1962 Triumph Italia 2000 GT
Number 311 of 330 produced

Registration No: 605 XVA
Chassis No: TSF/520-LCOO
MOT: Exempt

• Late production number 311 of just 330 examples produced, and therefore the rarest variant on the TR3B chassis
• Previously in the ownership of a well-known Triumph Italia specialist
• Despatched new on 20^th February, 1963, and fitted with overdrive from the factory
• Restored to original specification, including colour scheme during the ownership of marque specialist Adrian Sinnott
• Matching chassis and engine numbers

"Italian bodywork at its best, British tradition in sports car engineering at its finest." So said the brochure for the Triumph Italia 2000 Coupe. The idea was that an attractive Italian body for the TR3 could provide the best of both worlds: Continental glamour and the bulletproof mechanical reputation of the Triumph sports car.

The Triumph Italia 2000 was designed by Michelotti and built by Vignale in Italy on a TR3 chassis. The similarities to the later TR4 are unmistakable, and many consider this model to have been Michelotti's design prototype for that model. About 330 examples were produced between 1959 and 1962.

The project was the brainchild of Dottore Salvatore Ruffino, the managing director of CESAC, the company that distributed Standard and Triumph cars in Italy. He approached Standard-Triumph about supplying TR3 chassis and other components, which the British firm was happy to do. Giovanni Michelotti, who had done work for Standard-Triumph since the update of the Standard Vanguard, penned a handsome notchback coupé, which was built by Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale under contract to Ruffino S.p.A. Industria Construzione Automobile of Naples.

The Triumph Italia 2000 coupé debuted at the 1958 Turin Motor Show to positive press. Production began in July, 1959, the finished car owing much to Michelotti's design for the Maserati 3500. The bodies were built in steel and came with deep, melodious Ascari silencers. The Leyland takeover of Standard-Triumph in 1961 ultimately killed the deal. The new management apparently didn't like it, and perhaps viewed it as competition for the new TR4, due out within months.

Sadly, Dr. Ruffino lost a great deal of money and his faith in Triumph over the failure of the Italia. It's been reported he was so angry that he destroyed many of the Coupe's original drawings and documents. Its story is complex and its history convoluted, but the Italia 2000 is so much more than simply a rebodied TR3. The ensuing 40 years have transformed it from a used curiosity to a highly sought-after car, hailed by coachbuilding cognoscenti and the Triumph faithful as special in its own right. It is just as advertised: Italian bodywork at its best, British tradition at its finest.

Looking like it’s just returned from a leisurely day’s cruising up and down the Italian Riviera, this nicely presented Italia is offered for sale having been meticulously overhauled in its present ownership. The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate confirms that TR3B chassis TSF/520-LCOO was originally despatched from the Triumph factory in LHD chassis form on 20th February, 1963, bound for the Turin workshops of Vignale, fitted with overdrive and the standard European-market kilometre speedometer. Other records, including a TR Register dating certificate and a certificate of originality signed by Dr. Ruffino, confirm its provenance as the 311th of just 330 Italias built and one of just 29 built on the desirable TR3B platform, which was the final incarnation of the TR3, produced during 1962 only. The cars were numbered from 1 to 328, with the remaining two being prototypes. The chief identifying feature of the TR3B-based Italias, apart from their TSF commission numbers, was their uprated brakes, featuring callipers from the recently-launched Triumph TR4. Although a second batch of TR3Bs featured enlarged engines and all-synchromesh gearboxes, they were completed too late to receive Vignale’s exotic coachwork. From the total Italia production, there are just 118 survivors accounted for, with approximately 75 in roadworthy condition and a further 10 known to be under restoration.

One would expect the TSF Italias to have been sold new in Italy, but the Fates had other plans for them. As the relationship between Standard-Triumph and Salvatore Ruffino deteriorated, Ruffino abandoned his position as concessionaire, forcing Standard-Triumph to buy back the final batch of 29 TSF cars. It decided the best place to market them was the USA, and they were all duly despatched across the herring pond to be sold through various dealerships throughout 1964 and 1965, theoretically as ‘new’ cars, although the chassis were two or three years old. That fact did not prevent them retailing for considerably more than a TR4.

Our car’s life of active service therefore begins in the mid-1960s, when it was linked with Import Wholesalers, a Triumph agent in Arlington, Virginia. Multiple invoices testify to it being looked after by Import Wholesalers through the 1960s and into the 1970s. Originally registered in Virginia as a 1965 car, its first owner was Mr. Erven Long, who worked for the US Department of State. Later American owners included several by the name of Campbell (not all related) and Mr. Doug Hoyt, before it was acquired by Mr. Adrian Sinnott, a well-known authority on Triumph Italias and the owner of AdrianSinnott.com, a website dedicated to the model. The Triumph appears to have been in use and well-maintained for most of its life, as an even more copious set of invoices charts its upkeep through the 1990s and 2000s.

Having changed hands several times across its 52 years, the Triumph had ceased to be an entirely original car and was therefore identified by the new owner as the perfect candidate for a thorough and exacting renovation to its original state. Mr. Sinnott describes the process as: “The car was returned to its original specification, including colour. It was not a chassis-off restoration. The original intent was to build a nice, drivable car. The floors and sills were replaced. The car was one of the better survivors because it lived its life in Virginia and Georgia where they don’t salt the roads. Any missing parts were found or recreated. The car was as complete and correct as possible at the time. We recently came across the only outside petrol filler car which still had the boot fittings intact. Instead of a completely flat floor, the carpets dropped down a little on either side of the spare tyre cover board.” Some of the documents in the history file refer to leather upholstery, however the car has never been trimmed with leather and therefore, when it was renovated, the interior was retrimmed in a period-correct vinyl, which has kept it in line with its original specification.

On the mechanical front, the engine was largely left alone as it had been overhauled by a previous owner and still ran well, but the Mr Sinnott went through just about everything else, bringing the brakes, suspension and overdrive up to a satisfactory standard, and renewing the exhaust system, front windscreen glass and tyres. Refurbished Dunlop chrome wire wheels set the finished car off beautifully. The Italia once again exhibits the eye-catching prettiness it enjoyed when new. We believe the car to be faithful to its original specification, and even the engine bay appears reassuringly clean and correct. Scarcely used since its restoration has been completed, some indication of the quality of the care the Italia has received may be inferred from its recent MOT test, valid until July, 2026, which it passed with no advisories.

Triumph and Vignale’s alliance may have been fraught, but it was well worthwhile to make such a beautiful and exotic car as the Italia a reality. Renovated to the highest standards, this example is offered complete with provenance dating back to 1965, as well as three separate certificates of authenticity, a vast collection of invoices, American ownership documents, import papers, the current V5C and a recent MOT certificate.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452