1979 TIGA FF79 Formula Ford

Ex-Works. 1980 Dunlop Star of Tomorrow Championship Winner

Sold

History

This Tiga was originally driven by James Weaver (yellow/orange/red) in England as a factory Tiga under the name of Scorpion Racing. TigaRaceCars.com. Alan Cox Photography Weaver would leverage his success in the Tiga, and his 1978 and 1981 Formula Ford Festival podium results, to go on to race at Le Mans, win multiple Grand Am Prototype Championships, a GT Championship, and to win the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Tim Lee-Davey next took up the reigns of the Tiga in 1980 for Mark Thatcher Racing (son of Margaret Thatcher, England’s Prime Minister). The car now ran with the blue livery seen in the photo below of the cover of the Autosport Magazine special insert. It would be with Davey and Mark Thatcher Racing that the Tiga would go on to capture the 1980 Star of Tomorrow Formula Ford Championship.

At the end of 1980, the Tiga was exported to the United States to resume its racing career in SCCA racing. Interestingly, this Tiga never had a factory number as it was an in-house factory car directly developed by Howden Ganley and Tim Schenken, not designated as a customer car for sale. However, when it arrived in the U.S. it received an SCCA Stamp, #021-509, and has been known by that number ever since. The Tiga is fully documented and has been verified by Howden Ganley. the original co-owner of Tiga Race Cars with fellow F1 driver Tim Schenken.

Most recently the car has continued its successes in vintage and SCCA Club Ford racing with John Haydon before moving onto its current owner.

The Tiga comes with all of its SCCA logbooks dating all the way to 1981 when it first began racing in the U.S. Also included with the car are the period photos of the car racing in England as seen below.

The car is currently located in a climate-controlled race shop in Florida.

Description

Spares include the following:

Engine cover, spare nose, and spare lower side pods.

Two sets of spare wheels.

Additional Details & Spares:

  • Electronic ignition
  • Cast aluminum valve cover
  • Tilton OT-2 (7.25″) metallic clutch
  • SAAB hydraulic release bearing, rebuilt w/new bearing and hoses
  • Shifter lip seal
  • 2 new CV joints
  • Revolution wheels
  • AMB 1st-gen (lifetime) hard-wire transponder
  • Speed Bleeders on all 4 calipers
  • AiM SMC Bridge, original SmartyCam, & SoloDL
  • HANS harness bar installed
  • Front brakes converted to Swift DB2 bolt-on rotors
  • Secondary engine mounting plates
  • Spare header (3 seasons old)
  • Afterburner flashing LED rain light
  • Stack ST400C “Classic” tach
  • Racetech WT gauge
  • Racetech dual OT/OP gauge — OT side does not work

               Used spares:

  • 3 extra sets of wheels (1 Minilite with slicks, 1 steel with rains, 1 Miniheavy bare)
  • 12 gearsets & 3 new dog rings in Pegasus 20-set wooden case
  • 1 dual-pass radiator (less conversion piping)
  • 2 motor mounts
  • Pipercross air filter
  • 4 oil pumps
  • Ferodo brake pads (PFC 01 are on the car now)

               New spares:

  • Schroth harness (expires 12/2025)
  • Rod ends, CV joint, clutch disc
  • Modified VW rear hub & axle nut
  • Mk 9 input shaft seal (European, not Brazilian)
  • Caliper & MC rebuild kits
  • Momo flat-bottom steering wheel (undrilled)
  • OMP flat-bottom cut-off top wheel (undrilled)
  • Lip seals for shifter, plus Taylor external seal kit
  • Bosch coils, cap & rotor, set of spark plugs
  • Pipercross air filter
  • Titan oil pump (disassembled / checked, sealed, never installed)

               Engine parts pulled from running motor:

  • 1 intake manifold & prepped carb
  • 1 camshaft & lifters set
  • 1 rocker shaft complete
  • 1 set pistons & rods
  • Water pump, front cover, rear cover, pushrods, steel valve cover
  • AP mag ring clutch
  • Autolite distributor with Pertronix Ignitor installed

               Mk 9 parts pulled from damaged box:

  • Side plates, axles, bearing carrier (with Taylor external seal), Rhino case

Special tools:

  • Pegasus Mk 9 gear change tray
  • Pinion shaft castle nut socket
  • 2 lithium jumper batteries & charger
  • 2 lead-acid jumper batteries
  • Supertrapp paddock muffler
  • Quick-lift jack
  • Folding chassis low-stands
  • AN wrenches (6, 10, & adjustable)
  • Sockets for head bolts, trans fill plug, trans nuts, & axle nuts

All vehicle descriptions are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Corrections, and supplemental information, are always welcome. Buyers are responsible for confirming vehicle histories, condition, and authenticity to their own satisfaction prior to purchase. Motorsports Market is not the owner of the vehicle and assumes no liability for errors and omissions.

(c) 1996-2022, Motorsports Market. All Rights Reserved.

Questions, Comments, Offers?

Please Contact Us if you have any questions or comments, 

or would like to make a non-binding offer.

Back to Racecar Market