For our British car fans out there, this barn find Triumph TR8 looks like it’s emerged mostly unscathed from years in a New Jersey garage. That’s rarely the case with vintage tin that’s been left to sit for years at a time, and if it’s anywhere near the Northeast or other areas with snow and salt, it’s not uncommon for cars to be parked due to rust issues. This TR8 appears to be a rare case of the owner knowingly taking it off the road for an extended period, but no one knows exactly why. Check out this Poseidon Green TR8 that is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,500.
Wow! That cleaned up nicely. The seller clues us into some interesting history with this TR8, but it honestly just leads to more questions. The Triumph was parked in 1990 with under 40,000 original miles. The owner disconnected the exhaust and all “…front accessories from the engine.” As such, the car has not been started or otherwise tested, but given the clean condition, I would find a way to prove it’s at least not locked up if I were the seller. The TR8 combined stately British elegance with a 3.5L all-aluminum V8 engine, and was produced for just a few years.
The interior is the ultimate clue that both the mileage is accurate and the story holds water in terms of how long this TR8 has been off the road. It’s in stunning condition, frankly, for a car that isn’t a delivery miles timewarp specimen. I would wager it was carefully used for the 10 years it was on the road, likely reserved for weekend driving duty. The plaid pattern on the seats is incredibly period-correct and shows very little in the way of wear-and-tear. The same goes for the armrest, steering wheel, carpets, and dash. Even the leather shift boot appears to be near mint.
In 1980, the TR8 produced 133 bhp and 168 lb-ft of torque. While not an outrageous number, it was respectable for malaise era and made the TR8 at least sound like a gnarly muscle car. The looks of the classic British wedge always suggested it should have been more of a bruiser, so stuffing a V8 under the hood enhanced the car’s image greatly. The seller notes the TR8 comes with a healthy paper trial of service records and other documentation, along with the convertible boot top, tool kit and jack, original radio, and more. We rarely see TR8s in any condition, but especially barn find discoveries that are true survivors under all that dust.
Beautiful color but it appears someone already may have picked it up. The problem from the existing picks is that “rust” appears to be showing its face and that’s not good on this platform. Good luck to whoever purchased it