Life happens! As you can see from the picture, this 1973 Triumph TR6 has been sitting in a garage near Phoenix, Arizona for quite a while, accumulating debris from everything else going on. The seller has some other classic cars and has decided to sell this one to simplify things. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Zappenduster for this cool find. It’s listed here on Craigslist with an asking price of $6,000.
This shot is not particularly flattering to the car and highlights some body damage on the right front fender. The seller tells us that they had a replacement engine installed by a local shop in 2019, drove the car back into their garage, and have not moved it since. I can believe it. The aftermarket hard top has done a better job of supporting things than the original soft top would have, but I’d certainly want to check to make sure the soft top and frame were present. New replacement fenders are available for close to $1,000, but a good body shop should be able to fix that one. My 1973 TR6 was damaged by an errant truck recently and is in the body shop as I type, getting repaired. It had similar damage, but on the left front, and we decided not to fit a replacement fender.
While the underhood appearance isn’t great, those three sidedraft Webers look nice, don’t they? The seller states that these are worth $3,000–that’s a bit steep, as I found kits ranging from $1,650 with reproduction Webers to $2,800 for real ones, but they certainly can wake up a TR6 with the right camshaft and engine work. I’d love to know the specifications of the replacement engine; was it just a used original, or was work done before installation?
Real Dunlop wire wheels were an option on TR6s through 1973. If we had the car’s commission number (VIN), British Motor Heritage could provide the original specifications to see whether they were fitted from the factory. It’s hard to tell from the pictures whether this is the Mimosa or Jasmine yellow, but it may well be the original paint from the looks of things. In the picture below, it looks like Jasmine; in the one above, it looks like Mimosa. There were only 11.924 TR6s produced in 1973, and Hagerty values a condition 4 car between $5,267 and $10,533, hopefully leaving some negotiation room in the price as the car isn’t running.
I’ve included this picture (dated 2020 in the ad) to show the aftermarket seats fitted. I’m guessing from my experience that these will make it impossible for anyone over about 5’9″ to drive the car comfortably, as they will have reduced both headroom and legroom. So I think I’d plan on replacing them unless you are of small stature. I’m hoping the dry Arizona climate and indoor storage have preserved the car well, and I think it might be worth checking out if you’re looking for a dry TR6 project. Just give the seller some time to get the debris off the car before you look it over! Let us know what you think in the comments.
Is this the same seller who has the Maserati?
That’s the first thing that came to my mind also. If he’s got other “classics”, I truly would hate see what they look like.
Well the CL ad has pics, and they look about the same…
OMG!
The second picture shows that it has at least 1 disk brake…
….and no wench……
Those seat! This thing is a mess! I think there is an extra zero on that price.
Way too much for what this isn’t. Lousy presentation alone would keep me away from this one.
He does acknowledge the “life stuff” on and around the car. He is keeping the two BMW 2002’s that have a little less “stuff” on them. The engine was reportedly rebuilt with the expensive Webers, so maybe a good chance to make a deal? Get it running from a bottle if room is made to do so?
Car is priced at 10X what it is worth…all I see here is a “parts” car. One has to assume, based upon the clutter in/around the car, the worst case situation. Better wear suitable PPE when disinfecting this one, and don’t forget the tetanus shot. The aftermarket hardtop was hideous enough…then I saw the seats!
just leave it where it sits.
The Craigslist ad shows a couple of BMW 2002. Now those would be interesting since they have the desirable round tail lights. Nevertheless that new engine in the TR6 may be worth taking a closer look.
I remember one time I went to Buy really nice looking Ford Aerostar that had not been running for several years. It was in a garage that looked like this one except everything was piled up so high it was over top of the van. I told him I wanted to buy It as is. This went on and on for about a year. He still had not cleaned the garage out enough to get to it. I offered to help him clean it out, but he said he would get to it never happened!
Some people that sell vehicles want to sell them, but they really don’t. I bought a 69 Cadillac one time that was in the guy’s family for three generations. He got a new wife. She said either she would go with that monstrosity would go. I asked him if he helped pack their bags.
The only reason to buy this particular ‘6 is its probably solid and rust free (assuming it spent its entire life in Arizona and CA as the CL ad suggests)… which would make it a great starting point for a full restoration… but $6k is too much… even with that carb set up.
California dollars $6000.00
Rest of US dollars $2000.00 /$3000.00 maybe
Body work: hood, trunk lid, pass door, r front fender, engine bay, new soft top (ribs appear to be there), etc. underside? Fuel tank? Exhaust? Interior ? Too many unknowns.
If hagerty is at $10k plus on a nice one, it will a few bucks to get there.
Don’t know what an unknown engine and two trannies are worth
Those seats are ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS
It looks like someone, who want to spend big bucks on additions (the Weber setup) but could care less about the rest of the project…. I do understand that ‘life gets in the way’ but why bother taking pictures like this, let alone posting them…. It’s the typical 2020’s mindset….” I have gold” (regardless of the condition)….and usually it is tin!!
The title of the post says: ‘Buried in the Garage 73 Triumph TR6’. That was a misprint. It should be, ‘Buried in the Garbage 73 Triumph Tr-6!’