2017 Tiger CAT E1

During the fifties and sixties the sporting motorists were trying to acquire the sort of vehicle which would set them apart from the crowd and to enable a more competitive driving experience to be enjoyed. There were various sportscars on offer from Triumph, MG, Austin-Healey and Morgan, the latter providing some of the macho features desired, but it was to the growing numbers of Special Builders that thoughts turned, particularly to the home -built kit car manufacturers.

Enter Colin Chapman with his austere Lotus Seven, which caused many a heart to flutter and the fact that you could assemble it yourself in your own living room, a new era of lightweight and extremely rapid transport had arrived. Very little thought for personal comfort was given, the idea being to have, above all else, as much velocity as possible with ridiculous levels of handling.

And so the Lotus concept was developed by Chapman himself and later through Westwood, Caterham and the like. Other firms were trying to emulate the Lotus Seven concept, with various choices of power, creature comforts being of secondary importance. One such derivative was the Tiger Cat E1, which was extremely agile and was equally suitable for both track and road use. Although smaller than some others, it compensates in performance and handling.

This super smart Tiger CAT E1 was assembled by a specialist in Bury St Edmunds and has covered just 1105 miles since build completion. The spec is high and complex, but in brief, the sporting car was fitted with GRP glass fibre panel work and front cycle wings (all finished in striking orange). The rear body tub was widened for superior styling with the wider tyres, mentioned below.

The Tiger is fitted with a 1992 C20XE Vauxhall Redtop engine of 2021cc with +0.5 Mahle pistons, rebored at Scholar Engines. It was fully rebuilt with new seals, water and oil pumps. An oil catch tank and breather from the cylinder head is also fitted and the Tiger has a wide race sump Bogg Bros inlet manifold with a stainless steel exhaust, which is a custom 2.5 inch, and has a Powerflow silencer.  We are told that the cylinder head was pressure tested for porousness, and new valves, stem seals and springs were fitted. All hoses and pipes are silicone. The five speed Type 9 gearbox has been overhauled and the clutch plate is a new RX8.

There is a rear brake disc XR4i conversion and new brake lines have been fitted. A new aluminium fuel tank has been installed and there is a new Tiger 6 fuse loom. Poly bushes are fitted on the front, with a new adjustable GAZ coil over the suspension. The steering column and associated indicator stalk, side/main and hazzard lights are from Ford. There is a removable steering wheel with 'Momo' wheel and collapsible boss. The Tiger sits on as new TOYO Proxes 195/55/15 tyres. A Cobra immobiliser is fitted with battery and fuel pump master switches. The driver will benefit from a full 4 point SPARCO quick release harness, with CK Composite seats adapted for Cat.

We are told that the Tiger Cat ‘sounds awesome’ from the throttle bodies and exhaust on acceleration - and based on the above build description, it certainly must be an exciting proposition for the modern sports car enthusiast.

The history box contains an original build manual, the latest MOT test certificate, images, the original purchasing invoices plus options list from 1999, a folder of wiring information, a file of information on the registering process with DVLA, a file of invoices and information on the engine (including correspondence from Vauxhall), correspondence from Tiger Racing and the V5C registration certificate, plus a huge number (presumably all) of build and maintenance invoices.

SOLD