all the engines were SBFs. I can't speak for its accuracy regarding the other Rootes cars, but there was one glaring error with regard to the Tiger. The article makes it appear that the Ken Miles prototype was started before the Shelby car. I had thought the Shelby car was underway, but Ian Gerrad hired Miles to do a crude, hot rod v-8 tranplant while the Shelby car was being engineered.
Rootes V-8 Cars Article
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Austin Healer
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Your understanding re the Miles car is what I have always heard... the Humber cars were powered by Chrysler engines.
Austin Healer
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The convertible Interceptor, or the very rare coupe are just drop dead gorgeous.... poor man's Aston Martin V8. I almost bought a convertible in the late 80's. They rust with a vengeance... 1st car I ever saw with the bonnet rusted out!
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Garrard got impatient to see if the v8 sunbeam concept worked.. So while waiting for Shelby... He gave miles a car and a small budget a week or so later and Miles had managed to put a in a sbf v8, auto trans.. No steering mods .. Engine all the way forward to clear the steering box... A new candy apple paint job....very fast in a straight line apparently and scary in the corners...but proved it worked.
So Miles was the 2nd car to start... 1st to finish... But was never a prototype really... More a proof of concept.
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The version of the birth of the Tiger that I have heard from those who were actual witnesses confirms what David, Michael and others wrote.
Shelby/Boskoff prototype started first. Then Miles car started and finished. Miles car shown to Shelby workers. Shelby/Boskoff finished and delivered to Ian and John Panks. Panks memo relating Shelby's offer to buy Alpines and do the conversion himself ala Cobra. Rootes decision to keep the work close and chose to pay Shelby a royalty on each car produced.
(Sources included Boskoff, Remington, Shelby, Morton, Agapiou, Browning & Sharp)
FYI, I think CAT Parts still has DVD copies for sale (cheap) of the Boskoff "fabricating stories" video in which George described his Tiger involvement.
The Rootes/Shelby/Ford contract specifically listed the Venezia as an intended SBF project.
About the Jensen Interceptor era - Wasn't the Tiger's own Mike Jones Jensen's chief engineer for part of the Interceptor's life?
Buck
Shelby/Boskoff prototype started first. Then Miles car started and finished. Miles car shown to Shelby workers. Shelby/Boskoff finished and delivered to Ian and John Panks. Panks memo relating Shelby's offer to buy Alpines and do the conversion himself ala Cobra. Rootes decision to keep the work close and chose to pay Shelby a royalty on each car produced.
(Sources included Boskoff, Remington, Shelby, Morton, Agapiou, Browning & Sharp)
FYI, I think CAT Parts still has DVD copies for sale (cheap) of the Boskoff "fabricating stories" video in which George described his Tiger involvement.
The Rootes/Shelby/Ford contract specifically listed the Venezia as an intended SBF project.
About the Jensen Interceptor era - Wasn't the Tiger's own Mike Jones Jensen's chief engineer for part of the Interceptor's life?
Buck