Complete Kit Car – September 2019

ANNIVERSARY | TIGER RACING

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

Yet another tuned Duratec engine in this R10.

Double bubble scuttle a distinctive feature. Bare buckets make sense for track day use.

Having been factory building cars for many years,

Tiger has it down to a fine art. Dave Thomas took

advantage of the company’s keen pricing to order a

high specification Duratec engined Tiger R10 in 2014.

Built as he wanted it, the bill was a highly competitive

£20,000 all in. “I use the car for local runs out, track

days and European road trips,” enthuses Dave. “In fact, I am going to

Lake Como in Italy this summer with two other Tiger owners.”

He continues, “After trying other kit cars, in my opinion this is the

best on the market. The best thing about the car is the handling and

performance.” So would he ever part with it? “At the moment it’s a

keeper, however if I was to look at a replacement I would definitely be

going back to Tiger.”

TIGER R10

That car gained Tiger much publicity

beyond the kit car scene, with a notable

appearance on Fifth Gear.

If there’s one final twist to the Tiger

model range, it once again harks back to

Jim Dudley’s original passion for early

Lotuses. The company’s HS6 is a faithful

replica of the Lotus Six, stepping back in

time to use components harvested from

the Triumph Herald and Spitfire to create

a genuinely period feel. It’s joined by the

ERA 30 (Lotus 23 replica) and ERA

HSS single-seater racing car, Tiger having

acquired the rights to use the historic name

from grand prix racing.

Today, Tiger Racing splits its time

between the kit car and classic car scenes

(particularly Fords and, you’ve guessed

it, Lotuses) but at its heart remains a

remarkable family run operation. Always

supported by wife Sue, the business also

sees son Paul in the thick of it, along

with daughter Laura overseeing the parts

business. Having departed London over

two decades ago, Tiger Racing is now based

in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, where the

company operates from a modern industrial

unit where chassis are still fabricated

in-house, alongside a professional bodyshop,

trim shop and spares department.

The company still offers a bewilderingly

diverse range of kit cars (Aviator, Avon,

Avon Tourer, R6, R10, B6, alloy bodied RS6,

GTA, HS6, Z100, ERA HSS and ERA

30). In reality most customers are likely to

consider an Avon or R6/R10.

As the milometer clicks passed 30, Tiger

is still based around the core values on which

036 Tiger.indd 44 02/08/2019 1:41 pm