The best of anything is a bold claim, but the seller of this very tidy 1971 Triumph TR6 claims his is the best example on eBay at the moment. The TR6 is a very pretty survivor that’s offered at no reserve, and the seller notes loads of original details that point to its continued preservation. This includes the red primer still being visible on the undersides of the floor pans, and the paint is believed to be original. The seller also notes that a ’71 model is the one to buy owing to its high compression engine and little in the way of smog equipment. Find it here on eBay where bidding has reached $9,200, and should you want to check it out in person, you’ll need to plan a trip to Texas.
The seller has known the car for a while, starting with a casual conversation where the previous owner requested some help with sorting it out before using it more frequently. The TR6 was in solid condition body-wise thanks to being a Texas car since new, but required the full assortment of repairs and updates that any vintage car that’s been sitting is sure to need. The seller details a laundry list of repairs carried out in recent years, including the fuel system, brakes, clutch, carburetors, cooling system, shock absorbers, windshield, and other components that all required refurbishing or outright replacement. The top is also new, along with the tires and battery.
The interior was also gone through, as I suspect the unrelenting Texas sun did a number on the original materials. The listing details how the seats, carpet, crash-pads, visors, and solid teak dashboard are all-new replacement pieces, and the results obviously speak for themselves. While it’s always preferred to find an original cabin in near-new condition, it’s also near impossible to find in a convertible and there’s little doubt it’s way more pleasant to seat yourself in an interior free of funky smells or marred surfaces. Pictures also show that a full tonneau cover is included for those times when protection is needed but you don’t want to put the top-up.
The engine bay is just stunning, especially for a car that hasn’t been repainted. The Triumph is said to run well with excellent compression and oil pressure. The only reason the TR6 is for sale is due to the longtime second owner needing space in the garage and due to the transmission developing a whine in low gear. The seller, due to knowing the TR6 fairly intimately and having a spare, rebuilt overdrive gearbox sitting in storage, decided to snatch the car up and give it the final sorting it needed. The front suspension has also been rebuilt and poly bushings added to the rear trailing arms. While I don’t know about the best, it’s definitely quite nice.
Nice.
Not that I would do so (heh..heh)…but what are common engine mods for these “pocket rockets”?
How much money do you want to spend. Go to Richard Good’s web page Goodparts and check out his toy box of goodies.
Top thing to do is shave the head to get some decent compression, then add a decent cam and it goes downhill from there.
Surely those horrible front and rear bumpers are not original, unless only for the US market? The trunk luggage rack is even worse.
The crap on the bumpers is a “period correct” add-on by AMCO, I believe. It’s purpose was to protect the vulnerable parking and taillamps from the land yachts/barges built by GM at the time–their bumpers were higher than the Triumph. You are correct, mate, they detract from the car’s lines!
Is it still a survivor when the interior has been replaced from top to bottom? Seat material is incorrect, as is the dash wood (looks like maple). Engine coolant hoses should be green, clamps are incorrect, and the car really needs redline tires.
Detroit Land Yacht — the engines respond well to bump in compression, cam, triple webers. In race trim they can pull close to 200hp.
Luggage rack pretty common add on in the ’60s and ’70s. The bumper overiders are aftermarket. Have worked on several of these and have never seen green coolant hoses on one. If they were factory they sure didn’t last long. Like Brian said, pull the smog gear and his suggested mods and they really come to life. A lighter flywheel and clutch do wonders for them also. Last one we did for a customer was to build an autocross engine. Cam really upped the torque and the triple carbs put the fuel where and when it needed to be. As a survivor… if it hasn’t rusted out like most of the British cars of the era I’d say it survived. Nice car.
I disagree about the hoses not lasting long.
I had a ’74 TR6,& it had (I believe) the original green
hoses for about 18 years,as they weren’t available
for a long time.I got new green ones from the Roadster –
Factory at that time.
I believe the overridders were from AMCO,who
sold them for a lot of cars back then.
1969 was the best year.
Still have my 74 bought it new, was a GI back then. Not quite as clean but my carpets, seat covers, replaced the foam, dash and many other parts are still in place. Even my top, although the rear window visibility is poor. Yes I have a luggage carrier as the trunk is not too large. Has ugly big rubber overriders. But still a fun car to drive! Car has 69 k on it and I beat on it for the first couple of years, tuff little car. Stromberg carbs gave way to down draft Webber’s. Yep has been in a garage most of those years.
Oh my gosh. Just buy it and drive it. It’s a fun driving machine exactly as is. Having just completed a five year rebuild on a TR3, it sure would have been nice to just get one in this condition and have an equal amount of fun. Granted, the improvements they made from TR3 to TR6 are tremendous. Two very different machines with a clear lineage.