The last Triumph Estate Wagon and maybe the only other one we have featured was about 13 months ago here. That example is a beautiful tricked out modified ’59 model. This one, which is listed here on craigslist, could be the base for another nice driver. This barn find priced at $1,800 is sitting on a trailer in Santa Cruz, California.
The original 948cc is in the bay and it turns over, according to the seller. At this point it maybe by hand only since there is not a battery present in the bay.
The rear bumper has been bumped and there is surface rust showing. The seller call this “great patina”. What do you think? Is this a good look for this little wagon?
There are more images of the “patina” with the ad for your review. The keys are in the ignition and the seats are included for this project. There are floor-mats up front and it would be worth it to look under those and the underside of the car for that matter.
How do you feel about this price point? The seller suggests this project would be a perfect surf wagon. We think this Estate Wagon is best to use with only short-boards, just to be on the safe side. Do you need an Estate Wagon? It would be nice to see this one on the road again, surfs up!
Motor-on,
Robert
I had a TR-10 sedan years ago, and would love that wagon. But alas I can only have one project at a time…
I am interested in this wagon.
anthony.wurthmann4@gmail.com
Anthony, the link for the car is in the first paragraph in the above article, in red (or, here: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/5406606040.html )
I grew up in the Southern California beach communities during the 1960s, the height of the surf era, and I can reveal a few bleak facts regarding the cars we used.
There were the kids from wealthy families who had clean, nice older station wagons. The # 1 most popular car with surfers was a 1955-1960 Chevrolet 4-door station wagon. # 2 was a 1953-1959 Ford 4-door station wagon. Nomads and Country Squires were not seen, ever. 99% of these cars were clean cars with updated $39.95 Earl Scheib paint jobs and chrome wheels. If you drove one of these cars, you were part of the in crowd.
Then there were the poor kids (like me) who drove old clunker station wagons. I carried my light green ‘log’ (slang for pre-1972 surf boards) in my oxidized Silver Mocha/Colonial White 1957 Ford Country Sedan. Sure, there were plenty of Mercury, Pontiac, Dodge and Plymouth wagons, but they were considered a minority. If you drove anything other than a Chevy or Ford, you weren’t part of the elite surfers who dominated the beaches from Sunset to San Onofre.
Drive up or down the coast from Long Beach to San Diego during the summer or on any weekend, and this was all you ever saw. And in all that time I never ONCE saw a wood-bodied or any foreign car station wagon. Like so much of automotive history today, a lot of it is created legend. Like the Beach Boy’s album that featured a 1934 Ford station wagon with surf boards, the lyrics fit the song but not real life.
Thanks for that Jason great to get the low down from someone there. Interesting stuff.
Re: this car I had to let my sedan version of this go before I moved interstate last year, bit sad but I decided to keep my other Triumph based cars that were a little rarer. Actually it was my wifes car, once restored to start driving vintage but she broke her shoulder [still not driving 1.5 years later] so the decision was made to let it go.
30 or more years ago I let go the chance to get what I believe was a factory Woody version of one of these, even here in Australia that was rare, but i had Morris Minor Woodies [Travellors] and heaps of Morries so decided not to start collecting triumphs back then only having my Bond Equipe. The woody if I remember rightly had a very similar back to a Morris minor woody. Imagine the claims of a surf woody if it was for sale now hee hee..I can never remember seeing small woodies like my Minors or these generally used for surf wagons.
Sure in the later 70’s I carried my shortboard on my Minor sedan but that was not normal here being most people used old beat up Holdens and Fords sedan, wagons or panelvans [mostly ex tradie vans as only the well off guys could own new Sandmans / Sundowners though the van craze was far beyond just surfies].
And yes much Herald and Spitfire stuff will fit in these. They are roughly the size of a Morris minor and were sold as a competitor. Mine had no bootlid much like a Bugeye Sprite.
Good little cars to get into as spitfires stuff is interchangable though rearend is a live axel not spitfire style. Simple cars to work on.
Wagons are rare, even rarer over here in Aussie so you guys actually get a choice of a few coming up for sale. Here sedans dont bring a lot but can sell for this price unrestored but often less. But I wouldnt think the price is too dear based on its rarity for a wagon but its in your country not here where you do have a glut of cars for sale so prices do always seem cheaper.
Dealers and flippers won’t like hearing this, but there are waaaay more cars for sale in the US than any of the specialty markets can ever absorb.
The TR-10 is mechanicaly similar to the SPITFIRE, it came with the 948cc engine but the later engines up to the 1500 will screw in as will the spitfire dual carbs early or late respectively, the10’s tranny has no syncro first but the later tranny will easily be swopped in, the disk brakes also screw right on with NO mods, there are several different sets of ratios for the tranny and diff. Spit and GT-6 along with the bigger TR’s wheels fit
I for one think the word “patina” is way overused in describing cars these days.
You sure got my vote on that.
“Patina” is not overused; it’s just MISUSED! ;)
Actually it’s both misused and overused.
SR8T is right – it’s the latest buzz word to get both misused and overused. It’s like “basically…”!
Rust is not “patina”, it’s RUST.
THANK YOU!
I think the word should banned from the Automotive Vernacular! It is a “catch phrase” that just will not move on!!! Most of those things have a lifespan. This one doesn’t appear/sound like it does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Still for sale, now in Loomis, near Sacramento
I own that car now. It’s floor rusted out so it is in the works as a street rod drag and drive.