1973 Triumph TR6

Originally painted Mimosa, this delightful 1973 Triumph TR6 is now finished in Royal Blue (colour code 56) with an oatmeal and blue interior following a complete rebuild.

Bought by an engineer in 1999, a photographic record documented the start of its restoration. This stalled though, and the seller bought it as an incomplete project in 2016.

Completed in 2017, it’s covered just 1,200 miles since. The seller has a few classic cars and finds he just isn’t using this one as much as he might, hence the reluctant sale of this barely used – and very impressive – example.

The TR6 presents very well indeed. With very good panels that are free of ripples, dinks, and dents, they provide the perfect canvas for the fresh Royal Blue paintwork to shine.

It all hangs together very convincingly, helped by good chrome, excellent light lenses and badges, and some lovely black and silver numberplates.

Not forgetting those gorgeous steel wheels that help give the TR6 its perfect stance. Ultra-simple and all the better for being so, they’re in great shape and fitted with matching Bridgestone tyres.

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. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The mohair hood, was supplied by TR Bitz in 2016, fits well and is free of any damage or wear whatsoever as it’s barely been used. There’s a new black tonneau cover, too.

As for flaws, while the paintwork is good it does have some ‘love marks’ on the paintwork from enthusiastic hand waxing, so would benefit from a machine polish to enable it to fulfil its potential.

That’s it though. It really is every bit as good in the flesh as it looks in the photos.

While many would have gone with a simple black interior, this one’s been fitted with an oatmeal leather one - and looks simply sensational as a result. Dark blue door cards help tie the interior with the coachwork, and lashings of wood trim seal the deal. The result is utterly sublime.

As is its condition. Barely used since being completed, everything is still minty fresh and an utter delight.

The oatmeal leather seats are plump and firm and unmarked. Piped with a contrasting colour they tone with the new blue door cards and new carpets, all of which are still like new. In fact, it’s so new and fresh that the blue overmats even have black overmats on top to protect them!

The boot is also excellent. Home to a full-size spare wheel and tool kit, lifting the carpet shows nothing other than solid metal that’s been impeccably painted.

This means work for you to complete is minimal and is probably restricted to sorting out the MacGyver’d secondary bonnet release. While this modification does provide a backup method of operating the notoriously stiff bonnet catch in the event of the primary one failing (as they are prone to do…) it could do with being tucked away so it’s a bit less obvious.

That all our problems should be so minor, eh?

The engine bay might be a bit of a tangle of wires, control cables, and leads but that’s how they are, Sir. Peer behind them and you’ll notice this is a very well-presented engine bay indeed, with lots of attention having been paid to the details and an unholy shine to the paint.

Peering even more closely reveals the following numbers: engine CR/2290-HE; chassis 2668CR; body 01842CR: gearbox 51545; and commission plate CR 25030. The new chassis plate has also been stamped with the TR6’s new colour code, which is a lovely touch.

The underside is just as good. It’s been left painted rather than undersealed too, all the better to appreciate the finish and we encourage you to browse the photos to appreciate how much hard work has gone into its restoration.

And it was a lot, including a further £900 spent in March with Geoff Groves, the seller’s local garage. This work comprised a miscellany of bits and bobs to get the car sorted for sale and included fettling a seat mechanism, shortening some of the bolts holding the soft-top in place, refitting a brake backing plate, remounting the fuel pump to cure some vibration, fitting a new servo and brake master cylinder, freeing off a brake caliper, and getting a headlamp working.

Please see the attached invoice for the full details – and note the compression readings, which vary from 195psi to 210psi across the six cylinders. The seller tells us that it has “perfect” oil pressure too, and doesn’t overheat. Not bad, eh? It is also fitted with overdrive on third and fourth gears, which works as it should.

Previous, but recent(ish), work included re-conditioned throttle bodies, fuel injectors, and the latest throttle linkage along with a new Laycock-style clutch and cylinder head gasket.

The history file is, as you’d expect, full of invoices from folk like TR Bitz for the spares and parts used during its restoration.

There are bills for engine work too, plus having it painted and the wiring installed, which means all the hard stuff was farmed out to the professionals.

We doubt anyone’s ever added it up (well, you don’t do you if for no other reason than plausible deniability under questioning…) but the final figure would be a hefty sum.

There’s a handbook with the car too, plus a Repair Operation Manual.

The TR6 doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The TR6 is a perennially popular British sportscar not least because it combines brutish performance with classic good looks; give an eight-year-old child a pencil and ask them to draw an old sportscar and they’d come up with something like this.

The TR6 has a huge following as a result – and that following means easy access to a whole host of spares and experts, so you can mix ‘n’ match DIY and specialist intervention as and when the fancy takes you.

They drive brilliantly too, and a car as well finished as this will free you to enjoy its engine and chassis without the niggling feeling you ought to be repairing or improving something.

All of which means our estimate of between £25,000 and £35,000 feels about right to us. But, you’ll be the ultimate arbiters, so why not make an appointment to pop along and check out the quality for yourself?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.