It is a familiar story in the classic car scene. The seller of this 1976 Triumph TR6 never intended to own the car. He spotted it while attending a deceased estate auction and succumbed to the temptation of taking it home. The Triumph had been sitting for years, but he has revived it and returned it to the point where it runs and drives. It features an interesting combination of optional extras and would make a straightforward restoration project. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, you will find the Triumph listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $8,600 in a No Reserve auction.
There always seems to be an indefinable something that feels right about finding a classic British sports car wrapped in British Racing Green paint. That is what we see gracing the panels of this Triumph, and it generally holds a respectable shine. There are some flaws and defects, with the most apparent being near the top of the driver’s side front fender. The remaining exterior surfaces look pretty good, so it may be possible to repair this area alone. However, a fresh coat of paint would have this TR6 popping. The panels are as straight as an arrow, with no significant visible blemishes. There is no evident rust, and the owner mentions no problems in his listing. He does encourage in-person inspections, and it might be worth taking him up on that invitation for peace of mind. The black soft-top is in excellent condition for its age, and the back windows show no evidence of major clouding. The chrome is in good order, while the distinctive wheels and deep trim rings appear perfect.
Classic British sports cars are generally not known for having engines with high power outputs, and the 1976 Triumph TR6 is no exception. Its 2,498cc six-cylinder engine produces 104hp. This power gets to the rear wheels via a manual transmission with optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive. While its 0-60mph time of 8.2 seconds looked respectable, the TR6 comes into its own on twisting tarmac. The company designed the vehicle with four-wheel independent suspension, blessing this classic with surprisingly high grip levels on winding roads. When the seller located this TR6, it had been sitting for many years. He purchased it and trailered it at home, and worked through returning it to a running state. After performing the usual maintenance tasks like changing all of the fluids, replacing perishable items, and flushing the fuel system, that sweet little six roared into life with no odd noises or smoke. The owner has driven the car locally but suggests that it may need minor suspension work, bushes, and new tires to be roadworthy. However, everything works as it should, including all lights and wipers. It seems that returning this car to its rightful place on our roads will not be difficult or expensive.
When we turn our attention to this Triumph’s interior, I find its presentation slightly disappointing. There’s nothing radically wrong, but it looks tired and mismatched. The buyer could make a couple of choices to help the overall appearance. A complete re-trim is one potential path, but it would leave little change from $2,400. The seats look pretty good, with no appreciable wear or physical damage. That would leave the buyer with the option of sourcing a trim panel kit, and these are available for around $850. They would need to add a new carpet set to the shopping list for a further $200. The timber fascia on the dash shows evidence of deterioration and splitting. A specialist may be able to restore this, but an adventurous buyer might choose to tackle it in a home workshop. If it all sounds too hard, a replacement fascia and glove compartment door retail for $450. With those parts installed, this interior would present nicely. It is worth noting that this TR6 features one slightly unusual option. It seems that the original owner liked his comfort touches, so he ordered this classic with air conditioning. The previous owner has removed some of the hardware, but this sits in the trunk. Otherwise, the system appears complete.
One of the great attractions of classic British sports cars is that they remain affordable. That is true of the 1976 Triumph TR6. Perfectly preserved or restored examples can achieve sale prices of $30,000 on a good day. That may not be pocket change, but it remains competitive when you look at the alternatives. Our feature car isn’t perfect, but getting it to that point appears to be a pretty straightforward proposition. Alternatively, there would be no shame in leaving it untouched and driving it as an original survivor. What path would you follow if you were to throw your hat into the ring for this classic?
This looks like a pretty solid TR6. I’m all in as long as the cat is included in the deal.
These are nice looking cars. The transition from the TR4 was done well without losing the basic design. The only two things our customers complained about were the soft suspensions and the heavy clutch pedal effort required to shift the very nice transmission. There are many suspension upgrades available to solve the first problem and a change to an after market clutch for the other. Only other car I’ve ever seen with such a heavy clutch in it was my ’32 Ford 5 window with it’s 16 spring Dodge truck clutch. Had a strong left leg in those days.
Best thing I ever did for my TR250 suspension was replace the rear lever dampers with a shock absorber kit. Improved the handling dramatically – suddenly bumps in turns became predictable instead of potentially dangerous!
In my younger days driving MGs in that equatorial rain forrest otherwise known as New Jersey in the Summer, I would have killed for AC as the sweat ran down my face. Seems like it would strain the already sad output of that engine though.
Not to mention adding to overheating problems! Unless I’m missing something though it looks like there are no AC components under the hood of this one so those must have been removed somewhere along the way. (Probably would have been a dealer-installed kit with a big York compressor.) I do see a “T” connector between the carbs with a hose missing that appears to be a huge vacuum leak.
Climate can cause us to do strange things. But whenever I looked at a TR6 with A/C installed, my first thought was to remove it, reduce unnecessary weight, and clean things up under the hood. The only time I really desire A/C is when I am stuck in stop & go traffic on an interstate, which is a situation that makes me miserable with or without A/C.
Buy these cars now. The prices are climbing daily. Green is the color to have for a British sports car. A close friend from my college days at Penn State is restoring a green 71 as we speak. Great cars. Fairly easy on gas and a blast to take out about 6 am on a Sunday to avoid all the speeding and tailgating idiots on our roads today.
8.2 second 0-60 time was for the Euro model TR6 with 150hp and Fuel Injection. US models were around 2 full seconds slower.
That factory air is a rare option, hope the hardware is still serviceable, would be difficult to find parts to repair.
Brian… Tons of parts available for AC installing and repair. Putting in the latest 5 cylinder “rotary” compressor minimizes power loss and gives good cooling. We’ve installed many AC units in VW Super Beetles, for example, that did almost nothing in terms of power loss. The TR6 has plenty of torque and power to handle the AC and if you live in Florida like we do it’s the only way to go.
I got my 1st TR6 in 1988. It had been sitting in a garage for 3 years. I was 19 I had seen a movie called Through Momma from the Train with Billy Crystal and Danny DaVito and in it Bill Crystal drives a TR6 on the beach and falls asleep. He wakes up and the car is half buried in the sand because of high tide. That is when I knew what car was in the garage and went and knocked on the home owners door and asked to buy it. One of the best cars I ever owned. It had factory overdrive and a steal hard top. Sold it a couple of years later as I did not have the money to fix the rusted frame and it became unsafe to drive.
Why do so many sellers polish the car till it shines but are too damn lazy to vacuum the leaves out of the engine bay and run a damp rag around the wheel arches and firewall? Riddle me that folks.
The fuel injection on UK cars was problematic.As I recall they switched to a carb setup.
My vote would be to buy it, fix the necessary mechanical items, and drive it. Store it properly when not in use. Where I live, remove the A/C and the bumper over-riders. Should provide more smiles per mile than anything available today.
Nice thing about TR6s and AH 3000s is that you remove the seats and transmission hump to do a clutch job, unlike the MGBs and Midgets where you have to remove the engine to do the clutch. Wish this was a Craigslist offering rather than eBay bidding. Charlotte’s less than 2 hours away and I’d be interested if it was a set price that I could negotiate from. I’ll never make an eBay bid.
I’d install a battery hold down before driving this TR one block. The terminals a positioned very close to the hood and can bounce and short easily. Ask me how I know….
All of the little easy things left undone, but it shines and it runs but don’t drive it far it needs tires and bushings. Flippers special. Bid high, bid often.
DEAR SIR
THIS MIGHT BE A SURPRISE TO YOU BUT YOU ARE SELLING MY CAR!!!! YES – MY CAR!!!
I AM FROM ISRAEL AND I BOUGHT THE CAR IN AN EBAY SALE BACK IN ABOUT MAY 2021 FROM MR. JEFFERY MORELAND WHO LIVES IN 100 Carmel Drive Stanfield, NC 28163 336-847-6867 jsmjdm885@aol.com. [ITEM ID 324608179659] THE FULL PAYMENT WAS TRANSFFERED TO HIM.
AS WE HAD TO HAVE AN IMPORT LICENCE TO ALLOW US TO BRING THE CAR TO ISRAEL, WE SPOKE A FEW TIMES AND WE AGREED THAT HE WILL KEEP THE CAR FOR A FEW WEEKS UNTIL WE FINISH OUR TASKS IN ISRAEL.
ONE DAY HIS WIFE, DARLANE, TOLD US THAT HE WAS HOSPITLSED AND AS THE TITLE WAS ON A PRIVIOUS OWNER SHE WILL TRANSFER IT TO HER NAME AND SO SHE DID. I HAVE A COPY OF THE TITLE AND I ATTACED IT.
THEN THEY DISAPPEAR. NO ANSWER AT HIS PHONE AND NO ANSWER TO HIS EMAIL. I HAVE FULL PROOFS OF PAYING THE FULL AMOUNT AS THE BID AND I WILL SEND IT TO YOU. [I DONT HAVE IT WITH ME NOW].
AS I SAID THE CAR IS MINE SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO STOP THE SALE, GET BACK TO JEFFERY’S WIFE, COLLECT WHATEVER YOU PAID AND ALLOW ME TO COLLECT MY CAR.
PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADRESS AND I WILL SEND YOU ALL THE DOCUMENTS
THANKS IN ADVANCE
ARMANDO MARCELO TORTEN
P.S. MR. TORTEN DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH AND ALL THE MATTERS WERE DONE BY ME, ARIEH TOUSSIA COHEN, A LAWYER IN JERUSALEM ISRAEL
ARIEH-TC@TOUSSIALAW.CO.IL
Mr. Cohen,
Use the link in this listing to see the ebay auction, then contact ebay & ask them to stop the auction, DO send all the info on your client’s purchase from the original ebay auction. If you are lucky, if this was paid thru ebay with a money back guarantee, you might get ebay to refund the entire amount.
Open title? Title hopping is tough in NYS and if it’s in the deceased owners name – good luck with that!!! Lol
I met a guy who made his living installing AC units in sports cars like this, Spitfires, MGBs, Midgets and Sunbeams. He worked a circuit of dealerships in the southern states. He never revealed how good his systems worked. My guess is with a convertible top and not a hardtop installed the seepage of cool air past you because of all the gaps would actually make the compressor work overtime…..
If he was that successful, you can bet that part of the installation involved checking and replacing door and roof seals. I can’t see a professional being silly enough to install A/C in this type of car, knowing that the client will complain about seepage.
I’m old enough to remember the 1976 TR6 story. Everyone knew they were ending, and so did the dealers. Most were loaded up with A/C and hardtops. The dealers created they own window stickers with much higher prices. Very much like the Honda Accord story a few years later.