Austin Healer
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it'd be late Feb or early March of 65... sorry I couldn't get any closer
Tiger Registry
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IvaTiger
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F registration is a 1968
'F' ran from July 1967 to June 1968. Several 65 built Tigers didn't get on the road until 1967.
IvaTiger
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So it has a build date of March 16 th 1965 and ex license date of later than July 1967 more than 2 years later , seams strange since the registered number is only ever once and at its first registration in UK and stays with the car for its entire life. One exception is if you want a custom plate number
The STC Registry has several MKI's with lower VIN #s put on the road in 1967. The last known registration date for a MKI Tiger in England is 18th May 1969.
Dealer demonstrators on 'trade plates' were the main culprits, but also Rootes dealerships not selling their stock, for what ever reason.
Dealer demonstrators on 'trade plates' were the main culprits, but also Rootes dealerships not selling their stock, for what ever reason.
Austin Healer
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They were fairly expensive cars in their day... sales competing with the current Big Healey and E-type, and with cheaper MGB's and TR4-5/250 and Spitfires. The Big Healey and the TR5/250 having nearly identical horsepower output as a stock Tiger.
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But also having a chassis instead of a unibody... Tiger was a more modern, better riding car ( comparatively)
It does but it was the demonstrator at Rootes Maidstone Branch from 1965 until it was sold in 1967 -Obviously it ran on dealer plates until sold
Austin Healer
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Well.... the Healey was a semi-unibody. I've been rebuilding them for near 40 years now! The frame and the supportive structure that carries the body panels is one piece... The TR250/5, or any TR, (excepting the flying doorstop TR7/8) on the other hand is a separate chassis/body structure and is amazingly flexible!!! Just ask anyone who has had their elbow pinched between the door and rear wing!! The MGB is a complete unibody structure, though grossly underpowered compared to the Tiger until the MGBV8 came out... (thank you to Costello) but that's another story!!
Don't get me wrong. The Sunbeam is a better car than most British cars of the day. The build quality, fit and finish shamed pretty much all of the manufacturers except maybe Aston Martin. The Jag XK's are separate chassis and drive like trucks, The E-type (unless RHD) is an unbelievably uncomfortable car to drive over any distance. If you look at the way the cars were finished off just on the interiors, sound deadening and such, they were miles ahead of their competitors... It just was not appreciated at the time. It's probably why they had profitability issues. I look at the way MG's, TR's, and Healey's were assembled and I see short cuts that were not taken with Rootes group cars... Only Jaguar exceeded the general build quality and they took a loss on every car they built.
I have made my living for the last 40 plus years restoring Brit cars... I'd stack the build quality of a Rootes group car against almost any other manufacturer.....
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Odd things happen. According to the Rootes Archive the series 2 Alpine with an HRO designation that was used for my right hand drive Harrington conversion was never given a registration number before going to Harrington. I have been told that it may have been on display in a Rootes location in the U.K.. There is no way to tell when it was first sold nor where it was shipped to. The Archive Heritage certificate does say it was intended to be exported.
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Just to interject some comedy and humor into the discussion. I was shocked the president of my organization knew what the Tiger was when I parked it in the loading zone in front of his office to take care of some business with him. After he had admired the car from afar, and knowing he was retiring at the end of 2023, he requested a ride before his last day. I agreed.
He owns an Audi TT and is more of a car connoisseur than I would have ever thought. I'm sure his TT is faster, more agile and pleasant to drive.
When he got in the Tiger, his first question was "are there any of seatbelts?" I said no. His second question was "do we need them?" I said "they didn't come with the car and I'm keeping it as original as we got it.
Somewhere mid second gear on a surface street in traffic as I was grabbing third and changing lanes I hear "please don't kill me the day I'm retiring."
Our car sat in a garage for 35 years. As some of you know, when it was tac'd there was a bit of conversation about several of it's features. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what is right or wrong, but the car is real and has some interesting parts that I am trying to learn about. At some point this summer I will continue Our Tigers Story.
He owns an Audi TT and is more of a car connoisseur than I would have ever thought. I'm sure his TT is faster, more agile and pleasant to drive.
When he got in the Tiger, his first question was "are there any of seatbelts?" I said no. His second question was "do we need them?" I said "they didn't come with the car and I'm keeping it as original as we got it.
Somewhere mid second gear on a surface street in traffic as I was grabbing third and changing lanes I hear "please don't kill me the day I'm retiring."
Our car sat in a garage for 35 years. As some of you know, when it was tac'd there was a bit of conversation about several of it's features. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what is right or wrong, but the car is real and has some interesting parts that I am trying to learn about. At some point this summer I will continue Our Tigers Story.
In our younger days about 20 years ago the wife and I drove the cars wherever. We had driven her blue car to a show at Carlisle, Pa. The principal owner of our company had me working on possibly building some fuel card lock locations. We had a fellow distributor in Philadelphia that had several locations so the boss told me to go to see them and to put the trip on my expense account. I pulled up in front of their office and the owner walked out of his office and his comment was" I knew Rick was a tight ### but how old is your company car".
I believe this was due to the levying of UK government 'Purchase Tax'. This had to be paid by the person / party who first registers a car. By leaving that until after Harrington's had completed the conversion the end buyer would pay the tax. But there could be other reasons!
Thanks! I've never had a reason to be concerned as far as a U.K. registration number for a car. I guess that means that cars designated to be shipped to the U.S. would never have a U.K. registration number.
Austin Healer
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Unless the car was purchased as part of the "Personal Export Scheme". The idea was you could come to the UK on holiday and pick up your new car from the factory. A British numberplate would be issued and the car registered. You could drive it on your holiday and then the factory would ship it home for you.
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Given you state it's an HRO car... Why would it have been destined for the USA? If it was a personal export car like has been mentioned and was for the states it would be an LRO car... if for a RHD market...it would be an RRO car...
What document says was destined for export, a Rooted build sheet or a Harrington build sheet ?
Is the Heritage Certificate from the Archive good enough? The Alpine used was an HRO car built at Ryton. Where it was going when it left Harrington is unknown due to the fact that there are no records of a registration number, Destination Dealer, or first owner. The Certificates for our other two Harringtons show the dealer destination to be Rootes London Ltd, Piccadilly, built for export to U.S.A. The bodies for those two are showing being built at Pressed Steel, Cowley.
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So what does the certificate for the HRO car actually say ?.. you said in the earlier post that it says it was for export...
But above you say the certificates for the other 2 HLM are for export to the USA.... But they are LHD cars, so that's consistent with their VIN.
As for the archive certificates... It's great they offer them and helps fund the archive activities...but people are only human and several have had errors... Not saying that's the case here... But you claim it says the HRO car is for export ... Which is inconsistent with its VIN... And also if they don't have when/where it was delivered to... Where is the for export coming from... Might be per some of their other certificates where they filled in data bases on owner provided details and.more recent info.
There are exceptions to every rule. There wasn't a LeMans made that was identical to the other 249 cars produced.