1958 Triumph TR3A

‘812 EKE’ was first registered on 7th November 1958 to the Northdown Motor Co. of Margate, Kent, as a sales demonstrator and was sold to its first private owner, a Mr H. Laslett of Ramsgate, on June 4th 1959.

It spent the next 42 years within the same extended family and, aside from a brief sojourn in the Welsh mountains in the 1980s, the car lived all of its life in Kent up until 2013.

The car left the factory in the ‘Primrose Yellow’ hue you see today. This became two-tone green in 1966 before later reverting to yellow.

The car was first disassembled, restored and rebuilt in the 1970s while in the ownership of a marine engineer.

The car was sold at auction in 2013 with a mileage of 2,000 – which means 102,000 on a 5-digit odometer.

In 2006, the mileage recoded was 974 miles.

Today, the mileage on the 5-digit odometer is 2,661, which means that the car has covered fewer than 700 miles in the last 11 years.

The car is being sold by a trade professional who works for the owner’s Wakefield motorsports business. In addition to their racing activities, the company has a growing historic motorsport sector, restoring and maintaining a diverse range of historic Formula One cars, IndyCars and sports cars.

It is this team of experts that carried out the no-expense-spared, nut and bolt restoration of this simply superb TR3A.

Although the car retains its original engine, chassis, body shell, transmission and drive, everything you see has been refurbished, refreshed, restored or replaced as appropriate and necessary.

The result is a car that looks factory fresh and almost certainly better than it did when it rolled off the production line in 1958.

It is pretty much pristine, inside, outside and underneath, and its condition is remarkable for its mileage, let alone its age. 
 

The bodywork is very straight and true, and there are no dimples, dinks or dents of any note anywhere that we can see.

Everything that’s meant to be bright and shiny - wire wheels, bumpers, handles, windscreen surround, etc - is gleaming and pristine.

The car’s paintwork is pretty much beyond reproach wherever you look and it has a rich lustre and depth of shine to it.

The black fabric hood is following the same script in terms of quality and condition, as are the tyres.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all look squeaky clean and minty fresh.

Aside from a couple of tiny marks to the paint on the nearside flanks of the car, there’s nothing here that deviates in any way from ‘as good as new’ condition.
 

If you think that the exterior is impressive, wait until you set eyes upon the interior.

Everywhere you look your gaze will be met by acres of buttery-soft deep red leather – none of which has yet to be troubled by anything so vulgar as a crease or mark.

This car must have a portrait of an ageing version of itself tucked away in a dusty attic somewhere.

The door cards are excellent, as are the carpets and mats.

All of the upholstery and trimming work has clearly been done to the very highest standards by some seriously talented people.

The steering wheel, gear lever and controls look good, as do the other dials and instruments.

We’re told by the vendor that, as far as he’s aware, all buttons, toggles, switches and levers do what they’re supposed to do.

Entirely unsurprisingly, the boot is every bit as impressive as the rest of it. It contains some tools, a knock-off mallet and an immaculate tonneau cover. 
 

This car has covered virtually no miles since being bought in 2013.

In the meantime, it has been painstakingly restored, at nut and bolt level, and the accompanying photographs demonstrate that that the undersides of the car have been afforded the same levels of attention and care as the rest of it.

The engine bay looks clean and shiny enough to merit a food hygiene certificate, not just a glowing report from a mechanic, and you’ll probably find yourself just wanting to stare at it in amazement.
 

The car comes with a big, thick file of history attesting to its care and maintenance prior to 2013.

The restoration work you see today was carried out largely from 2017/18 onwards at a cost of well over £23,000.

Because it was effectively done ‘in-house’ by the owner’s team of specialists, the work isn’t itemised or detailed.

Suffice to say, the work really does speak for itself and there’s no doubting the quality and thoroughness of the restoration.

The owner is selling for the standard reason that we hear so often – he just doesn’t have enough time to enjoy it.

The car comes with a recent, clear HPI report.
 

If you’re holding out in the hope of finding a better Triumph TR3A than this, good luck.

We think you’ll be in for a very, very long wait.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £18,000 - £23,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Normanton, West Yorkshire. To arrange an appointment to view this vehicle please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.