1965 Triumph TR4A

The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust production record trace certificate records that it was built in Signal Red with black hood and trim on the 5th of August 1965 as a right-hand drive, UK-spec car. 

It was fitted with disc wheels, a heater, and windscreen washer plus the independent rear suspension that marks this as a TR4A. Goodyear 5.95-15 tyres helped make the most of the improved chassis, and Berkeley Square Garages would have had no trouble finding it a home. 

Restored in the early nineties when it arrived back after a sojourn in the United States, it was reregistered with the DVLA in 1995 and has been in the same keeper’s care ever since. 

As an engineer – his father started an engineering firm 66 years ago, which he then took over before passing it into his daughter’s hands a decade ago – he restored the chassis and mechanical components, leaving the restoration of the bodywork to Northern Healey.

A local trimmer then fitted out the interior – and not wanting to spoil the ship for a ha’p’orth of tar, he insisted they use the same mohair that Mercedes do. 

He thought long and hard about what he was going to use it for, and elected to have the boot trimmed in carpet to protect his golf clubs – and he even had the gearlever surround trimmed in black leather simply because he thought it would look nice.

He was right.

Sadly, while he loved the finished article his wife didn’t, so he never really got to use it as he intended. 

But, he kept is safely stored in a dry garage (“It’s never been left outside”) and it still looks absolutely stunning; we’ll go into the details throughout the advert but the TL:DR is that it might have been finished a couple of years ago rather than three decades.

Northern Healey clearly knew their stuff, taking the time to get everything perfectly aligned before painting it in its original colour of Signal Red, paint code 32.

And despite red being one of the most fade-prone colours of them all, this one is still wonderfully bright and vivid, although we’d suggest paying a professional to elevate it still further with a paint correction treatment. It’s not that it’s bad, rather the opposite actually; it’s so good that it seems a shame not to get it looking its absolute best.

Not least because as well as still boasting tight and consistent shutlines, the panels are also still free of dents, dinks, and ripples. Even the wheelarches, one of the car’s few weak points, are free of corrosion, which allows you to appreciate the wheels without your eye being distracted by bubbling and rust blisters.

And they repay close attention because the factory discs have been replaced with chromed wire wheels. Like the rest, they’re still in great shape, as is the rest of the extensive chrome trim, which is free of any significant tarnishing, pitting, and rust. 

The rubber is good too being 185/70R15 Yokohama A-321 on all four corners. All are fairly recent and all have good tread.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

The black softtop is free of rips, tears, and holes, including the plastic rear window. It also rises and falls easily thanks to a very good frame. It also tucks away inconspicuously and is protected from the elements by an equally good black fabric cover. 

The TR4A also comes with a very good tonneau cover, something regular readers will know we thoroughly approve of; we love having our lower half kept warm and snug while exposing our upper torso and head to the full ferocity of a British winter. Bracing doesn’t even begin to describe it, but for those who are saner than us, it also serves to keep the cockpit dry and out of sight of prying eyes when the car’s parked. 

Other nice touches are light lenses that are all free of chips and cracks. The Lucas PL700 headlamps are worth a few bob all by themselves, and it’s also nice to see the rest of the lenses are all proper Lucas items instead of cheap Chinese-made reproductions. 

It sports a very nice set of pressed-aluminium numberplates too, and the (very good) badging includes the proud boast ‘IRS’.

As for blemishes, they’re limited to a crack in the paint on the offside rear wing near the boot lid and, er, that’s it. 

The interior has achieved a wonderful balance between usability and show-worthiness; you aren’t going to be afraid to take your grandchild to the local classic car show – and you could well walk off with a prize when you’re there. 

It’s still so good, in fact, that we’re happy to lead with its issues, which amount to nothing more than slightly loose material on the sunvisors.

Because the seats are firm and plump and barely ruffled, with only the very gentlest of creases on the driver’s seat to show it’s forty years old rather than three. 

The burr walnut dashboard is shiny and free of cracks, chips, and peeling lacquer. The inner headlining is clean and taut, and the carpets look like they’ve only seen carefully-placed, slipper-shod feet – and lifting them up reveals nothing but well-painted, clean metalwork and a wiring harness that has been neatly protected by duct tape. 

That gearlever mount is beautifully stitched, and the glovebox contains a selection of expired tax discs.

Extras include Securon seatbelts, a 12-volt socket under the dashboard, and a Moto-Lita steering wheel, while standard fare even still includes a twin-spindle radio.

Plus, of course, a full suite of white-on-black Jaeger instruments that cover speed, distance, engine revolutions, oil pressure, coolant temperature, battery charge, and fuel level.

Naturally, there’s no clock because time is meaningless when you’re reliving the mid-sixties. 

A row of pull-knobs control various functions, including the rake of the steering wheel, and the carpeted boot contains the jack, a hide mallet, a full-size spare wire wheel, and a few odds and ends including a copy of Original Triumph TR, The Restorer’s Guide by Bill Piggott. 

The engine bay has been restored to the same high standard as everywhere else – and maintained with the same fastidiousness, too! Take a look, for example, at the way the copper pipes have been laid out. Perfectly straight and evenly spaced, precision like this doesn’t come about by chance; every one of his decades as an engineer have come into play and it’s obvious he won’t tolerate anything that isn’t absolutely right.

With clean, and well-polished metalwork providing an impressive backdrop to the equally-clean mechanical components, we couldn’t spot anything amiss under the bonnet.

An assessment the video supports as it clearly shows the 2.2-litre inline-four starts with enthusiasm and idles smoothly. It revs well too and does it all without making excessive smoke or any odd noises. 

What it does have is an attractive induction rasp from the K&N pancake filters that sit atop the brace of Stromberg carburettors followed by a hard-edged bark from the exhaust. 

Even Our Man, a chap not known for effervescent reviews, reported with a grin that it “drives great!”

The chassis has been painted black, while the floorpan and other metalwork has been finished In Signal Red. It’s a wonderful combination, and one that further demonstrates the above-average attention to detail and professionalism that runs through the entire car.

If we are being hyper-critical then the underseal has flaked away or rubbed off from a couple of areas and one of the hose clamps has paint on it from where the chassis has been touched-up.

Both are very definitely jobs for Future You. 

Triumph doesn’t have an MoT certificate, and the recent Vehicle History Check is clear.

As well as the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust production record trace certificate, the history file includes MoT certificates dating back to 1995, invoices going back as far as 1992, and a photo album of it being restored between these dates.

There is a vast gulf between the best-restored cars and everything else – and this is very definitely one of the best we’ve seen.

Still looking fresh after 41 years, it simply wouldn’t be possible to buy a ratty one and restore it to this standard for our guide price of between £22,000 and £27,000.

And this one is ready to use this summer; even if you didn’t mind writing a considerably bigger cheque than necessary, with labour shortages and a disrupted parts supply chain you’d be lucky to get one restored before the turn of the decade. 

So why not treat yourself to a day out to take a closer look at one of the most impressive restorations we seen this year?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.