1972 Triumph TR6

Lot details
Registration No: YFR570L
Chassis No: CP770950
Mot Expiry: April 2012

Triumph's TR Series began with the unveiling of a prototype (retrospectively called the TR1) at the 1952 London Motor Show. It was built around the chassis of the pre-war Flying Nine, the suspension from the Mayflower and powered by the engine from the Vanguard. Trials showed it to handle poorly, however, and the design was not progressed. The new, much improved TR2 was launched the following year, and so began a series of successful two-seater sports cars that ended in 1981, with the last of the TR8s. The evolution was steady but continuous and, in the same way that the early cars all evolved from the predecessors, the TR6 that first saw the light of day in late 1968 was effectively a cleverly updated TR5. For the body revisions Triumph naturally turned to the Italian who had styled the TR4/TR5 - Michelotti. However, he could not meet their schedule and the squaring off of the nose and tail were eventually achieved by the German designers at Karmann. The car's underpinnings were broadly as per the TR5. A total of 94,619 examples were produced, a mere 8,370 of which were sold on the home market.

The right-hand drive TR6 offered was manufactured in 1972 and features Red coachwork and a Black interior. It has had ten recorded keepers to date, the vendor acquiring it from a Glen Hewitt of Protek Restorations, Wallingford in December 2000. He had it restored shortly afterwards, at which time repairs were made to the inner body panels, wheel arches, floor etc and new wings (three), door skins and rear deck panels fitted. The original Saffron paint was removed back to bare metal and 'YFR 570L' sprayed in its current colour. The interior features a walnut dash, Moto-Lita woodrim steering wheel and Momo wooden gearknob. The original seats have been replaced by MX5 ones for added comfort. The car's specification includes: factory fitted overdrive, a stainless steel exhaust and radio/CD. The vendor volunteers that the body could once again benefit from some slight attention, but considers this eye-catching TR6 to be "in generally good condition" and "ready to enjoy a summer of classic motoring". It is MOT'd into April next year.