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Daily Driver: 1973 Triumph TR6

1973 Triumph Tr6 Driver Rear

UPDATE 1/6/12 – This TR6 ending up selling for $4,500.

Many have been tempted by the Triumph TR6, but I never understood the appeal. They seemed plain and overpriced. That is, until one day I saw a freshly painted green one at the local body shop. After asking to take a look, I promptly peeked under the hood. Being accustomed to seeing tiny four cylinder engine in similar British sports cars, I was shocked at the length of the block. That was no four cylinder. It was a 2.5 liter inline six and at that moment I started to understand the allure.

Triumph Tr6 Ad

Old Triumphs were brutes. TR2s dominated road rally events across Europe when new and well sorted TR3s have been known to keep up with big Healeys on occasion. That was the past though… Triumph was facing some tough competition in the late fifties and their trusty old TR3 was getting a little archaic. They designed a new more modern looking body and came out with the TR4. It did away with the cut down doors and side screens in favor of more mainstream roll up windows. It was a great car, but while trying to be more to more people, it lost some of its charm.

1973 Triumph Tr6 Driver Engine

Faced with even more stiff competition from the likes of Alfa Romeo and BMW in the late sixties, the TR4 needed a face lift. Triumph debuted the TR5 in 1967. It used the body from the previous car, but had a new fuel injected inline six engine up front in place of the four. This upgrade really made the car quick. We are talking 0-60 mph in a little over 6 seconds. After about a year, the TR6 was released with the same engine albeit with dual carbs in place of the fuel injection. It wasn’t as fast as its predecessor, but it went on to become one of Triumphs most renown and best selling cars.

1973 Triumph Tr6 Driver Front

This 1973 Triumph TR6 looks to be an affordable way to experience what made these cars so desirable. This particular example is far from perfect. It is good enough to be used as a driver though without feeling guilty if it gets wet. The seller mentions that it does have some rust and they do not mention to what extent, so you will want to check that out before bidding. The price is right though for a car that the seller claims is their current daily driver. We would clean it up and keep driving. Do repairs as you can afford it and enjoy. The car is located in Oakland Park, Florida and is listed for sale here on eBay with bidding at $2,500 reserve not met and a BIN price of $5,600.

Comments

  1. Avatar Rich

    The 175 or so Strombergs are an OK carb, but it will go quicker (if that is desired) with a bunch of Weber DCOE’s hanging off the side. :>)))

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  2. Avatar fred hunt

    I learned something, Never heard of the TR 5

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  3. Avatar Bill Elliott

    The TR5 was sold as the TR250 in the US. No injection models sold here… all detuned Federal engines with carbs. The 6 makes a wonderful sound but in the US makes about the same power as the TR4 engine…. and is a heavy brute which does little for the handling. Still, one resides in my garage for spirited blasts around the countryside. This car seems to be a very good deal indeed if the rust isn’t extensive.

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  4. Avatar Foxy

    I am not a triumph guy, I did own a few triumph motorcycles and loved them. Like Fred H I had never heard of the tr5 either. We learn something new every day.

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  5. Avatar Wil

    The TR5 is as scarce as hen’s teeth, especially in LHD form. They weren’t sold here in the USA, we had our own de-smogged version called the TR250 (1967-8 only)–power was way down. I have one and one of the nicest upgrades you can do is the triple Stromberg 175s with intake manifold. Alot more driveable than a set of triple Webers, more power (can even surpass the TR5 output with the correct cam/head/exhaust work) than the stock carburation. They do have weak areas (rear IRS for one), but the aftermarket arena for these cars is really strong with all kinds of upgrades.

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  6. Avatar Doug M.

    Wil, Interesting. I just restored and sold a nice 68 TR250. My biggest challenge was getting the dual Stromberg’s sorted out!! I have never heard of “triple Stromberg’s”! Where do you find a manifold and setup like that? Custom? I still have a TR250 original block that I will be setting up for a possible future project and sure like the sound of triples!

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  7. Avatar Wil

    Doug, one of the best aftermarket suppliers (top engineering & parts quality) is an outfit called Goodparts.com. Do a Google search on “triple stromberg manifold” and it’s the first entry. Lots of other good stuff on his website too, you can easily drop a bundle, be careful :)–BTW, hope I’m not breaking a BarnFind commerce rule by doing this….. Hope you got good bucks for your 250, I think they will climb in the next ?? years when LBC guys get back in a little money.

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  8. Avatar Bear

    I’d recommend that any potential buyer get detailed descriptions & pictures of all rust areas before bidding.(or arrange for an inspection.)Seller is located in Florida, just 2 miles from the ocean, so the “tin-worm” might have been well fed if this car wasn’t protected from the elements.Sure, any car is repairable. & minor rust is to be expected. But it is not unusual for a seller’s described “normal rust” to be much more extensive (& expensive to repair) than represented.(I own several vintage British sport cars. & I’ve learned thru the years to be weary of “normal rust” descriptions that don’t include detailed pictures to help clarify. Buyer beware!)Suggest that any interested buyer have someone familiar with TR6 cars do a 1st hand inspection. Check the “British Car Forum” (or perhaps a TR owners site) for a member located in Florida who might be willing to take a closer look.Might be a nice car. But it is better to be safe than sorry.TOO MANY cars on eBay look great in the pictures, but can be a nightmare when they are delivered.(IF this car were located in Arizona it might be worth the risk to buy sight-unseen. But Florida?? I wouldn’t without digging deeper.)

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  9. Avatar Dolphin Member

    The TR6 is the poor man’s manly British sports car—easy to buy cheap and fairly easy to maintain and fix given the parts suppliers and the number of rusted out donor cars that are out there selling even cheaper. Nice exhaust sound, but a mechanic friend who used to work on them said that the transmissions were weak, and often the overdrive is inoperable—if fitted. Not all cars had it since it was optional at extra co$t.And as Bear said, these are often very rusty, especially if from the northern states or Canada, so a PPI is essential unless you like high-risk gambling. But there seem to be a lot of them for sale these days, so don’t be in a hurry—get a good one that’s had the hard work already done.I remember test driving a used one years ago when the choice was between a TR6 and a 240Z. The TR6 has a very odd IRS with half-shafts that go over the frame rails, and they squat under acceleration. The handling is….let’s say….not what you’re used to in current sports cars. The engine is a very mildly tuned long-stroke 6, and doesn’t give stellar power, but it’s far smoother than the typical inline 4. The 240Z I test drove was an early first-year Canadian market model without the smog stuff on the US market cars, and it had been broken in real fast, so it was a rocket in comparison and won out over the TR6. I kept the Z car for the next 20+ years and enjoyed it up until the day I first drove an M3…but that’s another story.The TR6 is for fun driving in the sunshine when all you want is wind in your hair and a wonderful burble from out back. And it’s easy to like that Italian-designed body. I still like them despite passing the first time and will likely buy one one of these days.

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