Images: Fiskens
Three very special lightweight Le Mans Sunbeam Tigers were built in 1964, to go after the GT category in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Five decades on and this car’s still in racing condition and looking for its next adventure, up for sale at Fiskens.
This car, 7734 KV, is the first of the three competition cars. It’s based on the production car, which was then heavily modified for endurance racing and fitted with a lightweight fastback coupe body built by Lister.
The car was used in 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans testing, and then taken on by Ian Hall, deputy head of the Rootes competition department.
He used the car in sprint races before releasing it to the private market in 1965. At this point John Eccles bought it and his son used it to compete in the GT class at the GRSCC Mallory Park sprint. It would compete at Snetterton later in the year, and then at Brands Hatch when it was joined by the other two Le Mans Tigers – the only time this would occur.
7734 KV moved between owners throughout the late ’60s and early ’70s, but its competition career continued unabated. In 1973 Dick Barker bought it and exported it to the USA, treating it to a loving restoration to refresh it after a decade of competition.
The restoration took time and it wasn’t until 1997 that the car returned to the scene, reuniting with the other two Le Mans Tigers. Barker kept the car for some three decades, eventually passing it on to its current owner in 2003.
Since then it’s competed in the Goodwood RAC TT Celebration race as well as the Le Mans Classic.
What more can you ask for in a historic racer than a lovingly-cared for, well raced and fun car with an interesting history?
This car is a beautiful example of motorsport’s eclectic and exciting history, and is a historically-significant, rare and ready-for-competition racing car. It’ll make an interesting and exciting historic racer, and we’re looking forward to its next half-century of competition!
Head to Fiskens’ website here for more information.
Images via Fiskens
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