Rootes Shelby Contract

at the beach

at the beach

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I wrote an article that appeared in a recent Tiger Tales highlighting some of the items I found interesting in the January, 1964 contract between Rootes,
Shelby American and Ford covering what was to become the Sunbeam Tiger.

It also detailed early Tiger racing and the development of what we now call the LAT Options.

Some have asked to see the original document. It can be found at
http://catmbr.org/VB_forum/album.php?albumid=67

bt
at the beach
 
Last edited:
Legal Easy

Basically a crude paper handshake that somehow became iconic. Todays legal society would require reams of murdered trees and a decade of funded meetings.
 
Thanks for sharing that buck. It is interesting the reference to the Venezia and possible v8 version and also the proposed delivery of 4 production tigers for the racing program.

As far as I know the 4 cars never were delivered, just the one that became the yellow Shelby racer, I met a guy here who was in LA back in the day involved in scca racing. He has told me in several occasions how he has photos of several tigers being race prepped in the Shelby shops ... Never seem the pics... Might be time for another reminder mail.... Not to many tigers ran scca from what I have seen in the records of the period
 
Michael, Please send that reminder email! It would be great if those pictures would surface!

I'm pretty sure that 4 cars weren't delivered. It was quite a concept - a developmental race car, an east coast race car, a west coast race car and a spare. The "developmental" car mentioned in the contract was driven by Lew Spencer for 6 months before it was transferred to Sports Car Forum to start Rootes' East Coast Tiger racing program.

Shelby also set up the Tiger that SCF driver Dan Carmichael drove to 4th in Bp in the 1964 run-offs. (It's the same Tiger Miles drove a month earlier in a race at Riverside and NCM christened the "Mystery 50".) John Morton recalls a third Tiger that was set up at Shelby's. That one was intended to be driven by Porsche racer Denny Harrison.

I've seen Bp results for only a dozen or so Tigers. You're very correct: Bp Tigers were very, very rare. I know of only two? that still race today.
 
Buck there were a few east coast BP tigers I have seen pictures of in period that then moved to CP. They seemed active from 65-67 and some only seemed active for a season at most.

On other sunbeam racing notes... A birdy told me that certain scf apparel will be landed tomorrow... Looking forward to a team shot with the car :D
 
BP Tiger(s) ET AL

michael-king said:
Buck there were a few east coast BP tigers I have seen pictures of in period that then moved to CP. They seemed active from 65-67 and some only seemed active for a season at most.

On other sunbeam racing notes... A birdy told me that certain scf apparel will be landed tomorrow... Looking forward to a team shot with the car :D
Click to expand...

I do remember seeing a BP Tiger here on the east coast in the mid 60's. There is a gentlemen from Malden, Mass. who photo'd many SCCA events and cars for years. Perhaps he can chime in and share his stash.:D
 
Speaking about #50 Is this the car.Does anyone know it's history.These are photos that came with my Tiger.
 
That sounds closer to home.The PO said the car came from the Chicago area and had been a race car from day one. I first saw it at a track 80. Thank you for your help
 
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