1972 Triumph TR6
Original UK-market 150bhp model
Fully restored between 2017 and 2019
SU carburettor conversion and power steering

Fully restored and extensively upgraded over the past few years, this Triumph TR6 has been looked after with no expense spared. First registered in 1972, it was originally a UK-market car with Lucas fuel injection and was acquired by its most recent owner in 2017. He immediately entrusted it to Frontline Developments in Oxfordshire, and the work carried out is meticulously recorded in the car’s history file.

The first task was to strip the TR6 to a bare frame, and such was the commitment to doing the best possible job that it was decided to base the rebuild around a new chassis. All suspension components were powder-coated, the springs were uprated, and Koni adjustable dampers were fitted. Stronger driveshafts were used, along with Polyurethane bushes and a Quaife limited-slip differential. A new stainless-steel multi-branch exhaust system, Revotec fan, front anti-roll bar, alloy fuel tank, and Lumenition ignition were also specified.

The interior was fully retrimmed, with the seats being finished in Bentley Cognac leather, as were the door cards. The dashboard was re-lacquered and topped with Bentley Hotspur Red, while the carpets are now Blenheim Antique Red. The interior remains in pristine condition.

All of that took until early 2019, and later that year the Triumph went back to Frontline so that further work could be carried out. The overdrive gearbox was rebuilt and the clutch replaced, and an uprated propshaft with sealed sliding joints was fitted. Power steering was also added at this time, and at the end of 2019 a Fosseway Performance upgrade kit for the front brakes was installed.

UK-market TR6s were supplied with Lucas fuel injection, but in 2020 the owner found himself becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the car’s cold-starting and throttle response. He therefore commissioned JWORX Automotive to convert the engine to twin SU HS6 carburettors, and reported that the car’s behaviour was much improved.

JWORX continued to look after the TR6 and in 2021 it removed the bumpers, giving the car a more sporting look. The front suspension was also rebuilt in order to remove the positive camber and level-up the ride height. Regular servicing work has been carried out, and everything has been catalogued by the owner in hand-written notes.

The Triumph TR6 is renowned for being one of the last ‘traditional’ British sports cars, blending well-proportioned styling with a visceral driving experience that’s topped by the crisp exhaust note from that six-cylinder engine. Now being offered for sale by the Classic Motor Hub, this is a particularly special example that has been superbly restored and upgraded, with invoices totalling more than £40,000.

MODEL HISTORY
Launched in 1968, the Triumph TR6 carried over many of the features from the short-lived TR5. It boasted much more up-to-date styling, though, courtesy of a clever – and cost-effective – redesign by Karmann, which retained the TR5’s centre section but added fresh new treatments for the front and rear.

Beneath the bonnet was Triumph’s 2.5-litre straight-six engine, which for most markets around the world was fitted with Lucas fuel injection and produced 150bhp; that was reduced to 125bhp from 1972 onwards due to a new camshaft profile and lower compression ratio. The 150bhp TR6s are denoted by a commission number that started with ‘CP’, while the later 125bhp cars are identified by ‘CR’.

North America, meanwhile, had to make do with a less-powerful version that used twin Stromberg carburettors. Those models are identified with a ‘CC’ or ‘CF’ commission number.

The traditional separate-chassis construction was retained – not until the TR7 would a monocoque be adopted – and independent suspension was employed front and rear. Steering was by rack and pinion.

Like so many British sports cars of the time, the vast majority of TR6 production was intended for the North American market, with just over 78,000 twin-carburettor models being shipped across the Atlantic. That compared with 13,703 that left Triumph’s Canley factory with fuel injection.

When Autocar tested a UK-spec TR6 in 1969, it stated: ‘It is very much a masculine machine, calling for beefy muscles, bold decisions, and even ruthlessness on occasion. It could be dubbed the last real sports car.’ The magazine recorded a 0-60mph time of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 119mph.

Production ran until 1976, after which the TR6 was replaced by the TR7, which featured a completely different ‘wedge’ design and a return to four-cylinder power.