The looks of the tr250/tr4/and tr6 melted my butter. But the tr7 as one butt ugly car. ................... drill sgt.

I've had a Tr-250, 4A ,a 72' Tr-6 and 2 Spitfires. The TR-6 was my favorite to drive with the 6 cylinder with overdrive. The Tr-250 was the really fun mountain road hugger. The 4A was my 1st car and a chick magnet ! The Spitfires were both the hardtop and the convertible , a 69'GT6MkIII and a 74' MkIV. I've been starting to look for another because there is a new Road Course track being built about 2 hrs. away ! It will open in the spring. I did all my own work on them and have been a wrench for 54 years. My Birthday is Monday and I'll be 66 , so ?

Wow!! Eversince I was about 18 (40yrs ago) I have had an infatuation with the TR6. Back in th mid 80’s I could have gotten one for about 8k. Too much for my young wallet. One if my brothers also had an infatuation with it and we pondered buying one 50% each. When more investigation was done the electrical systems were very junk. We ended up scratching the idea, yet even today we speak of the TR6!
Good luck!!

I've had the same 1973 TR-6 since 1982. It is a fun car to be sure.

When I was younger, it was my summer car, a daily driver. Reliable as long as you stay ahead of it. I would think nothing of driving it on a 4-5 hour trip. I got so I could hear a maintenance problem before it happened. The cars want to be driven. It does not do well with a once a month spin around the block.

I have done all work required on mine myself. I would not buy one today unless I worked on it myself or had a truly trusted mechanic. It is not a car you can pull into the local Pep Boys and expect it to come out running better. No computer diagnostics so most modern mechanics are lost. Typical mechanics simply have no experience base to know how to troubleshoot them.

There are areas to look out for. Several poster have mentioned rust. The TR-6 has a full box-frame. The frame makes the car amazingly rigid but gets water into the frame and doesn't drain well. The result is rust in the frame. It is normally fatal. Look out for broken differential mounts. Boy-racers who delight in dumping the clutch can break the mounts. They have to be welded to repair them. By now most cars will have had new paint, engines rebuilt. I had the head re-done but is still running with its original lower end. They are relatively under-stressed so unless the rings are worn there's little need to tear down the lower end.

Many cars will have had rear tube shock conversions by now. The old lever action rear shocks were a pain. I went through several (expensive) sets in short order and finally converted mine.

There are a couple of variations across production years. There was a model change in '72, minor changes, the most obvious was in gauge appearance. In '74 the ugly rubber bumper over-rider gizmos were added. In '73 emissions controls started. An EGR was added in '74. Compression dropped to 7.75:1. Stock '73's are pigs but '74 and on were worse. Mine is no longer stock and is stronger than most. That said, a TR-6 is not a fast car.

When the suspension is set up right, handling is exceptional - even on the narrow original tires. I can't outrun a Miata on a straight but I can lose them in the twisty bits. My suspension was set up by the guy who did the Triumph factory team's suspension, it is a wonderful thing to drive hard. A TR-6 should never appear squatted in the rear. The squat is not usually caused by sagging springs as most would like you to believe. Rear camber is set using trailing arm mounts with differing offsets.

The engine is heavy, it is definitely not a high revving engine. It is a 2.5l six. It has decent torque, most of it's power is below 4000 RPM. That said, the engine note of the six cylinder at full chat above 5000RPM is one of the sweetest automotive songs known to man.

Driving the car is different. The car is very narrow. Two adult males will nearly rub shoulders. The seats are 1960's sports car seats. No side bolsters, so you have to brace yourself in the car through twisty bits. Steering force is not power steering light but not bad either. Clutch, Brake, and throttle pedals are tightly grouped. Size 12 wide feet will have difficulty not mashing two pedals at once. In first, the shifter can be touched with your pinky and ring finger with your thumb hooked on the steering wheel. Shifter throw is not short, but quick to stir. When the original clutch is used, clutch pressure is light. There are Neanderthals who install a competition pressure plate, it hugely increases clutch pedal effort to no apparent benefit. The engine only makes a little more than 100HP. There is no need for a heavy clutch.

I have an early electric overdrive transmission in mine, it really helps at highway speeds. Drops about 500RPM at 70MPH.

Parts are available. The Roadster Factory in Pennsylvania and Moss Motors here in California should have most of what is needed.

I have acquired quite a few parts over the years from donor cars so I can't say whether there is anything that simply can't be replaced on them. If I recall correctly there were something like 200,000 imported between 1967 and 1976 so there is a good sized enthusiast base.

The TR-7 that followed the TR-6 completely destroyed Triumph's reputation. DO NOT EVEN consider a TR-7.

Contact your local British car club. Aside from organizing monthly drives, they will be an invaluable resource. You'll have to deal with knuckle-dragging MG owners but aside from their poor judgement in cars, they're pretty good people :-).

Finding a documented restored car in your price range should be doable.

Let me know if you've got specific questions, my email is in my profile.

Don

I'll just note that although the vast majority of TRs were sold in the USA vastly outnumbering the still miniscule number of US sports cars sold here, the TR-owners' club is a drop in the ocean compared to the mighty MG Owners' club - which is, oddly for something that isn't American, the biggest one-make car club on earth.

I know that the OP is seriously jonesing for a TR, but an MGB or even better, an MGC, makes a whole lot more sense. These days you can even buy a brand-new-build electric version for around $100K. It's on youtube, BTW.

As a pervious British car owner, I’ll throw in my two cents -

Find someone that has one and drive it. Better, do some shopping and drive them all. That might sour the idea.

Two, drive some vintage MG’s too. I saw a MGC coup the other day, beautiful shape and nice lines. Looked like fun.

Mine were MGA’s, and since I did my own work, were pretty reliable. Electrics weren’t. The wheels on the A were 15” rims which were pretty big for a small car. I think the MG Midget had 13” rims. Anyway, I put radial tires on the car and in the twisty roads it was a blast to drive. Tipping the scales at a ton, it was kind of heavy for its size, but low to the road with radials it would slide before flipping on curves (YMMV). The engine had a long stroke to it, so it had torque (like my Dodge diesel has torque) and I enjoyed the low end power.

With your budget and a good mechanic find one and enjoy it. Then park it and admire it as well. They are good looking cars.

The red MGA pictured earlier is a beauty by the way

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
.....to the mighty MG Owners' club - which is, oddly for something that isn't American, the biggest one-make car club on earth.....

Sorry my friend but that title belongs to the Porsche Club of America...
https://www.hotcars.com/20-int...of-famous-car-clubs/

Seems to me a Miata would be a much better choice. It will handle much much better, provide a more comfortable ride, and likely be much faster than the TR-6.

BTW, grew up when these cars were brand new and had a classmate in high school who drove an MG TD. I drove a 1970 Beetle and in corners or straights that newer Beetle would top that TD every time.

My choice for a car to revive the fun of that Beetle is a 2019 Ford Fiesta ST. Instead of 0-60 in 14.3 seconds I get a 0-60 in 6.6 seconds using the factory tune. Also get handling capabilities that approach that of a good race prepped Go Cart but with a ride compliant enough to allow me to cross railroad crossings at the speed limit instead of a crawl. BTW, the 17's that came with the ST are in the basement and and I run 205-16's on it for daily driving. My Fiesta cost me 19,500 out the door and if I mind my right foot I've had city mileage as high as 34.5 mpg for a tank full.

Point is that new cars like the Miata are incredibly capable cars and you can actually have your cake and eat it with these cars. You get a very reliable car that will run for many years if you do the maintenance and you'll get a much more comfortable ride that will allow taking a good long 500 of more mile drive without being crippled. I'll also note that the fuel economy of these cars will shock you when compared to something like that TR-6.

Always wanted a TR6 with triple webers or one of the ones converted to run a vortex v6......owned a '72 Spitfire.

Buy a Miata and enjoy driving it instead of wrenching on it.

As I stated earlier, I had a '77' Spitfire and it had the dual Webers on it. Total pain in the ass to keep them in sync. The linkage was a disaster waiting to happen. Be careful of what you wish for.

Jim

Unless you must torture yourself, find a sporty 10 year old BMW.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
.....to the mighty MG Owners' club - which is, oddly for something that isn't American, the biggest one-make car club on earth.....

Sorry my friend but that title belongs to the Porsche Club of America...
https://www.hotcars.com/20-int...of-famous-car-clubs/

o. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
Seems to me a Miata would be a much better choice. It will handle much much better, provide a more comfortable ride, and likely be much faster than the TR-6.

BTW, grew up when these cars were brand new and had a classmate in high school who drove an MG TD. I drove a 1970 Beetle and in corners or straights that newer Beetle would top that TD every time.

Point is that new cars like the Miata are incredibly capable cars and you can actually have your cake and eat it with these cars. You get a very reliable car that will run for many years if you do the maintenance and you'll get a much more comfortable ride that will allow taking a good long 500 of more mile drive without being crippled. I'll also note that the fuel economy of these cars will shock you when compared to something like that TR-6.

You KNOW the whole point of it is not whether a 1976 vehicle is better than one of today.
Sure the Miata is a better car even if it is a Chick Car but so is a pussy Prius car.
We are talking nostalgia here and yes you do have to program for vehicle effectiveness, reliability and performance but with technology today they all can be made better even much better if you progress all the way to a restomod (which I wouldn't go to far in that direction for this particular car).

quote:

We are talking nostalgia here

yes we are...and not OUR squandered youthful exuberance and poor judgement of the past, but HIS current exuberance etc of the present.

I for one applaud celebration of fulfillment of unrequited dreams....yet my own attempts that have ignored such clear markers of expensive choice ending with 'the juice' not being worth 'the squeeze' rather demands adding to the chorus.

Most of the British sports car of the era we're speaking remain eye-candy for me, yet the expensive and dour experiences we've all shared in such a fantasy has nearly demanded we speak up. I personally have enough current fantasy projects to not need to repeat one of the past, which the OP has simply not suffered himself.

40 years ago my sister in law wanted to buy one.
I warned her not to. It broke down on the way home from the lot.

Enough with the Miatas already. I already acknowledged its a better car by almost every measure but I am not looking for just any old two seater convertible that would be fun to drive. To me its just a car version of a UJM. I really want a 50 year old classic TR 6. I'm not going to drive it every day. I'm not going to drive it like I stole it. I know its going to have issues associated with its age (just like me) and the engineering and production standards of the time, and it will not drive as well or be as reliable as a new base model Kia. Smschultz and Signet nailed it. This is about nostalgia, my youth, an itch I have waited 50 years to scratch. It is as much a work of art as a sports car. Kind of like a PPK. I would rather regret the things I have done than the things I didn't do. And really there is very little downside risk if it all goes to shit. But lest I sound ungrateful please know I do appreciate the Miata and Run Away suggestions are all well intended.

So much good information from so many but a special shout out to TerrierCarrier. I was very much hoping to find someone who actually owns one of these and get the benefit of his experience.

The local mechanic thing. I intend to keep the car at a second home in the western North Carolina mountains where we will be retiring sooner than I like to think about. I have a very good friend and neighbor there who did a lot of things during his working years including owning a motorcycle shop and both car and motorcycle racing (he ultimately retired as a fire department chief) who is very skilled and equipped to help me with most routine maintenance until I learn to do it myself. His current project is a mid 60's jag. Pretty sure there are qualified British car specialists in Charlotte for anything more demanding but I will have to scope that out. The point is I think I have that base sufficiently covered.

I have been casually browsing TR 6 listings this afternoon with my wife so the hunt has begun. Several possibilities out there but i am not in any rush. If and when I actually get one I will (1)learn how to post pictures and (2) post pictures!

Thanks again to every one who weighed in.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris42:
As a pervious British car owner, I’ll throw in my two cents -

Find someone that has one and drive it. Better, do some shopping and drive them all. That might sour the idea.

Two, drive some vintage MG’s too. I saw a MGC coup the other day, beautiful shape and nice lines. Looked like fun.

Mine were MGA’s, and since I did my own work, were pretty reliable. Electrics weren’t. The wheels on the A were 15” rims which were pretty big for a small car. I think the MG Midget had 13” rims. Anyway, I put radial tires on the car and in the twisty roads it was a blast to drive. Tipping the scales at a ton, it was kind of heavy for its size, but low to the road with radials it would slide before flipping on curves (YMMV). The engine had a long stroke to it, so it had torque (like my Dodge diesel has torque) and I enjoyed the low end power.

With your budget and a good mechanic find one and enjoy it. Then park it and admire it as well. They are good looking cars.

The red MGA pictured earlier is a beauty by the way

your post reminded me,


when I was 15, going through the motions to get my learners and eventual DL,

Dad found a deal on a MGB, good shape, steel wheels not wires, good top etc etc,
in that mustardy looking yellow,


then one day, before he bought it, he drove pas an accident where a MGB owner had plowed under a trailer, well past the windshield,


I got a Vega Station wagon instead,,

quote:

Originally posted by kho:
Enough with the Miatas already. I already acknowledged its a better car by almost every measure but I am not looking for just any old two seater convertible that would be fun to drive. To me its just a car version of a UJM. I really want a 50 year old classic TR 6. I'm not going to drive it every day. I'm not going to drive it like I stole it. I know its going to have issues associated with its age (just like me) and the engineering and production standards of the time, and it will not drive as well or be as reliable as a new base model Kia. Smschultz and Signet nailed it. This is about nostalgia, my youth, an itch I have waited 50 years to scratch. It is as much a work of art as a sports car. Kind of like a PPK. I would rather regret the things I have done than the things I didn't do. And really there is very little downside risk if it all goes to shit. But lest I sound ungrateful please know I do appreciate the Miata and Run Away suggestions are all well intended.

So much good information from so many but a special shout out to TerrierCarrier. I was very much hoping to find someone who actually owns one of these and get the benefit of his experience.

The local mechanic thing. I intend to keep the car at a second home in the western North Carolina mountains where we will be retiring sooner than I like to think about. I have a very good friend and neighbor there who did a lot of things during his working years including owning a motorcycle shop and both car and motorcycle racing (he ultimately retired as a fire department chief) who is very skilled and equipped to help me with most routine maintenance until I learn to do it myself. His current project is a mid 60's jag. Pretty sure there are qualified British car specialists in Charlotte for anything more demanding but I will have to scope that out. The point is I think I have that base sufficiently covered.

I have been casually browsing TR 6 listings this afternoon with my wife so the hunt has begun. Several possibilities out there but i am not in any rush. If and when I actually get one I will (1)learn how to post pictures and (2) post pictures!

Thanks again to every one who weighed in.

If you plan to wrench on that TR6, you'll need tools. Whitworth/British Standard, maybe even metric, too.

I doubt if you’ll need any Wentworth tools, but fortunately they aren’t difficult to find, I found a set of “King Dick” brand along with a “Thor’s Hammer” on eBay back when I bought my MG A



Unfortunately I lost my smallest (3/8w & 1/4w) King Dick ... while the have the same basic designation as US standard, Wentworth is slightly different

It's Whitworth, not Wentworth. Just to make it fun, a 1/2" Whitworth is not the same size as 1/2" BS ( British Standard) you need a 9/16" BS wrench or a 1/2" Whitworth for the same bolt or nut