Complete Kit Car – September 2019

http://www.completekitcar.co.uk September 2019 39

Wood dash is unusual but finish is excellent. Tiger has always made its own seats.

Very tidy engine bay hosts single carb Pinto.

Neil Whitehead took up Tiger Racing’s option of a full

kit package, including all the donor bits, when he

ordered his Cub. While the kit was great, some of the

donor parts (supplied removed from the donor with

no refurbishment) weren’t serviceable. None of that

really excuses the 16-year build... “I’m embarrassed to say it took 16

years to get to an IVA test,” says Neil, “but the first 11 years were spent

changing jobs at least five times and moving house four times. None of

that helped!”

Neil uses the Cub predominantly with his local EATOC members.

Future upgrades include a new camshaft over the coming winter, while

a conversion to bike carbs also appeals. “I still like the bull nosecone,”

he says. “It would be difficult to sell the car after building it from a kit

and having owned it for twenty years.”

TIGER CUB

kit called the RM Seven. Importing that

car would offer a shortcut to production

while his own car progressed, and a deal

was done to market the cars in the UK.

Jim displayed the first car early in 1990,

and little could he imagine the storm of

legal action that would ensue from the big

hitters of the time, both Caterham Cars

and Westfield Sportscars. Swift back-

pedalling would see Caterham collect

five RM Seven rolling chassis from his

London workshops, accompanied by

hefty legal bills from both companies.

It was not the start anyone would wish

for, but Caterham’s aggressive lawyers

displayed an arrogance that riled this

east Londoner, spurring him on to fast-

track his original car into production...

“THE CUB’S FRONT END

ST Y LING SPLIT OPINION – OK,

NOT MAN Y PEOPLE LIKED IT –

BUT THE UNDERPINNINGS

WORKED A TREAT”

036 Tiger.indd 39 02/08/2019 1:41 pm