This gorgeous little Primrose Yellow Triumph GT6 coupe find was sent in by Curvette, who sends in some of my favorite finds! Frankly, this GT6 seems to be one heck of a bargain at the asking price of $6,500. It’s located in Olympia, Washington, and is listed for sale here on craigslist. Isn’t it pretty on those 60-spoke Dunlop wire wheels? The car is a 1968 model, which makes it a Mark 1.
Triumph assembled the GT6 from a set of building blocks. The frame and bodyshell came from the in-production Triumph Spitfire (which itself was derived from the Triumph Herald small family car), with a roof added for rigidity, aerodynamic purposes (as proven with Triumph’s Spitfire LeMans entries), and (supposedly) to keep a GT6 roadster from competing with the TR4/4A/5/250 series. The 6-cylinder, 1998 cc engine and transmission came from Triumph’s higher horsepower version of the Herald, the Vitesse. The thought was that the GT6 could be marketed as a poor-man’s E-Type and compete with the MGB-GT.
The low-bumper appearance and badging both verify that this car is a GT6 Mk. 1; in my opinion, the cleanest-looking of the GT6 models. I think the front bumper is painted silver rather than the original chrome; if that bothers you, both polished stainless steel and chrome reproductions are available. The substantial power bulge in the hood is to make room for the 6-cylinder engine. Later GT6s acquired vents along the sides of the front fenders to improve cooling and a more sophisticated rear suspension to address “tuck-under” issues with the original swing-axle setup (the picture is of a Spitfire, but the rear suspensions were identical). Only 15,818 GT6 Mark I coupes were produced between July 1966 and September 1968.
Someone likes badges! The rear of a GT6 Mk. 1 is a little busy anyway, with seven lights, two badges, and a racing-type fuel filler cap, and I personally don’t think the seven added badges are helping this car. All easily changed. We’re told the car has no rust!
However, it’s nice to see the useful hatchback filled with spare parts. I think the bar on the right-hand side is a rare AMCO accessory that went between the rear bumper overriders to offer additional protection.
A largely stock appearance is good as far as I’m concerned, with some additional black paint and an incorrectly-colored oil filter cover the only obvious issues. I’m pretty sure that’s a new brake master cylinder, as the reservoir isn’t discolored, and the chrome valve cover is stock and nice. We’re told that the engine needs a tuneup; I’d bet (without looking) that the rubber diaphragms in the Stromberg CD150 carburetors need to be replaced ($2.89 each here). The 1998 cc engine made 95 horsepower, but it only had to move 1,970 pounds of GT6 around, so while performance isn’t stellar by modern standards (18.8-second quarter mile, 107-110 mph top speed), like most Triumphs, GT6s generally feel more powerful than they actually are. We can’t tell from the pictures whether or not this car has the optional overdrive; I would assume not at this price, but it is something that can be added for more comfortable cruising by a future owner. Speaking of future owners–any of you out there close and looking for a sweet coupe with oomph? You’d better be 5’10” or less, or pretty flexible, but apart from that, I can’t think of many better ways to spend $6,500. My bank account is probably lucky this car is almost 3,000 miles away from me!
I agree – the back of this car is “too busy”.Your eyes are
constantly distracted looking at this.
Otherwise,nice car.
I was never a lover of the Spitfire even though the were decent drivers. The GT6 ( for those that don’t know, it’s basically a Spitfire coupe with a 6 cyl) is a different story. It’s a stiffer car being a hardtop and it has some punch! I like this one because it is the first series (MK 1) , it is in great shape and the prices is very fair. I, too would remove all the badges from the rear of the car. The MK1 rear end is also more favorable to me than the newer squared-off rear. (Just my two cetnts!!)