PDA

View Full Version : Doane Spencers Sunbeam Tiger



Steve Holmes
02-01-2012, 02:50 AM
5939

There are those in the hot rod scene who don’t know Doane Spencer was a road race guy. Likewise, there are those in the road race scene who don’t know he was also a hot rodder.

Doane Spencer enjoyed two distinct phases in a lifetime building cars. And several of his cars have become influential in many ways. In the early 1940s, when Doane was a teenager, he did some work on a full-fendered 1932 Ford Roadster hot rod, owned by a classmate of his, Jack Dorn. The work included filling the grille shell and adding a stunning Du Vall windshield. In 1944, Spencer purchased the ’32 off Dorn and set about rebuilding it to his own tastes, removing the fenders, and repainting it black (it was originally maroon).

At the time, Spencer was knocking around with other young hot rodders such as Wally Parks, Robert E. Petersen, and Alex Xydias, guys who would all play significant rolls over the coming years in the growth and main stream acceptance of hot rodding.

Spencers beautiful ’32 Roadster would go on to become one of the most influential hot rods ever built, and many of the modifications he made to the car are still copied today. He raced it on the dry lakes, running 126.76mph at El Mirage, yet the car also won show awards, including Best Appealing Roadster at the Pasadena Roadster Club’s 1947 Reliability Run, and it was invited to be displayed at the first SCTA Hot Rod Show in 1948.

However, Spencer had other interests outside hot rodding. His fascination with road racing was evident at a young age. In the early ‘50s he tore the ’32 apart, and began rebuilding it so he could race it in La Carrera Panamericana. He rebuilt the suspension, ran the exhaust pipes out each side through the chassis rails for better ground clearance, installed a Hallibrand quick-change rear, Hallibrand magnesium wheels, and replaced the Flathead V8 with an OHV Lincoln motor. However, before the Roadster was finished, La Carrera Panamericana was cancelled.

But for Spencer, the path was set. He became involved in the world of road racing, building and preparing race cars. His early hot rodding roots were evident in many of the cars he built, none more so than his 1956 Thunderbird, and 1965 Sunbeam Tiger.

The Tiger deal came together during his time at Hollywood Sports Cars, when approached by Ian Garrard of Rootes Motors, who’d moved to the US in 1951, eventually becoming their West Coast manager. Garrard had approached Carroll Shelby about building and running a Tiger in B Production sports car races throughout 1964. With Lew Spencer at the wheel, the Shelby built Tiger enjoyed some success late in the year, but overall, Garrard was disappointed, so approached Spencer at Hollywood Sports Cars about building a new Tiger for the ’65 season.

The Spencer Tiger was a work of art. Painted black, with the exhausts exiting each side through the sills, and with Hallibrand wheels, many of his hot rodding influences were evident. Spencer built the Tiger with 4-wheel disc brakes, a beautiful low Perspex windscreen that wrapped around each flank and along the doors, a driver roll-hoop in which the bodywork molded around the rear support bar. He removed anything in the engine bay that didn’t need to be there, and relocated it elsewhere within the car, and cut reverse louvres in the hood and ducts in the front guards to help cure the Tiger of its natural tendency to overheat.

With just under 350hp extracted from its 260ci V8, the Spencer Tiger was said to be able to lift its front wheels on hard acceleration! With Jim Adams at the controls, it won first time out. The car was withdrawn at Candlestick Park after qualifying 1st equal with Phill Hill in Ken Miles 427 Cobra, after the track-bar bent. But Adams won the B Production sports car race at Mosport Park during the Mosport 200 event, and was 3rd behind Jerry Titus (Shelby GT350) and Merle Brenen (Jaguar E-Type) at the Pacific Coast Divisional Champs.

The Tiger won the Santa Barbara Road Races, the Stockton Road Races, Great Salt Lake Road Races, Willow Springs, and the San Louis Obispo Road Races during the ’65 season, gaining a healthy points haul.

However, mid-year, Adams broke his leg, and Spencer chose not to run the Tiger again until he was fit to race again, which was at the last race of the season at Daytona, for the American Road Race of Champions, where Adams was 4th fastest in qualifying behind a 427 Cobra and a pair of Shelby GT350s, but he was eliminated on the first lap by a spinning Corvette.

Following Daytona, Garrard sold the Tiger to Ron Dykes, who raced it fleetingly throughout 1966, before its career came to an end.

Of the handful of Anglo-American sports cars built during the ‘60s, the subtle Sunbeam Tiger is probably one of the more mild-mannered. But the Doane Spencer road race Tiger was definitely monster of a race car, and surely the toughest Tiger ever built.

Greg Stokes
02-02-2012, 08:47 AM
I am aware of the 32 and his T-Bird and have seen both cars on visits to the States but never knew of this car. Doane was quite the designer

aussiemonza
02-16-2012, 08:15 AM
Doane also engineered the Chris Cord (& Jim Adams) Dekon Monza's (1011/1012)

Neville Milne
03-13-2012, 03:36 AM
Tigers are not dead yet.
To name just 3
Tom Patton from Ohio consistently won his class in SCCA central Division and in 1999 won the SCCA GT-2 run-offs....33 years AFTER they ceased production of the Sunbeam Tiger.
Jackie Cochrane hold his class lap record at Snetterton at a blistering 1:125 and is another consistent winner
Jayne Wignall rallied her Tiger to numerous outright and class wins...46 rallies in 14 years and seldom out of the top 10 finishers
Not the worst record in the world

mid-year
04-03-2012, 09:10 PM
Some west coast Rootes dealers stocked hot up equiptment for the Tiger ,these parts were pre-fixed by the designation L.A.T.( which stood for Los Angeles Tiger ) and an enthusiast owner could Cobra-ize his/her car to their own taste. I believe they are highly prized by Tiger owners today.714471457146

Steve Holmes
04-09-2012, 09:00 PM
Wow, mid-year, this is really cool!

markson
05-10-2012, 07:12 AM
Tigers are roaring still in NZ. I just thought I would post a couple of photos of Tigers in NZ. Me being one of the founding members of the Sunbeam and Tiger club here in NZ, also Possibly being the first in the world to fit a Ford V6 to an Alpine back in the mid seventies


A lineup of Tigers and my V6 Alpine (Yellow)8473 car

markson
05-10-2012, 07:20 AM
84748475
Founding members of club ponder my project. Graham

AMCO72
05-10-2012, 07:48 PM
Markson, this post has nothing whatever to do with the Doane Spencer Tiger, but it concerns Sunbeam Alpines in general, and as you are obviously a Sunbeam enthusiast, having posted pictures of a project you are/were engaged in, I thought I would just give you a warning. I'm not sure whether you go back over early threads to check on their content, but there is one which I implore you NOT to read.......Yards and Yarns, page4, post 69. I have never had the pleasure of meeting another Sunbeam ALPINE enthusiast, and I guess it wont happen, should you be tempted to read 69. I stress that my experience was just that...MY.
Have often wondered where that car went to, but my name will be on the ownership papers, as well as Zac Urlich, the original owner, should any one have restored it.

jim short
05-10-2012, 08:40 PM
I think Allan Currie would not like you Amco.he is now in a home in Havelock north ,he came out here to NZ with Ron Flockhart also claimed to date Jim Clarks sister back in Dunns?

mid-year
05-10-2012, 10:46 PM
8493Hi Markson,nice pictures of the Tiger/Alpine club cars.The MK2 tiger was a much improved model with it,s 289 engine but a rare bird today. Shelby American also built a Tiger MK1 race car and it was driven by Lew Spencer,no relation to Doane I think.

AMCO72
05-10-2012, 11:26 PM
Jum, I thought Alan Currie had died. Clearly not. A good guy.....sat my MSNZ oral exam at his place in Hamilton. And yes he did have a nice Tiger, and wasn't there some thing extra special about it.....an owner or the engine??? Wonder where it is. Last time I saw it was at the Bruce McLaren festival.

AMCO72
05-11-2012, 01:16 AM
Also just wondered Steve whether this thread could be expanded to all Alpines/Tigers in general, as apart from your first post, most of the rest have been other than the Doane Spenser car. Just a suggestion.

Steve Holmes
05-11-2012, 08:00 PM
8493Hi Markson,nice pictures of the Tiger/Alpine club cars.The MK2 tiger was a much improved model with it,s 289 engine but a rare bird today. Shelby American also built a Tiger MK1 race car and driven by Lew spencer,no relation to Doane I think.

Hey Pete, thanks for posting that. Its the first colour picture I've seen of the Shelby Tiger. Rootes Group approached Shelby to build this car in 1964, but the results weren't what they had hoped for, so approached Doane Spencer.

Steve Holmes
05-11-2012, 08:02 PM
8525

Whats the story with this car? It looks a bit like the one Juliane Balme (Classic & Sports Car magazine writer) built.

Steve Holmes
05-11-2012, 08:02 PM
Also just wondered Steve whether this thread could be expanded to all Alpines/Tigers in general, as apart from your first post, most of the rest have been other than the Doane Spenser car. Just a suggestion.

Probably best to start a new Tiger/Alpine dedicated thread Gerald, looks like there is plenty of interest in this.

mid-year
05-11-2012, 10:23 PM
8529

markson
05-11-2012, 10:52 PM
This car was built by 3 Tiger owners of the Sunbeam Car Club back in the mid 80's and was frequently seen at Pukekohe, Wellington, street races,Manfeild,Wings & Wheels etc.It was based on the Doana Spencer car with similar aero screen,black colour and always raced with 55 on the doors.The engine produced 400 Hp from a single 4 barrel Holley 715, Ford Toploader 4spd and 2 different diff ratios for short or long tracks. Like all Tigers straight line performance was its strong suit and was often up with front runners in the all-comers last race of the day.
The engine was taken out and put into a Sylva Striker V8 the owners built a few years later.But talking to them just the other day they tell me they are going to bring the Tiger out of retirement with a bigger motor and the biggest brakes that will fit,it will be great to see it back on the track . Graham 8530

mid-year
05-13-2012, 04:13 AM
Wow,400 bhp in a Tiger! should frighten any unwary small-block Cobra. No fun changing the rear spark plugs though.

markson
05-13-2012, 04:51 AM
Hi Mid-year Certainly not when the engine is hot .Graham

Steve Holmes
05-14-2012, 06:53 AM
This car was built by 3 Tiger owners of the Sunbeam Car Club back in the mid 80's and was frequently seen at Pukekohe, Wellington, street races,Manfeild,Wings & Wheels etc.It was based on the Doana Spencer car with similar aero screen,black colour and always raced with 55 on the doors.The engine produced 400 Hp from a single 4 barrel Holley 715, Ford Toploader 4spd and 2 different diff ratios for short or long tracks. Like all Tigers straight line performance was its strong suit and was often up with front runners in the all-comers last race of the day.
The engine was taken out and put into a Sylva Striker V8 the owners built a few years later.But talking to them just the other day they tell me they are going to bring the Tiger out of retirement with a bigger motor and the biggest brakes that will fit,it will be great to see it back on the track . Graham 8530

Hey thats fantastic, a really neat looking car. Great to hear its due to return to the track. I hope the owner will carefully consider where they want to race it before making any upgrades to it?

markson
05-14-2012, 05:03 PM
8651

Something like what I imagined AMCO72 to have driven way back,after reading his post
in Yards and Yarns Page 4 post 69. Graham

markson
05-14-2012, 06:10 PM
8652

A nice example of a NZ restored Sunbeam Tiger Graham

markson
07-21-2015, 03:35 PM
The Tiger is out of it's cage

Michael Clark
12-07-2015, 07:58 AM
I watched a number of races with Allan Currie at Taupo on Saturday - very much alive and well!

markson
05-28-2016, 03:30 PM
1

kiwi285
05-28-2016, 06:51 PM
I missed this thread first time round - has this black Tiger made it back on track yet. I could imagine that it would be up there in allcomers races with that power in a small car like the Tiger. Looks smart too.

markson
05-29-2016, 09:39 PM
A racing Tiger or a Series 2 Alpine convert ???
34861

markson
05-30-2016, 04:53 AM
My Alpine V6 to Tiger conversion
34862
V6 out

34863
V8 in
Markson

Roger Dowding
05-30-2016, 05:08 AM
My Alpine V6 to Tiger conversion
34862
V6 out

34863
V8 in
Markson

Markson, what was the V6, a Ford I presume ?? and how big ??? Saw an MX5 once back in NZ that ran the Mazda V6, of around 2 litres, back when the cars were 1600 NA series 1 ..

markson
05-30-2016, 06:12 AM
It was an Ford essex v6 bored 195thou using forged 283 Chev flat top pistons with combustion chambers in the heads, the crank was cross drilled with 5 bolt main bearing brace, it ran a 350 holly carb on a Harcourt manifold I ran a 5 speed Alfa Romeo gearbox ,it ran a MK1 Jag diff 3.7.1 ratio I think it was quicker than a standard Tiger and handled a lot better .bearing in mind that it was in the late seventies It gave some 30 0dd thousand trouble free miles before it was converted to a V8 Tiger ???.Markson