- Seller: Debra P (Contact)
- Location: West Valley City, Utah
- Mileage: 44,964 Shown
- Chassis #: TS43425
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 1991cc Inline-4
- Transmission: Manual
UPDATE – The seller has added photos to the gallery below.
The Triumph TR3 is about as perfect a British Roadster as you can get. It has iconic looks, simple mechanicals, and a wonderful driving experience. You won’t find roll-up windows, air conditioning, or even power steering on this 1959 TR3A. Instead, you get a pure sports-car driving experience that lets you connect with the car and the road. This example, located in West Valley, Utah, has been parked for years and needs rescue. The seller’s late father bought the car hoping to fix it up, but unfortunately, he never completed the project. Now it’s time to find a good home for it, so it’s being offered here as a Barn Finds Auction. While it’s a project, it has a lot of potential and comes with a clean Utah title in the seller’s name.
The seller notes that one of the brakes is currently locked up, so they can’t roll it out of the garage. It also isn’t currently running, but their father last started it a little over a year ago. The battery has gone dead, so chances are, it won’t take much to get it running again. A tow truck should be able to pull it out of the garage, but it’ll need the brakes done before it’s safe to drive.
While modern sports cars chase stats like horsepower and top speed, Triumph was focused on building an affordable, durable, and fun-to-drive car. The 1991cc wet-liner inline-4 used in the TR3 can trace its roots back to a tractor engine. So, durability and simplicity are hallmarks of this engine. As a wet-liner design, you can change displacement and compression by swapping the piston and cylinder liners. It’s not a small task, but there are plenty of stories of racers swapping liners and pistons at the race track to run their TR3 in multiple classes each weekend. When new, this engine was rated at 100 horsepower and about 120 foot-pounds of torque.
Inside, we find a complete dash with black vinyl that looks to be in decent condition. The original banjo steering wheel with integrated turn signal control is still present and appears to be crack-free. All included parts have been placed in the cockpit for easier transport. Unfortunately, the seats are missing, and we don’t see a transmission tunnel cover. Replacements are available, both new and used, as are complete interior trim kits.
Yes, there’s lots of work to be done here, but this TR has a cool look, and these are wonderfully simple cars to work on. Since all the major systems are present, we would go through the mechanicals and replace just what’s worn out. Hopefully, getting it running only requires a new battery, an oil change, and some fresh gas. We love the way it looks on the steel wheels. They give the car a sportier look than wire wheels, and a set of new retro-style tires would keep that classic look.
We are huge fans of the TR3, with its unique styling, fun handling, and simplicity. Being a TR3A, you get some great improvements like front disc brakes and door handles, but you still get all the classic TR charm. Whether you give this one a full restoration or just do the work to make it a driver again, it will be a fun car to have. The question is, which route would you go?
Bid On This Auction
ghlatta3 bid $850.00 2026-09-03 11:32:19
jbkmac1 bid $500.00 2026-09-03 09:12:35
John K bid $250.00 2026-09-02 15:07:03
A project car, yes but it looks to be a complete car with just some surface rust from what we can see here. A fun one when finished.Underside photos could possibly help.
Looks a small flock of sheep have taken over the dash though..LOL.
GLWTA
Another interesting auction, to be sure and $100 on the table. What a cool ride it’d be, once it’s restored and road worthy, again.
What happened to the $100 bid?
All of our auctions start at $0. The opening bid on this one was $100, so our system shows that amount in the bidding field.
Any bumpers? Is it an overdrive transmission?
Not positive but I will be there Sunday and look in the garage. This car belonged to my father, all I can tell you is that it’s a manual transmission.
Probably not Laycock DeNormanville OD. Missing the odd egg shaped switch on the far left of the Dashboard.
But getting the “always needed” new floor pans from the Roadster Factory, with the cage nuts already spot welded in place, is easy.
Bon Chance!
not according to the commission number. L for left hand drive but no O for overdrive. It is a late ‘59, wide mouth with disc brakes on the front
Can I get a big “hallelujah” from the congregation, that old British sports cars are fun to drive? This car looks to be all there, unlike a lot of members of society. The only thing it’s missing is a set of wire wheels. I thought all TR3’s had them. If I was looking a BSC project I’d lay my hands upon this one.
The wire wheels were an option, and they came with possible problems, unlike the steel wheels. This car may have been made in 58. Around 1978 I had a 58 and a 59 parts car. The only difference that I remember was that the hinges were raised a little, not flush with the hood, trunk lid and body on my 59 and the later TR3A’s and B’s. Both of my cars had no overdrive which had their own issues often. I sold my TR3A and the parts car when I got married in 1979, running very well but looking no better than this one, for $500. Make sure that there is a safety catch for the hood. It is very easy to forget to tighten the two fasteners, then when you travel to about 30 mph the hood flies up, breaks the windshield and may hit your head as it flies off. I did not learn the first time, happened twice! This car may be a deal if the engine is okay. The SU carbs are very simple to clean, adjust and synchronize, even with a hose to ear.
Same thing happened to me. Broke the windshield, and the broken glass cut my hand on the steering wheel!!
I’ve restored 3 of these. Some of the best years in my life.
I would love to have it, but being in Utah would be an expensive haul to North Georgia.
Exactly my thoughts as well, I’m in North Alabama.
Looks like a solid candidate for refurbishment. Fix it up, paint it up and drive it. A TR3 was the first British sports car I ever drove. It belonged to one of my teachers from high-school. It had a gold metal flake paint job. . It was a fun ride. I really like the body style of these . If not buried in current projects I would be bidding on this one.
Nice project car. These cars are fast, fun to drive, and the rear shocks are adjustable for more spirited driving. We use them on our Sprite race cars.
Wow!! I have done a lot of British sports cars, triumphs included. THIS is the one I would try to get into if I had room and time for one more (just sold a Jaguar and a TR6, currently deep into a 914).
Clean dash, solid panels, all there and really solid looking… If you ever wanted one (and like working on them yourself to save money) I think this is as good as you will find!
Old car listing talk:
“Last started it a little over a year ago” = turned over within the last decade or two.
“one of the brakes is currently locked up” = you are replacing everything from your foot to all four wheels.”
“it won’t take much to get it running again… Hopefully, getting it running only requires a new battery, an oil change, and some fresh gas.” = You got yer work cut out for ya. You will know the operator at TRF intimately within a year.
“durability and simplicity are hallmarks of this engine” = Lets avoid talking about stock electrical. You thought Lucas electrical was bad BEFORE racoons and mice got into it over a few years in a barn, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
(Can you tell I have had several triumphs and MGs, including a few “barn finds”? Yet, all that said I still love them, curse my eyes!)
Years ago a very good friend called me up wanting to know about TR3’s. This was rather stunning; his mechanical skills were so limited he couldn’t keep up with oil changes on his Mazda pickup. Seems his wife had fallen in love with them at a car show. I did him a real solid that day and told him Do Not Buy a TR3. Every time you take it out for a Sunday, you’ll be fixing it on Monday.
Life’s way too short to miss out on the feeling in Spring, that first time you take the TR3 out on the road and little kids wave and smile at you.
If people don’t understand that feeling, buy a nice beige Honda Civic with cup holders.
A great project. Just get it running and road worthy. What’s not to like with that. Steel wheels work for me.
I had a 59 TR3 with wire wheels & loved the car. We lived on a boat near the breakwall where the car was always subjected to salt spray, but would always start where my other car wouldn’t. I drove the car daily almost 50 miles, one way, with never a problem! Even made trips from Southern California to Colorado & back.
The “hood flies up and breaks the windshield” has also happened to me. The other thing that happens is the hood release fails with the hood down and you have to figure out how to get in there and unlatch it.
For both of these issues I resorted to commonly available parts: – with Shimano brake cable offering very high quality and cheap all-weather, long lasting secondary release that goes from the locking mechanism right at the front, to the left front wheel well and is always always accessible but never seen.
A secondary safety cable using a gun trigger lock loop does the job of providing a strong alternate loop which locks under the hood as the hood comes up a few inches and catches it if it pops open unexpectedly.
There is supposed to a safety catch to prevent forgetting to fasten the hood hold downs. It was missing from my car of course.
Front bumper and 2 additional grills found. Additional items in boxes as shown in photos. Added photos of the undercarriage, as best as my phone would reach, car is low.