Description

1971 Triumph TR6

One owner from new!: full-fat 150bhp; hard top; a period-piece with massive history; a rare find; older Revington TR restoration showing just 62,300 miles

Triumph revitalised its classic TR range in 1968 and introduced the Karmann-styled TR6. Sharp, clean and fresh, the TR6 sported a more aggressive body with revised front and rear end styling although the centre section remained the same as the TR4 and TR5.

For the UK market, the straight-six fuel-injected 150bhp 2,498cc engine also carried over from the previous TR5 model, although from 1973 it was changed for a milder 125bhp unit to meet stricter emission regulations. In full-fat 150bhp form it could sprint to 60mph in 8.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 120mph.

Widely regarded as the last of the proper TRs, it had potent front disc brakes, independent front suspension and a very sporting ride. Inside was a very pleasant place to sit with pile carpets on floors and boot, plush-looking bucket seats, a lovely wooden dashboard and a full complement of instrumentation. A huge sales success, more than 94,000 TR6s were built (ninety percent of them to detuned US specifications), before it was replaced by the much softer TR7 in 1975.

Genuine is an over-used term in motoring circles, but is fully justified in this instance. Purchased as a new car by the vendor 51 years ago through Russells of Chatham, the original bill for £1,600 is on file. It was ordered with overdrive and painted Sienna and fitted with a Tan interior.

He specified a hard top to be painted to match the car and the garage charged him extra for fitting his own radio and spot lamps. The car was serviced three times to 18,350 miles by January 1975 according to the stamped service book and Passport to Service and there are multiple bills and old MOTs which show that it was off the road for various periods. That is not quite the full picture, as the speedo was changed in July 1972, and changed again in July 1975 so the vendor calculates and can confirm that it has really covered a shade under 62,300 miles from new.

By the turn of the Millenium it was looking a bit sad, so the owner decided the car needed a birthday and took it to marque specialists Revington TR, Somerset where it was given a full body-off restoration between December 1999 and April 2001. Extensive details and bills are on file detailing the whole exercise and 42 pictures show the extent and the quality of the work completed. The restoration was total, back to the bare chassis which needed repair, blasting the body back to bare metal, repairs and reassembly.

Both during the restoration and fitted subsequently to keep it up to scratch, the car has had a new radiator and water pump, new stainless bumpers and a new Bosch fuel pump (2018), a stainless exhaust, aluminium fuel tank, electric thermostat fan, five Minilite-style wheels, an upgraded 65amp/hr alternator, Carroless sealant throughout, intermittent wipers, some electrical tweaks such as a relocation of the former foot-operated dipswitch and the overdrive switch to a shared stalk, a battery isolator and a power socket.

Its most recent MOT was undertaken in December 2020 with just one advisory for a minor oil leak.

It comes with its original soft top and frame, although the Perspex windows are now a bit discoloured and a tan cover for the hood when folded. It retains its jack etc in the boot which also houses a boot-mounted luggage rack which was never refitted after the restoration. The vendor thinks the radio still works, although there are currently no speakers, a couple of speaker pods that would fit under the dash are supplied in the boot. It also has a 'period' Krooklok - remember those?

No doubt there are more gems of information hidden in the comprehensive history file, suffice to say that it is all there and will make fascinating reading for its new owner - even down to the Petrol tokens!

The vendor has loved owning and driving it, but simply is not using it often enough to justify keeping it in his garage. This is a great opportunity to acquire a genuine, older restored one owner car with fewer than 62,300 miles under its wheels...

For more information - contact matthew.parkin@brightwells.com