I’ve always had a thing for Triumphs, although I’ve never been lucky enough (yet) to own one. But I have a story with one, literally. Toward the end of my undergraduate experience, I was taking a creative writing class, and the professor assigned a short story. Having a grand total of two SCCA Solo II experiences under my belt, I decided to write about something I thought I understood: autocrossing. The protagonist daily drove a ’67 Mercury Cougar while racing on weekends in his Triumph GT6 that was set up for the parking lots of the Midwest. It was a terrible story, but I still love the car that zig-zagged through my fictitious cones. It looked a bit like this one that Barn Finds reader T.J. found on craigslist in the Los Angeles area. It’s rust-free and priced to match at $25,600.
What made the GT6 the “poor man’s E-Type,” as it was sometimes called, was its 2-liter inline six that it shared with the Triumph Vitesse. It wasn’t powerful by today’s standards, with 95 horsepower at the ready, but with only about 2000 pounds to propel, the GT6 was pretty exciting for 1968. With a LeMans-inspired roof on the already attractive Spitfire body, it was almost too good to be true, but according to some, there was a fly in the ointment.
The GT6 with its extra power continued to use the Spitfire’s swing axle rear suspension, which became a little unsettling when given the 105+ mile per hour top speed capability of the swoopy new coupe, so the suspension was redesigned for the 1969 model year when the GT6 was rebranded the GT6+. Our featured Triumph has had some suspension and brake maintenance and upgrades, including boxed control arms, a one-inch sway bar, new flexible brake hoses, a new master cylinder, among other things. You’ll still want to be aware of how a swing axle car responds to steering inputs.
Another common complaint about the GT6 was its lack of room for anyone over six feet tall. Unfortunately, I cannot speak to this from experience, but I’m six feet tall and that would be a shame. Aside from being cramped, it’s beautiful in here, with new door panels, leather seats, and a new wooden dashboard (which looks pretty good, in my opinion).
I feel that the GT6 is finally getting its due in the marketplace, and it’s no wonder. It might not be quite as pretty as an E-Type, but it’s a fraction of the cost, and if my mediocre short story is correct, and I have no reason to believe that it is, it’s a heck of a good fictional autocross car.
Beautiful car, weird color. The GT6 is on my best design list. Find a race car driver who owns an early swing axle model and he/she will tell you how simple it is to get the car to handle like it’s on rails. The ’59 Porsche Convertible D we rescued from the crusher and made into a race car won a lot of races with it’s swing axles slightly modified and never once went off the track and was very fast.
I have a ‘70 GT6 in the same color I think it’s called Primrose yellow . I love the color
because it being a small car , you can be seen before an idiot plows in to you . This is my second car in the same trim
TWENTYFIVE GRAND!!! For a Spitfire?? Gee, don’t these people realize you can get for $25,000? Somehow a Spitfire, even the world’s best GT6 version is never gonna be my choice fo that many pesos!
It’s debatably slightly high, depending on the details upon inspection, but overall, this isn’t actually dramatically beyond market for one of these in this approximate condition. I’d love to have this one.
My first car was a 68 GT6. Fun to drive and as a 16 year old I was pretty cool in it. The problem I was fixing it more that I was driving it. It was many trips to the dealer to get the right parts because during manufacturing they would pull what ever part was sitting on the shelf. No consistency in what was installed. And of course it had Lucas, prince of darkness ignition. It’s what you get from government run companies.
How does one reclaim the value of a professional paint job that can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars? and that is only on the outside. Good restorations are costly. 23 grand may represent the work that went into it. For sure- the “labor of Love” aspect is why so many restored vehicles are not really an investment–yet SOME are because in purchasing a restored or OEM preserved vehicle cheaply, the purchaser is leveraging someone elses labor of love. We all have huge investments in our loved vehicles that may never pan out in profit. Just an unfair reality. The appreciation is in love and preservation of history, not necessarily dollars. Yet still, there IS a buyer out there that has enough money to reward both the builder, and everybodies appreciation of Mark, preservation, and truth in history. 25 grand is the price of many new cars. Some get to own and drive cars like this that are unique- rare in this condition, and greatly appreciated. Thank Goodness!
I never got the hang of swing axles. My old Triumph I believe I took all the rubber off of the steering wheel in the rain trying to get it back under control from something I inniciated . A beemer 320 had me up on the curb and someones lawn, i inicciated that too. Oh well I made it through to old age. Merry Christmas
My first new car was a 69 GT6+ ordered it with over drive, bumper guards and AM/FM radio. I only sold it when Lotus put there Twin Cam engine in there Lotus Europa so I some the Triumph and bought a new 73 Lotus Europa Spl it was a JPS
My first new car was a ’68 GT6 bought in Syracuse, NY. At the time I was 21, 6 ft. and 180 lbs. It fit fine though I was a lot more flexible back then. Fun car as long as I didn’t overextend that rear end.
The price seems fair for the condition. Hope it gets a good home.
I had a ’70 GT6+. I am 6’3″, and my uncle was 6’4″. We both fit, with my uncle in the passenger seat. Granted, I was only 180#, but my uncle had a greater girth than I. It is (my son has it now) Saffron, an ugly shade of yellow. My uncle loved that car, and called it “Yellow Bird”. He was always ready to go for a ride!
not a brit fan (their ‘sports cars’) like cheb there are a few I r e a l l y like, this being one (MGB GT, etc). Any i6 ‘gets it’ for me too. No so much this color tho (cars were not made to be yellow). Thnx Aaron~