Lot 561: 1969 Triumph TR6 Roadster

Its sports cars having relied exclusively on four-cylinder engines for the preceding decade-and-a-half, Triumph turned to six cylinders to extend the life and improve the performance of the much loved ‘TR’ series. Similar to the preceding four-cylinder TR4A - the first TR with independent rear suspension - but with Triumph’s 2.5-litre, six-cylinder engine installed in place of the old 2.1-litre four, the TR5 was produced during the 1968 model year only (October 1967 to November 1968) pending the arrival of the TR6. Restyled for 1969 by Karmann of Osnabruck, the TR6 sported a full-width nose and squared-off tail. Under the skin the chassis remained basically the same as its independently-rear-suspended TR4A ancestor’s, while the 2.5-litre Lucas fuel-injected power unit was unchanged. Handling was improved over that of the TR5 courtesy of wider wheels and a front anti-roll bar. Good for 120mph with acceleration to match, the six-cylinder TRs are arguably the most exciting Triumphs ever made, continuing to enjoy an enthusiastic following world-wide and an excellent network of spare parts and service providers.
The TR6 we offer comes with a substantial file of bills relating to general maintenance and servicing in recent years, including a full engine rebuild, re-bore, ‘fast road’ tune and unleaded conversion carried out by Bumper to Bumper, of Perthshire in October 2001. A new mohair hood was fitted by T R Sharp, of Chiswick in January 2002, while more recently (October 2007) the car underwent extensive servicing at Simply Classics in West Sussex, whose bill for £3,000-plus is on file. Finished in red with black interior, the latter equipped with Kenwood CD stereo system, the car is offered with the aforementioned file, some recently expired MoT certificates, Swansea V5 registration document and current MoT.