77' Tiga

[jimk1852]

I am tring to get a log book in CVRA for a 1977 Tiga FF. They are questioning the rear bodywrok for authenticity, a small aluminum spoiler on the back of the engine cover in particular. I'm hard pressed to find any pictures of original body work. Can anyone help with pics?

[Rick Kirchner]

Tell those Corinthian guys to have a beer and chill out. I can't believe folks in vintage still get hung up on the "authenticity" thing in formula cars - a class where innovation was part of the deal. They're not like production cars with real specific bodywork rules. As long as it doesn't look like a DB-1, what's the big deal? Some of the coolest vintage cars are the ones where the owners took a turd and did something neat with it - like the alternate bodywork for the Royale RP-16. Can you imagine the confusion if you tried to get all the Crossles out there to have the correct bodywork given the interchangeability between 30/32/35 etc?

If their position is to find another engine cover or not race I'd find another club.

In this month's Victory Lane there's a CVAR Lola 540 that's running without the original "periscope" snorkle - maybe he should have been disqualified for "non-originality"!

Isn't there apicture of a Tiga on the Pegasus cover? I think if you search the "for sale" listings you'll find at least one pic of a Tiga.

[lenhart05]

Here's what the original large tail looks like on my Dad's FFA80. I think the ealier '77 tail ends right behind the oil cooler. Or, possibly right infront of the oil cooler.

It is possible to put a small aluminum sheet on the back vertical surface of the body. I think one could have slots and slide the sheet up and down for adjustment.

Tad

[Rick Kirchner]

the one on the back cover of the Pegasus catalog looks like that as well, and so does the one here: http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/show...highlight=tiga

[Chuck Hovonick]

This sounds to me like yet another fine example of someone in racing officialdom spending too much time picking nits and not nearly enough time serving the needs of the actual racers. I raced a TIGA for 14 years (70's through 90's) in CENDIV - where there were a lot of TIGAs. The original 70's short tail ended 1.5 inches behind the oil cooler - just enough room for the two dzus fasteners that held it in place. The back edge of the tail featured a downward facing flange of about 1.25 inches in height that continued around the sides of the tail as reinforcement. At the time, the Formula Ford rules allowed a raised surface of no more than 1 inch in height above the rear of the deck as a spoiler. To the best of my knowledge, every TIGA in CENDIV had a vertical aluminum flange added to the rear flange of the short tail, serving as this LEGAL spoiler. I don't remember anyone ever protesting the addition, and if they did, the protest must have been disallowed - I still have the spoiler on my car's short tail. If my scanner wasn't busted, I'd post a photo of the thing. The question of authenticity shouldn't even enter into the discussion, since "authentic" cars of the period actually raced with the device! For what its worth, no one to my knowledge ever proved or disproved that the spoiler actually worked, but that is beside the point. If the people you're dealing with need more convincing, have them contact me by e-mail - I'll see what I can do to help out.

-Chuck Hovonick

[jimk1852]

Thanks for your help guys. From the pictures it looks like the CVAR guys will need to be real forgiving as it looks like the tail is not the only non original body piece. Anyone else with pictures or knows where I can view some I'd appreciate the help.

Also if anyone has the line on some original body work I would like to bring it back to original if possible.

[RoadHazard]

The official Tiga headquarters in the U.S. is:

Chevron-Tiga Cars
1312 Commerce Lane
Suite 4C
Jupiter, Florida
33458
Roger Andreason
(561) 748-6039
tigaracecars@msn.com

They can make you a "new" Tiga of any year and model you want.

[Henrik]

Hello
I have a Tiga 1977 FF1600 whith original bodywork.
The extra air intake on the side might not be original some said it only should be a bulge to clear the carb.
I believe that the bodywork was changed in 1979/-80

You can find pictures here:

http://hhtech.se/tiga.htm
Regards
Henrik

[Henrik]

Hello
Here is a picture of Barry Pomfrets car
I think the pic is from late -70s or early -80s


Henrik

[jimk1852]

Henrik and RoadHazard, thanks for the info and pics. I have been in touch with Roger in Fla. and will be sending pictures to him after I visit the track this weekend. He has the molds for 78' and up so we'll see what happens. It looks like a previous owner hung a completely different body on the chassis. I'll post some pictures and maybe someone will know what's on there now. Henrik, I saw your old posts and your car looks great. Do you still have it?

[Rick Kirchner]

Kinda the love-child of a lotus/march/van diemen menage a trois!

[jimk1852]

I've been in touch with Roger at Chevron /Tiga and appreciate the help finding him.
Someone has suggested the engine cover and intake are from a Swift DB1.
Not much else appears to be original body work. If I've done it correctly I have attached a picture of the car. Tiga # 37 from 1977. I did not receive the log book when I purchased the car in early 06'. I believe it has been in the Houston area unused for 1-2 years prior to that and that it came from the Phoenix area? Does anyone recognize the car and can help me out with it's history? Thanks. Jim

[Garey Guzman]

If I see the sticker correctly above the side SCCA sticker, you should contact Todd Cook (TCE).

TCE Wesite

Todd is a great guy and if he has any info regarding the car, I'm sure he'll be happy to help.

[jimk1852]

Garey, great lead. Todd had lots of info and leads on the previous owners. Thanks
Jim

[Cameron Wagner]

Is that Greg Pizzo's old car? I vaguely remember a pink and white Club or Spec Ford running in late 80's/early 90's San Francisco Region races with a Swift tail like that, it might even have been a Tiga with #37 on it to boot.

[jimk1852]

The car was in Ca. prior to Phoenix but I have not gotten any confirmed info on who the owner was.

[RoadHazard]

Not mine. I've checked my old log books and there's no Greg Pizzo in there.

[Todd TCE]

It's not only Greg's old car (err, bucket of parts....) but was later built up by myself and the previous owner here: Frank Eckert. Frank has a rather "high end" machine shop and whatever I made up for him he, umm, reproduced. Like the custom billet rear uprights. You couldn't afford to buy some of the parts on that car! lol

The car was always a strong runner here in AZ. (for what that's worth) and yes it is a modified Swift tale. Quite well done in the end I might add. The nose is also reworked to fit the Ron Davis larger rad. I watched Frank run the snot out of it at Firebird years ago on Am Racers with 23 heat cycles on them- about .5sec under the lap record or so.

Great car when he traded it in part to Jens at Hammerhead. From there I know nothing about it.