Our Cars

TR6 CP Series, July 1972 - Alan and Val Jones

This is my first venture into TR ownership and I bought the car in August 2012 fresh from a 'body off' restoration. It had passed through several owners from 1972 until 1984 but had been in single ownership from 1984 until 2010, although only registered for road use in this latter period from 1984 until 1988. It is an original UK car and the restoration was mainly directed at the body and rolling chassis. It has been re-sprayed back to its original colour of Emerald Green. I rebuilt the engine in 2015 and the gearbox and overdrive in 2016. Still finding lots to do though!

TR5 - Dave Burgess

Purchased in 2006. One lady owner since 1980 who fully rebuilt the car and used it as a daily driver covering 20,000 miles a year over a ten year period. During my ownership I've replaced / renewed all mechanical components including a rebuilt gearbox. All body panels have been removed repaired and repainted as has the rest of the tub. Newly upholstered interior in leather throughout,

TR6 - Dave Burgess

A repatriated USA TR6 in 2010. Every individual component part renewed or refurbished. Kept as a left hand drive car for European touring and has covered 20,000 miles since its completion in 2011. Winner of the 2012 Concourse at the International meeting and best convertible at the Standard Triumph Anniversary Rally at Gaydon motor museum in 2014.

TR6 - Phil and Jenny Kirk

Our TR6 was purchased in 2001 in a very sorry state and after the 3 1/2 years it was on the road we have tried to improve it year on year since. It was the first and only car I have restored and certainly learnt a lot about the TR6 in doing so and must admit in the early days got quite a bit wrong!!

My TR3A Reg. No 6648 TR, Vin No 80982L was built in the summer of1961, shipped to New York on 4th Sept 1961 and registered in the USA in 1962. The car spent its life in Connecticut with the same owner from 1986.
The car arrived in Derbyshire in April 2014, total landed cost £7,500. Over the next 2years I completed a full body off nut and bolt restoration. Where possible every component was either reconditioned or, when not possible, replaced with new. The car was returned to its original Powder Blue but the interior was changed from black to Midnight Blue and weather equipment from black to Stone both standard options in 1961.The car had O/D and has been kept original except for a few sensible upgrades for safety and performance. 6648 TR was 1st in class at IWE 2016 in Lincoln winning the Presidents Cup dating back to 1974.

TR3A 1958 - Ian Walker

I had always fancied a TR3a so when I saw the advert in the TR Action for one at £1750.00 as a restoration project I just had to convince the wife. She agreed but when it arrived in boxes on a trailer she wasn't so sure. So in 1995 it started over again. I didn't get involved in the bodywork, all that was done by a couple of friends who had restored TR's for years. Again all the chassis and mechanics were restored by myself and Chris. Here again the paintwork just had to be Red. The papers that arrived with the car are interesting, it was first owned by Eric G Croall membership number 20 in the TR Register in 1970.

A register search revealed it was built on 6^th October 1958 between 09:30 and 10:30 am. Finished in Pearl White, black interior, overdrive, heater, one piece steering column, right hand drive and bound for South Africa. It was presumably pulled out of the row because someone in the UK wanted a car that spec. as it is Coventry registered. The registration document shows that in 1975 Mr Thomas Guy Robinson owned it and the car was sprayed Daytona Yellow from Metallic Green. Mr Derek Wheeler apparently took it to France several times between 1959 and 1962. Also there are photo's showing a meeting and I'm wondering if it was the first TR Register meeting. Perhaps someone may recognise them.

We registered the car in 1997, the year Ryan was born. We have taken it to many shows and even more tours in England and Wales. The last 4 years we have been to Ireland touring and timing the visit to coincide with the Gordon Bennett event. The car has covered 5400 miles to date but along the way I have had the speedo recalibrated a couple of times

TR6 1971 - Ian Walker

We purchased our TR6 in 1992 from Rimmers for £995.00. It was an import from America, all the paperwork was intact including the drivers affidavit proving it was a New York purchase. The car was in very poor condition and it had been on fire at some point. It was not until it arrived at my workshop that we realised the challenge ahead. To make life a little easier we bought a Heritage body No. BMHTR 001055. The chassis was repaired making all the parts myself including new breastplates for the chassis. All the mechanical parts were either renewed or restored. My wife and I were always up for a challenge and Chris helped in every step along the way. I wanted to have it sprayed to its original colour but she said a sportscar should red. Who am I to argue? It was registered at Nottingham and having all the necessary papers – proof of export, proof of import, bills of sale etc. we were given an age related number no quibble. We first went on the tours with Wharfedale group, North Yorkshire group, Traws Cambria, Red Rose and the Lakes Weekends. The car has been extremely reliable and it has covered 20,300 miles.

TR6 – Alan & Liz Ford

Our Sports Car Ownership – So Far!

Our ownership of 'sports' cars goes back to our very earliest of days together, but has been conducted in periods somewhat of fits and starts.

The night we met, on a cold December evening in 1969, I took Liz home in my heaterless three-wheeler Berkeley, which I, at least, thought somewhat sporting, in appearance if not performance. (Well, what do you expect from a 328cc two-stroke?). In winter it always had to be started using an ether spray into the carb, and always had to be faced downhill on any slope to prevent rainwater running into the cab. I guess I must have figured that if this very attractive gal could put up with this at the start of a relationship, she must be exceptional. She didn't even waiver when, the next winter, with both of us onboard, I managed to turn this car over into a snowy ditch one icy night in Derbyshire.

Our next, proper, sports car was a Triumph Spitfire, bought secondhand but purchased on the same weekend that we placed an order for a brand-new 4/4 Morgan. We had a fantastic time over the years with this Spit, this being my daily driver all year round, come rain, shine or snow. However this was deemed less than practical when we planned the start of our family and was replaced by a new Ford estate. However there was no sign of our overdue Moggy, but we (I) figured that our beautiful baby didn't necessarily rule out Morgan ownership, so we kept the order running. Eventually our aluminium-bodied beauty did emerge from the Malvern works, but was so overdue that by this time we had already taken delivery of an even more precious consignment, our twin girls. Hence we can honestly say, and often do, that between the promised delivery date and the actual delivery date we had our three children! Patently the Morgan had to go, so was sold sight unseen to a dealership in London.

What followed was something of a sports car desert – family being a much higher priority - for something like 19 years until we bought a 1976 4/4 two-seater Morgan, which we kept for 16 or 17 years, much of that time being a three-season daily-driver. Eventually the voice of common-sense (Liz) suggested that we ought to replace the Morgan with a more practical sports car, and hence one which would see more use. So we chose to return to the world of Triumph, this time a TR. We bought this in October 2013, a CR Series 2.5 PI built in January 1974 for the home market. Although this car has been refurbed in its lifetime (one service report describes vacuuming out rat droppings from the engine bay!) it still carries its original colour, (not paintwork), new white, and all serial numbers match.

As much as we might envy those who have completely refurbed their own cars, and wish we had the time, space and application to do the same, we bought ours to use. Not that we have been tardy with sorting out some of the problems commonly associated with TRs – a fair amount of spanner work has been carried out in our own garage each winter, and TR Enterprises have sorted the front and rear suspension. But, again, the TR was bought to be used – and she has seen tours in Holland and Southern Ireland, and apart from also being out and about, has been to several classic race meetings, including Goodwood. Without a doubt we will never forget our days with the Morgan. However our TR has given us much more pleasure in the three years that we have owned her. And, fair to say, membership of the TR Register, and the Derbyshire Dales Group, has played a significant part in that pleasure of ownership!

TR250, 1967 - Steve & Julie Buxton

HISTORY SUMMARY:

Built by the Leyland Motor Corporation at the Canley factory in Coventry on 27th November 1967 this Triumph TR 250 was finished in signal red with a black interior and black vinyl hood. The car was exported to the US on 29^th December 1967 and sold to Robert G Telaak in Ashtabula Lake Erie Ohio by the Leyland Motor Corporation of North America. The second owner, Terrence J Sullivan only lived a few miles away in North Royalton, purchased the car in 2004 and had the car externally repainted in the original colour by a local body shop. I purchased the on 28^th March 2014 from The Wilson Motor Company in Washington Missouri, who were selling it on behalf of the owner. Mr Sullivan who's only reason for selling the car was to raise funds for a down payment on a house as a wedding present to his daughter. The car was shipped home to the UK in a container which arrived at Felixstowe on 29^th May 2014. The odometer reading was 73,734 which is believed to be genuine. The heritage certificate confirms that the engine and chassis numbers are correct together with the original colour scheme. Other than the external paintwork the car remains totally original, including the Triumph MW radio.

RECOMMISSIONING SUMMARY:

The car remains LHD and was recommissioned in the UK, including the fitting of three point mounting seat belts and changes to the lights to meet driving requirements in the UK and registered FND 453F on 22^nd June 2014. Additional work undertaken was complete overhaul of the braking system, steering and replacement of all rubber mountings and suspension perishables.

WINTER 2014 UPGRADES:

Despite the car being totally rust free there was very little in the way of corrosion protection on the underside and chassis other than that put on by the factory 47 years ago which was not considered satisfactory for the UK climate. The following upgrades and work has been undertaken to date.

• Strip and repaint the floors, inside and out, boot, chassis and apply wax corrosion inhibitor to all internal body and chassis voids.
• Rebuild rear suspension with polyurethane bushes, new 25% uprated springs adjustable Koni telescopic dampers.
• High ratio overhauled TR5 differential, polyurethane bushes, strengthened chassis mountings, overhauled prop shaft, new low friction drive shafts, and wheel bearings.
• New uprated front drilled discs & callipers.
• Stag J type overdrive gearbox and new modified Laycock clutch.
• New standard big end and main bearing shells, uprated oil pump, timing chain, new electronic distributor & rebuilt Stromberg carburettors from Triumph Stag.
• Phoenix Stainless steel 6 branch manifold and exhaust system.
• Detailed engine bay & minor upgrades.
• Super wool tufted handmade fitted carpets to interior and boot.
• Chrome wire wheels & Red line tyres.
• Motolita 14"steering wheel.
• Front anti rollbar

2017 UPGRADES:

• Front suspension rebuild & steering rack.
• Refurbished and gas flowed PI cylinder head and longer inlet manifold fitted.
• Re-chromed bumpers.
• Other than the above changes the engine remains totally standard and original.
• The odometer reading is now 82000 miles having just returned from the international meeting in Dijon.

At some point in the future the car will be converted to RHD