The Triumph TR3 was one of many 2-seat sports cars imported from the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a product of the Standard Motor Co. between 1955 and 1962, the successor to the TR2 and the predecessor of the TR4. This example, thought to be from 1959 (but the seller is unsure), looks to have been a captive of a barn in East Hampstead, New Hampshire, for many decades. It’s one of the roughest barn finds we’ve seen of late, and it may only serve as a parts car at best. What’s left of the TR is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $1,000 OBO.
Though a convertible, the TR3 used removable side curtains as opposed to roll-down/roll-up windows. And it was extremely popular, with exports accounting for nearly all variants of the TR3 sold at just under 75,000 units. Under the hood of this car should be a 121 cubic inch OHV inline-4 with twin carburetors that produced upwards of 100 hp when in top form. A 4-speed manual transmission was employed with or without overdrive (which may or may not be in the seller’s car).
The TR3 received some updates in 1957 that had it become known as the TR3A, but that was unofficial and never had any badging to that effect. The grille was new, and external door handles were added. Front disc brakes had already come along. Hopefully, a TR3 expert will read this story and help us determine if the photos are sufficient enough to nail down the car’s model year and if it’s a TR3 or TR3A.
We don’t know how long this Triumph has been left to rot, but it had 75,000 miles on it before the deterioration process began. There’s bound to be a lot of hidden damage caused by either Mother Nature or small woodland creatures that decided to call the little car home. If you have another TR3 project you’re working on, will this one help? Thanks for the tip, Paul in MA!
Hard to tell the year exactly, but if the trunk lid is original, it’s likely a’58. I restored a 1960 model back in the late 70s and door sills, floors and when sinking into the earth like this one the frame is susceptible to rust. They’re a lot of fun, incredibly reliable for a little British sports car and parts are available. This one looks a little close to returning to the earth to be an easy fix.