Triumph TR6

ENGINE 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV POWER 150bhp@5500rpm TORQUE 164lb ft@3500rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 119mph 0-60MPH 8.2sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 21-26mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, 4-speed man+o/d MoT 12 months from sale ODOMETER 88,355 miles

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? There’s no slack to the steering system, which is direct and offers up plenty of feedback. Acceleration feels brutal, though the car is well controlled. It’s easy to select gears in the manual gearbox, even if the clutch is a little heavy. The exhaust note is loud under load, but dropping into overdrive in third or fourth gear quietens the drone. The brakes aren’t grabby so don’t initially feel strong, but bite improves the harder you push and they stop the car straight and true. BODYWORK CHECK The car underwent restoration in 2015, during which the colour changed from its original M agenta purple to red. The paint finish is excellent and panel gaps are even. There are no dents or parking dings, but there’s a small blister in the bottom rear corner of each door. The hood looks like new with no cracks or creases in the clear plastic rear windows. There’s some pitting to the chrome bumpers but the twin exhausts look as good as they sound. The silver-painted steel wheels are tidy and fitted with recent-looking Continental PremiumContact 205/60 R15 tyres which have plenty of tread remaining. HOW’S THE INTERIOR? This car has covered just 1000 miles since its restoration, so the black bucket seats look barely used. The recent-looking black carpet is also in excellent condition and inertia reel seatbelts are fitted. The original wooden dashboard veneer isn’t cracked or peeling, just a little flat looking. The wood-rimmed steering wheel fitted has a nice patina and is comfortable to hold, but offset oddly to the left while the pedals are far over to the right. An aftermarket Phillips radio cassette player has been installed with speakers fitted behind the seats. UNDER THE BONNET The original matching numbers engine block is supplied with the car, but the motor actually fitted has been fully rebuilt with a replacement block, large air filter, electronic points in the distributor and an electric fan with stainless cowl and modern horns. It starts and idles easily with no untoward exhaust smoke or obvious leaks. Properly set-up Lucas mechanical fuel injection is an additional bonus. The overdrive works promptly on the top two gears and there are no suspicious sounds from the transmission or firmly sprung suspension. THE CCW VIEW Having covered fewer than 4000 miles since 1998 and then recently extensively rebuilt and restored, this is a great opportunity to get into a handsome and powerful Triumph TR in time for summer. The two rust blisters on the doors shouldn’t deter buyers because the car’s overall condition is otherwise excellent. It has also just been serviced and will come with an MoT.