NEWS

Vintage Prescott sees the return to VSCC events of the Sunbeam 'Tiger'

This year's Vintage Prescott features some fantastic machinery, and the Sunbeam 'Tiger' is just one example.

Did you know the 4 litre V12 supercharged Sunbeam 'Tiger', was known as Ladybird when it broke the Land Speed Record at 152.33 mph with Henry Segrave in March 1926 on Southport Sands. It is still the smallest engined car to hold the Land Speed Record! Could this fantastic beast of a car give Ian Baxter and his Alta a run for the Mays-Berthon Trophy this weekend...? 

Following the capture of the Land Speed Record the car returned to Sunbeam's Wolverhampton works where it was equipped with 2 smaller blowers to improve reliability in racing. The car proved fast in European races and a 2nd car ‘Tigress’ was also prepared for the 1927 season. This pair of cars were successful in all events for sometime but particular at Brooklands right up to the late 30s, first with Kaye Don and then Sir Malcolm Campbell, who had the cars rebuilt on a new chassis and modified by Thomson & Taylor in 1932. After the war they appeared in VSCC races with Tiger coming 2nd in the 1949 Itala Trophy with John James. Tiger’s real great success in VSCC racing came in the 60s when owned by Sir Ralph Millais, he had Hon. Patrick Lindsay, and Neil Corner (who later owned the car with further success) driving for him, gaining wins in all the VSCC Vintage racing trophies. 

In the 1980s Bob Roberts of the Midland Motor Museum owned the car and he raced it to success with further wins in VSCC Vintage races. In 1990 following the death of Roberts his wish to see if the Tiger could still do the speed it had done to break the LSR was carried out at Elvington Airfield with John Baker-Courtenay driving the Tiger. The speed was bettered as it got to over 160 mph at times.

Desperate to see what this car is still capable of nearly a century later? Join us at Vintage Prescott this weekend! Tickets can be purchased here, or on the gate each date! 

See you there.