The Sunbeam Tiger was a performance focused roadster based on the Sunbeam Alpine. Introduced in 1964, the first generation of Tiger was known as the Mk I. These rear wheel drive roadsters were designed in part by Carroll Shelby, and followed the small block V8 engine lightweight roadster formula that made the Shelby Cobra such a success. As the Mk I was based on the Alpine, when Sunbeam introduced the Series V Apline, the Tiger received updated bodywork, leading enthusiasts to refer to these cars as Mk IA. The Mk I Tiger was fitted with a 4.3L (260 cu in) Ford V8 engine producing 164bhp. A total of 6450 production examples of the Mk I were produced until 1967, when Sunbeam introduced the short lived Tiger Mk II.