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Story and Photos by Tom Suddard
Why are Cobras worth so much? Simple: b…
I sure love my MK 1 and will most likley never sell it. Not the best handling car I have, but probably the best tourer and visciously fast.
I have owned four of these great little cars over the years, two Mk1As, a heavily modified Mk1 and my current Mk2 is undergong restoration right now. They have all been fun and somewhat different. Both of my 1As were completely stock but separated by 20 years. They were both great fun, drawing attention when I had them out and I got a lot of satisfaction from owning and driving them. My Mk1 was visually rough but amazingly fast, with a modified 289 (it even had nitrous!). This particular vehicle would have benefitted from Wilwood brakes but I sold it not long after buying it when I ran across the 2nd Mk1A. Then I stumbled upon my Mk2 which had sat for 28 years. The engine was locked, the brakes were locked, all the rubber was rotted, etc. I got it running (you can only imagine the work involved) replaced the front suspension including the cross member and now it's in a restporation shop for all the body work, paint, etc. These fun little cars have gotten into my blood.
Of the three styles, visually I prefer the Mk1 for the clean look of the filled seams and the metal covers over the top when it's down. Otherwise, the Mk2 is my preference for the increased power and driveability and of course, the appreciation I have seen. Having said those things, I don't think you could go wrong with any Tiger if you want a reliable classic sports car to drive and enjoy.
People often lose sight of the fact that the original market niche for the Tiger was to outsell the big Healeys. They weren't directly competing with the Cobras, certainly not with the 165 bhp or so they had. It was later owners that decided that they should be turned into pocket Cobras.
We had an active Tiger club here (90% of the owners were Chinese, for some reason) and every single car was fitted with a 289 or 302 engine including the early cars that originally had a 260. Hot rods R us!
I've driven a stock car and they were a very nice touring car, just like a Healey.
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