1925 Sunbeam Tiger

I took this photograph during the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy Race for Vintage Racing Cars at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It's Vijay Mallya coming up to Lodge Corner in his 1925 Sunbeam Tiger, and behind him David Biggins in the 1926/23 Vauxhall 14/40 Rowley Special with a 30/98 engine. The Sunbeam Tiger has a supercharged 3,976cc V12 engine formed from two of the Grand Prix Sunbeam's 6-cylinder 2 litre engines in a V formation mated to a single crankshaft and a note in the programme of the event about the car reads as follows:

'The most powerful car in today's race is the 4 litre supercharged V12 Sunbeam Tiger of Vijay Mallya, another favourite for a win, though a first appearance at Oulton Park, we think, for Vijay himself. The Sunbeam took the Land Speed Record on Southport sands at 152.33 mph in 1926 driven by Seagrave and broke the Brooklands Outer Circuit record in 1929 at 137.58 mph driven by Kaye Don. Seagrave also led the free formula Spanish GP at San Sebastian with the car for four laps later in 1926 after which the tubular front axle broke in the middle due to inaccurate boring-out and Seagrave slid to a rather uncomfortable halt. The car has twice been a winner of the Vintage Seaman Trophy at Oulton Park when entered by Sir Ralph Millais and driven by George Burton in 1965 and by Neil Corner in 1970.'