Hey Mark (1A),
Not really sure, but perhaps Mr. Norman Miller could elaborate…
From his email response to me, I would interpret it as the car was started to be constructed in 1964, but was "reported to have been completed on the 10th of February, 1965"…
It is my understanding that the Jensen factory took Alpine bodies to convert them and/or modify them to become Tigers… so perhaps the VIN was from the manufacture date of the body, not the "completion" date of the entire car.
But honestly, I really don’t know.
Still trying to find a bit of time to log onto a photo-sharing site.
On a 1964 Sunbeam Tiger related note, I got out my original copy of the official program guide for the "8th Annual, 1964 International Automobile Show, April 4-12, 1964" (which was held at the old New York Coliseum in New York City).
In it, on the bottom of page 128 the new Sunbeam is featured.
However, it is not called the Tiger… (I presume at the time that the guide was printed, they had not yet finalized the Tiger name).
Instead, it is referred to as the "Sunbeam Alpine 260" (U.S.A. Premiere). The car which is shown is a left-hand drive model, appearing to be white (with a white hardtop), with a (English License?) Plate number 3863VC.
Thanks,
Peter, aka MarshMountaineers