The Triumph GT6 can appear elegant or tough depending on how it’s dressed. This owner conducted a body-off restoration of many components underneath this heavily patina’d sheet metal – transmission, brakes, etc – and it runs and drives well; he elected to reuse the same shell, de-bumpered and slightly rusty as it is. The turbine-type wheels add swagger and the color doesn’t hurt either. Find this 1968 Triumph GT6 here on eBay, still begging for an opening bid of $4500 with a BIN of $8500. The car is located in Matawan, New Jersey.
Many think of the GT6 as a coupe version of the Spitfire, but that’s a misplaced impression. The first effort at a GT version of the Spitfire was a failure – Triumph sunk its weakling four-cylinder into the engine bay of Michelotti’s design, but the coupe’s extra weight kept the car on the starting line. The effort was not completely wasted however, as the factory adopted the hardtop shape off the drawing board, crafted it from fiberglass, and slapped the contraption onto a works Spitfire. The reduced drag led to success on the track. This experience served to focus the minds of management back onto the shelved GT. Someone apparently remembered that the company had a perfectly good six-cylinder propelling its Vitesse. This would do. The engine weighs in at 1998 ccs and makes about 95 bhp. The gearbox is a four-speed manual. A video of the car running is included in the listing.
The interior is a bit tatty all around, but tidy enough. The wood dash, plethora of gauges and multitude of switches are suitably vintage British. The slotted steering wheel is attractive, and the glovebox light is a great accessory. I’d use that to read rally instructions at night while in a driving snowstorm… no, just kidding, I’m not that brave.
This example is a Mk I, with an upright grille and slender chrome bumpers (if you ever reinstalled those). These early cars were equipped with the famous tuck-in swing-axle rear suspension which challenged many drivers. The Mk II solved that problem, but ruined the front of the car, in my opinion, eliminating the beautiful grille in favor of the “bone in teeth” look. I’ll take my chances in the corners, thanks. The price here isn’t attracting offers, so the seller may have to knock it back a bit. Nice GT6s of all ilks – early and late – have been climbing in price as collectors tune up to the pretty styling and decent power. Some have breached $30k recently. Project cars typically sell for more than the opening bid here, making this car appear to be a bargain.
Well, I held my breath when I saw “Rat Rod ” in the banner title. Someone made a rat rod out of one of the coolest Triumphs made? No, and thank goodness. I’d say a direct competitor of the MGB GT, only upped with a 6 and the MGC upped that. I like roadsters, but everyone had an inherent flex, that the fixed hardtop takes care of. It does add some weight, but offsets the 6 some, but these still have uncertain handling, in stock form, anyway.
And then there’s the sound, nothing like a British 6 with the exhaust torn off( for the 8th time), for some reason. I had a friend with one when I had my MGB, in a drag race, they were dead even, but he did out handle me on the curves. He pushed it too far couple times, spinning it out. It’s a smokin’ deal here, interest? Sadly, not much. Their loss, they are the coolest AFFORDABLE British cars,,,okay, you may need a couple tools, and a road service is advisable, but the driving experience overshadows that considerable, this is what “driving” was meant to be.
A GT 6 got me happily married for 39 years. In 1973 I was running my auto repair/machine shop and had a GT 6 that I had bought from a customer. A cute girl responded to my for sale ad in the local paper and came to see the GT 6. However she didn’t buy and instead opted for a TR 4 from some one else. When the TR 4 began pouring oil from the front seal she came back to my shop for the repairs and things progressed from there. We built a life together from 1973 until her passing in 2012.
“Body-off restoration”? Right. No bids could be because nothing was done with the body itself. Buyers ain’t stupid (most of them).
a fav model right there – FB, estates, hatch, lill wagons’n p/ups, small utes.
This one hasa Lynx intake for 6 Keihins…
WoW
🫣
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Buddy had a GT6. Great ride until the rear suspension rusted away from its mounts and the car sunk to road level. Better carefully check it in person
Very cool car.
One of my favorites. There are many mods out there to cure the swing axle problems. This will a good one if the time and money is put into the body.
Back in 1982 I was managing a waterbed store in Abilene, TX. I had just purchased my first sports car, a 1974 Fiat X1/9. Afterwards one of my salesmen borrowed it for a day. The following weekend he purchased a GT6. We spent many an evening chasing each other around the roads of Abilene. Thank goodness we had the sportscars for entertainment as Abilene is most certainly the armpit of Texas. I eventually moved to Lubbock,TX and continued working for Big Sur. My former salesman, GT6 owner came to visit me. By this time, I had sold my 74 X1/9 and purchased a 1979 X1/9. He arrived in a later model MGB GT. He commented the cabin heat was just too much to bear in the GT6. I have to admit I much preferred the MGB GT to the GT6 as well. But wouldn’t mind owning either one now a days or a Fiat X1/9. Unfortunately, my peripheral neuropathy prevents me from operating a clutch. So instead, I now have a 1980 Datsun 280ZX automatic. Sure do miss those days of tearing up the roads in those small sportscars. BTW, I still own a waterbed.😎
GT6 was ugly when new and it’s ugly now.
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Condition of the body doesn’t bother me a bit, as long as the mechanicals are solid. Which looks to be the case. I wouldn’t call it a rat rod though. What I would do is add bumpers, and fix the inherent swing arm rear axle issues. It could make for a nice daily driver.
Nice little sports car. 1 day left in the auction and no takers yet. Hmmm… and it’s close enough for a look on a nice afternoon. Wish I was in the market for an easy enough project.
Nice write up on a great car. The turbine wheels are a nice classic upgrade on an already classic design. I would not put this in the “Rat Rod” category. That teaser line led me to expect an engine swap (which could be a good thing depending on the choice and execution). As other’s have mentioned, take care of the simple rear suspension upgrades, and I would paint it.
Thanks for the compliment – “rat rod” in the title reflected what the owner himself said about the car. I like my rat rods with weird skulls and strange metal in unexpected places, this seems like a very tame rat if it’s one at all.
Ended, zero bids at asking price.
Will be interesting if they try again, maybe at an easier price? Gotta say I like this car. Somewhere around 2- 2,500 seems reasonable.