The sight of a classic British sports car left exposed to the elements is a sad one. It gets so much worse when it has occupied that spot for more than 30-years. When you consider that the entire production run of the TR4A amounted to a mere 28,465 cars for worldwide distribution, it is almost enough to bring a tear to your eye. The owner has decided that enough is enough, and the time has come for this Triumph to find a new home. It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has been listed for sale here on Facebook. The owner has set the sale price at $5,000 OBO. A big thank you has to go to Barn Finder John for referring this British classic to us.
It seems that a former owner of this Triumph delivered it to the current owner to perform a rebuild. That gentleman passed away, and the current owner was left with a car in limbo. It has occupied the same spot for three decades. With no shelter or top to offer weather protection, the buyer could face some significant issues if they consider this a restoration project. The paint is pretty ruined, but that could be the least of the problems with the TR4A. I can spot rust appearing in some of the lower extremities, which makes me wonder what might be hiding below the surface. Any rain would potentially form pools inside the car, which could spell major rust problems in the floors or other structural areas. The seller doesn’t provide any information on this front, so it might require an in-person inspection to determine how good (or bad) the situation is. Classic cars will occasionally spring a surprise, but I would be bracing for this car’s future to serve as a source of parts for another project build.
It appears that the Triumph is mechanically complete, although someone has dismantled its 2,138cc four-cylinder engine. It isn’t clear what state this is in or whether it would make a viable candidate for a rebuild. However, there is a fair collection of parts included in the sale, so the buyer might be able to piece together something useful from what is there. These include the pair of Weber carburetors and intake that you see here, although they will require attention. Also included are three transmissions, including one with the desirable optional overdrive. There’s no information on the interior, but if the car has been sitting uncovered for 30-years, you can be pretty sure that the buyer will be starting from scratch on a restoration. Rain will have destroyed the upholstered surfaces and padding, and if it’s worked its way into the gauges and electrical system, they will almost certainly only be fit for the bin.
The optimist in me looks at this 1967 Triumph TR4A and hopes that someone can save it. While it has been sitting for so long, the fact that it hasn’t begun to sag in the middle suggests that it might have survived without significant structural issues. Of course, that situation could change dramatically the moment that someone opens the doors. My instinct tells me that its fate is as a parts car, but you never know. Would you be willing to pursue this one further as a potential project, or do you feel that it has probably deteriorated beyond that point?
Cheap enough to buy for parts and depending on the rust factor might even make a rebuild project. Pretty rough around the edges now.
Pretty sad it’s taken the deadbeat shop owner three decades to do something with this car. All without doing one thing to preserve it as it was brought to him in good faith to make it better. Now asking a kings ransom for what looks like doing nothing all these years. Can’t find a tarp? A pool cover or camper top? The owner put his trust in the guy to work on his car and thought very little of him or the car. What disrespect to him and his family (if he had one)
Hats off to the guys that do their own work. There are even more that love old cars but can’t. They rely on others. Many end up on bad terms. I don’t know the backstory here but my heart goes out to the guy who died waiting on his car.
The money for doing nothing should be given to charity in the previous owners name.
Amen! Excellent comment and spot on!
Amen
Racing tires tells a story, too bad no one’s left to tell it. !!
Wow, this brings back a lot of great memories. The original owner of this car was a close friend of my dad. Glen Holloway was his name and he drove and raced this car in many events with the Pikes Peak Sports Car Club. He was quite a character and a good man. At one point, this car was completely painted in flocked paint so it was completely fuzzy… with matching helmet! The car also sported a V8 at one point, and that’s when the flames were painted on. I watched this car run many Sundays at autocross and other events all over Colorado as a kid. So sad to see it languishing… hope someone can save it.
I’d park it too for 30 years to keep people from seeing that horrific flame job.
Ugly paint job then, uglier now.
That is exactly why he painted it like that… he had an unbelievable sense of humor and really liked to be controversial. He loved all the flak he took for the paint job… he was very competitive racing-wise, so often times critics were a little sore they could not beat him in the “ugly” car.
The old saying “Rode hard and put away wet” applies here.
Look like American racing wheels and if so probably not safe to use.And those poor Webers need a lot of work…sad
Not to mention, it’s not a 67 and it’s not a 4A. By
the looks of the white metal dash and lack of front corner lights it’s probably a 1964 TR4.
Brian is correct. This is not a 4A or 4A IRS. The white dash, as opposed to a 4A’s wood dash, the lack of side stainless trim in the front and the absence of corner directionals/signals, as well as only one tail pipe, definitely spells 1962-64 TR-4 with no “A”. Those massive wheels must have been murder on the bearings! I would say that realistically this is NOT a TR-4, but rather, what is left of a TR-4.
An observation: The snow in Colorado is worse than rain, since it sits on the car for a long time soaking in to everything. I would guess this is in far worse shape than it even appears.
I was taken for a moment, but I think Brian is right. There are no TR4A front fender lights or chrome side strip at the belt line- and maybe those are mini lites, but it seems the spoke profile might be wrong for them to be mini lites. Maybe somebody can correct me on that.