Dragging an old thread back up... Here I am, a legitimate, longtime (relatively) owner of a really nice (objectively) Sunbeam Tiger, which has been TACed, and even documented by the esteemed and invaluable Norm Miller. My car was what can be considered a "barn find", all there, but neglected in a garage for many years. It was spray painted silver when I adopted it, but the original Mediterranean Blue was still on the panels when I rubbed the silver off. The ID tags are still attached to the body with factory rivets and screws. It has all matching number equipment, engine, transmission and rear end.
Quite often, strangers, both young and old, wander up my driveway to look at this cool old car in the garage. Next to it is a 1972 Porsche 911. Interestingly, no one has ever come up to look at that car, possibly because the 911 is so ubiquitous and the shape has not changed much over its 50 year model life. I wonder if this means anything about the interest in the Tiger and, potentially, its future value. It is so different from almost anything else that is out there, has an undeniable pedigree, Shelby parentage, and race history. I would not be surprised to see values go through the roof -- or not. Who knows? Certainly, all the elements are there for it to remain a collectible car into the future. But my interest is not so much in the value of the car as it is in its preservation.
BTW, I am a relative youngster, far to young to have any nostalgic feelings about this car, so I don't believe anyone who says that only geezers are interested in these cars and when they go, the car's value is doomed.
Anyway, for several years, I have been lovingly bringing my Tiger back to its former glory, as my time and family responsibilities have permitted. It's been a true labor of love and it has sucked up more of my life than I like to admit to myself. I am finicky about originality, even on parts that no one will ever see, and I insist on doing it right or not doing it at all, which adds a lot of time to my effort. I have stubbornly kept any and all parts removed from the car to replace with new parts, like the old dash, with was cracked and ugly, even old pedal pads. The car looks and drives great at this point, but I do still have a few details to attend to.
Over these years, I bought every Tiger book I could get my hands on, and have supplemented that information by speaking with the experts, like Norm, Doug, Dale, Bill, etc., as well as reading on this and other forums. I have never held or even seen a copy (or even a page) of the Book of Norman, and I guess I never will, considering its market value. And that bothers me because I would like to be able to at least refer to it to do a "sanity check" on my car -- go over it from nose to tail to ensure that it is indeed right and as good as it can be. I was very lucky that my car was complete when I picked it up, so I never had to resort to relying on guesswork; still, it seems nuts that there is no way for me to have this important reference book, even if just to have a peek at it for a few days.
Forget about me; it seems like every Tiger out there should have one of these books in the trunk!
Certainly, there must be a way to get together with the owner of the intellectual property and the copyright to make it worthwhile for him (or them). No? Any ideas?
