Tiger Racing Limited, headquartered in the greenest rolling hills in England at Cambridgeshire, have something for everyone to add to true racing auto collections. And considering the image and history of quality that comes with the Tiger Racing tradition, race car collectors can enjoy a surprisingly affordable value. Take the Tiger Avon, as their entry level "lowcost" example, which can be purchased starting factory built at around $25,000 US.
And this is no wannabe-lookalike, tricked up soapbox derby playtoy for the American market. The Tiger Avon evolved in authentic fashion from Tiger Racing Limited, the family-owned racing automotive company formed in 1989. As the name indicates, the Tiger heart and soul is auto racing; they own the respected Z100WR trademark name, and early on acquired the historic ERA (English Racing Automobiles) trademark. Two Tiger cars currently use the ERA name, a single seater racer internationally competing in the British Automotive Racing Club (BARC) series of championships, and the ERA 30 "road legal" sports car.
Do Brits Have More Fun? In Racing, Yes!
Some of you who follow my column know that I think Brits have way more accessible venues and outlets for average people who really want to get in a car and race. In the UK, there are so many well-organized club racing series out there that there's something for almost any bloke who wants the thrill of rounding a track or thundering over the road and having a chance to compete for championships. Over there it's, well, maybe not a totally IN-expensive hobby, but one that won't break the family trust fund to afford, and the whole family can watch dad out there driving, instead of sitting on his American bum getting bleary-eyed watching NASCAR week after week.
In the spirit of giving everyone who wants to a chance to race, Tiger Racing in conjunction with BARC has a new class competing continuing with the ERA class in the Single Seater series. In this series, Tiger has a program where a person can buy a car, more like a lease per race, and compete - or, they can do what's called a "hire drive," just turn up, pay a fee, and race either a Tiger or an ERA in that series. So it's not surprising that Tiger was one of the first authentic race roadster manufacturers to introduce comprehensive kit cars to the industry, allowing guys to even build their own car either as a budget feature or just for the fun and pride of building the car that they will compete with.
The Tiger Avon Lowcost kit is designed specifically to enable the builder to achieve a superb racing car on the simple principle that the more construction, assembly and finishing that is done by the customer, the lower the final cost. The Tiger Avon can be fitted with a number of easily available engine options ( UK engines are Ford OHC Sierra, or the standard Ford Mondeo Zetec 16v running on standard injection or carbs) that can be found in North America, including 4 cylinder units such as motorcycle engines. Some engine options will require adapter systems made for them which Tiger can supply.
The Tiger Avon uses a space frame chassis with fully independent suspension which is the former Phoenix Automotive Avon Sprint, modified by Tiger to increase durability and lower build costs. The company's project was documented in the book How to Build Your Own Tiger Avon Sports Car for Road and Track, published in association with Veloce Publishing in the UK and available through Amazon. Performance can be customized by the builder through choice of various engine options, but, regardless, Tiger documentation guarantees it to be "exhilarating." The Tiger Avon is available from chassis upwards, rolling chassis kit, comprehensive kit, factory built and also there are some pre-owned models offered on www.tigerracing.com. Check it all out.
