LOT 195 - 1973 Triumph TR6 Project

ABOUT THIS CAR

“It is very much a masculine machine, calling for beefy muscles, bold decisions, and even ruthlessness on occasion. It could be dubbed the last real sports car.” Autocar, 17^th April 1969.

Into the ‘export at all costs’ post-war sports car market the Standard Motor Company launched the immediately successful Triumph TR2 in 1953 (the “TR1” having been labelled a ‘death trap’ by its development engineer), which morphed pretty seamlessly into the TR3 just two years later. Well-engineered with good performance they were visually very similar if a little ‘pre-war’ perhaps with bodywork showing the remnants of the separate wings that the market was inexorably evolving away from. Without the spare capital to develop a replacement, the TR3 batted on like a stubborn tail-end batsman for the next seven years, earning valuable foreign currency particularly from the USA. Come 1961 the corporate coffers had recovered sufficiently to facilitate the launch of the next generation TR, not surprisingly (or that imaginatively) titled the TR4. The tried and tested running gear hung off an effective separate chassis was for the most part left well alone though the introduction of rack and pinion steering was a significant dynamic step forward. The available cash was instead splashed on the area most needing attention, namely updating the TR’s looks and incorporating such by then ‘must haves’ as wind-up windows as opposed to separate side screens. To this end Triumph, as they had been for all their new models since the Herald of 1959, turned south-southeast to the styling house of one Giovanni Michelotti. Dressed in its sharp new Italian threads, the TR4, despite its rather more staid homespun M&S underwear, proved to be just the ticket for the 1960’s sports car market. Come 1967 it was the oily bits’ turn for some attention and the biggest step forward yet for the TR family; the introduction of Triumph’s smooth as silk 2.5 litre ‘six’ to the engine bay of the TR5. A year later the development wheel turned once again to the TR’s styling and German house Karmann were tasked with bringing the TR up to date (without wholesale alterations to much of the body tooling) with subtly sharpened edges and the aerodynamic must have Kamm-tail of the TR6. Rugged good looks, plenty of power and a glorious six cylinder soundtrack, the arguably last proper TR sold well though with the majority of production destined for overseas markets, genuine UK right hand drive examples such as this machine are a relative rarity.

Clearly in the ‘project’ category, this example still has much going for it and given the number of times Berlinetta staff have dived into the deep end of the ‘on the road for next spring’ pool (more often than not, off the top board) we do feel we speak from experience, much of it bitter. Rule One: Don’t buy anything involving boxes of unattached parts; one trip into the car’s resting place to retrieve it is the goal and any more than that will surely result in a lot of ‘where is the (insert name of vital part here)’ and ‘where does this bit go’ discussions. Sellers’ percentage completeness estimates are invariably both wildly optimistic and inversely proportional to the pain you will experience tracking down the missing items. The importance of this rule ramps up dramatically the more frequently a project has been moved from one location to another as loose items form a vapour trail in the car’s wake before being lost in the ether.  

Rule Two: Originality is everything. Parts that get “upgraded” are often hard to replace and machines that have been ‘got at’ tend to end up trying the patience of even the most saintly of new owners.

Rules Three through to Ten, see Rules One and Two so it is just as well that ‘CWV 575L’ scores particularly well in these areas.

In terms of condition, please refer to the extensive ‘warts and all’ photo gallery; a picture really does paint a thousand words (and is arguably considerably less dull to boot). Clearly the TR is absolutely complete and the only unattached parts are additional bonus items in the shape of a couple of very good spare doors (does that make it the only four-door TR6 in existence?). It is also one of the most original cars we have come across with not even a hole drilled in the bodyshell for a radio aerial or wing mirror, though it has to be said the elements have provided plenty of other apertures via good old oxidation. First registered on 23^rd March 1973, the Log Book on file lists the most recent owner as a Mr J. P. Simpson of 39, Grosvenor Place, Bath (a substantial house now divided into prestigious flats) who acquired the Triumph on 7^th October 1977. Said V5 lists just the one previous keeper since November 1975 so one might surmise that Mr Simpson became the car’s second owner when it was four and a half years old.

The Chassis (or Commission in Triumph-speak) Plate lists the Paint Code as 92, the vibrant and oh-so appropriate “Magenta” (more prosaic ‘Purple’ to you, me and the DVLA) that was available for just a two year period from 1973 to 1974. The TR is still rocking the same shade today and as far as we were able to tell, it is the actual paint applied in the Coventry Factory over fifty years ago. The Trim Code of 11 indicates black leathercloth was specified when new, as was the case with the vast majority of TR6s. We strongly suspect the trim is original…

Though the body is showing some signs of rust, this is mostly confined to the doors and a pair of very good replacements are supplied with the car; these are shown in the photo gallery. Other than that, only the valences seem to be beyond economical repair with the sills perhaps borderline, not least because they are only around £100 per side so it may well be more cost effective to replace them. The wings, boot lid and bonnet all look to be mostly rust-free and just require attention to the odd dent. The Triumph has suffered a scrape down its offside but again the metal itself seems to be sound. To us the majority of the outer panels seem to require localised repair work rather than replacement. The offside floor pan is significantly holed and it would probably require replacement though the inner sills look to be salvageable. Looking past the broadly cosmetic condition of the body (the upside of a separate chassis), the panel fit is actually very good indeed which speaks to both a sound chassis and reasonably straightforward refurbishment.

At the risk of stating the bloomin’ obvious, despite its originality, the paintwork probably needs redoing though the temptation to go down the ‘rat rod’ route is strong.

For the most part the chrome-work is in fair condition. The front bumper has a decent dent in it though this could more than likely be eased out so that it and the centre section of the rear bumper could be re-plated. The side pieces of said rear bumper require more substantial repair though replacement items are readily available for about £100 a pop. Depending on the desired end result other items such as door handles and the fuel cap could simply be polished.

The front and rear offside plastic indicator lenses are damaged but the Lucas headlight glasses are in good condition, as are their trim rings and silvered reflectors.

The road wheels, including the spare, seem to be pretty straight and have just a few areas of flaking paint. The TR6 logo wheel centres are present and in fair condition. Michelin XZX tyres point to past conscientious maintenance though they are clearly time expired.

The soft top looks to be the TR’s original; though somewhat frayed around the edges, it might be reusable once rebound and treated to a good clean.

The windscreen is in good condition with no major chips or scratches though its rubber is somewhat perished.

The condition of the interior is pretty much inline with the rest of the car but experience would suggest it will be reasonably inexpensive to transform the split seats and worn carpets. The satin finish wood dashboard has some light cracking to its lacquer but seems to be very sound underneath that, with no additional dials or switches installed. There are some cracks in the lower dash trim as illustrated in the photo gallery. A cut-out for a radio is a bit of an eyesore but something like a period Radiomobile or even a blanking plate popped into it would be a great improvement. A full set of correct Smiths instruments is present of which the generously sized speedometer and tachometer are easily viewed through the spokes of the lovely leather rimmed steering wheel. The door cards are in good condition though the passenger-side pocket is a bit baggy. One of the hood release handles is loose in the cockpit.

A ribbed rubber mat covers the board and spare wheel in the boot, the floor of which is mostly solid with some surface corrosion, though this has created a small hole in the front offside corner as shown in the photo gallery. Hopefully this is small enough to be repaired without the need to replace the complete boot floor.

The engine bay is 100% original down to the fibre radiator shroud, Lucas washer bottle and chromed tin rocker cover. It is likely the battery will need to be replaced but its clamp is present in the car’s boot. The inner wings and bulkhead are correctly finished in body colour; they look to be in good condition with just some paint flaking off under the brake master cylinder, doubtless the consequence of previous fluid spills. Though we were unable to trace it throughout the car, we could find no evidence of any wiring loom repairs.

Following what seems to be an extended period of inactivity, it was thought imprudent to ‘chuck a gallon of fuel in the tank, see how we get on’; the risk of any debris in the fuel tank being stirred up and potentially damaging the fuel injection system was considered too great. The vendor has however fired the engine up by operating the butterflies and spraying a mist of fuel directly into the throttle bodies. A video of this is available to interested parties on request. The photo gallery also shows a strong seventy psi reading on the oil pressure gauge with the engine turning over on the starter motor. The other mechanical input that we can give is that all the gears engage smoothly through a nice tight change mechanism.

Up on the vendor’s lift the TR’s chassis looks to be in reasonable condition though there is evidence of some localised repairs. What you see is what you get, there being no overly thick protective coatings which might in reality be hiding a multitude of sins. The engine, gearbox and differential are all fairly fluid tight with no significant drips of lubricant. The standard twin-pipe exhaust system seems to be in good condition.

At half the price of the mechanically identical TR5 and honed looks that are just starting to find favour, the TR6 looks to us to be almost criminally under-valued and with more than 90% of production to left hand drive specification this example represents a rare opportunity. On top of this we feel the vendor has a super-realistic view of its value and it is reserved accordingly.

Despite having been off the road for a considerable period of time, the TR’s surprisingly sound condition and outstanding originality make it a very good project with huge potential. Absolutely complete, ‘un-got at’ and in single ownership for over forty-five years, even the hobby restorer has a good chance of knowing how it all goes back together, given they will have every opportunity to be involved in its disassembly.

• Registration number: CWV 575L
• Chassis Number: CR 1121
• Engine Number: CR 001094HE