Triumph

Day 1 - Car obtained

After months of searching off and on we finally have a 1971 Triumph TR6 in the garage! First, here are 40+ pictures:

TR6 Photo Gallery
Now, on with our story.

Ebay is my friend

So, I’ve been trolling ebay for 8 months now, looking for the perfect car or at least one that was not obviously ready for the wrecking yard. I’ve put in lowball bids here and there, hoping to get lucky (which would be unlucky in many cases). I never could make it make financial sense with shipping etc and no cars EVER came up that were local since this is the Bay Area in Northern California meaning anything good gets taken fast or its incredibly expensive.

Then, out of nowhere a 3 day auction came up for a car in Santa Cruz, 50 miles south of where we live. The owner claimed no rust and a rebuilt engine 5000 miles ago along with a phone number to call. I dropped him an email and followed up with a phone call asking him if I could come take a look as well as asking him what he was looking for. After a moment of hesitation he said ‘my reserve is $4900 but if its an easy transaction I will take $4000′. Immediately I set up an appointment to meet with him the next morning.

The meet, some history and a test drive

Cash in hand we head down to Santa Cruz to meet the owner at the storage facility where he is storing the car. Up comes the storage room door and there it is, sitting in the dark but dry room. He hops in and it starts IMMEDIATELY. No hesitation, choke out, key turn and its running. 106,000 and change on the odometer.

We walk around, looking at the car and chatting about its history. Apparently its always been a california car although the lady who owned it before him had only had it since 1986. It had lived in Santa Cruz since she bought it and had actually been in a garage for the last 2+ years when she stopped driving it. Her son had rebuilt the engine right before he died and she never got it running after that. All the current owner had to do was put a new battery in, prime the carbs and it fired right up.

He also reveals that the mechanic he takes it to is ‘Emil’ in Santa Cruz who also maintained it for the previous owner. Emil recently replaced the brakes, hoses and did general maintenance so the car is ready for the road. He even got every guage working and all the electronics (I guess Emil is the owner of a 200 hp TR6 that he races, you out there Emil?) The owner is getting ready to leave the country on business for a few years (he builds yachts for a living) so its time for his toys to go. Very nice guy.

But does it have rust?

While we talk I am checking all the usual spots, looking for the bad stuff. Rockers? Hmm, look good. T-Shirt pressing, looks solid from here. Frame, not even a mark from bouncing off a speed bump. Floorboards, some surface rust but nothing penetrating. Rear deck? Looks great. Trunk, original spare and no rust at all.

What solidified it for me was the fact that the few places the undercoating had peeled away had paint that looked almost new. I’ve never seen a TR6 in my search that looks this great. The only damage is the front passenger side. The owner tells me that the previous owner’s son had left it in neutral, no brake and it had rolled into a garage. Ok, I can live with that. The body doesn’t look tweaked otherwise so the story feels right.

Test drive

By this time the car is almost warmed up so we hop in to take a test drive. Vroom, out we go to the access road and down to the freeway. Getting on the freeway I slide the rear-end out a bit in 2nd gear, oops But it was fun.

On the freeway the car easily cruises at 70mph, even without an OD transmission, with what feels like power to spare. It handles great, taking the corners with ease although the brakes squeal like a banshee! That’ll have to be fixed.

Commitment

Back at the storage facility I decide we have a deal, drop $4k in cash on the trunk, sign the papers, shake his hand and off we go, the long way home over Hwy 17 and Hwy 92 which, if you know the Bay Area you know are the two windiest roads around. Top down (it wont go up) I hit the road, my wife following me and keeping those fast drivers with a 5th gear off my ass

To sum it up, the TR6 handles the roads without incident and it feels amazing. My hands get a bit cold but the heater seems to be working and already on so my legs and torso are warmed nicely. I didn’t turn it on, no fires for me 80 miles from home and I don’t know this car well enough to trust it that much. The only thing I engage are the headlights.

So far so good, as soon as I get my garage in shape I’ll take a more in-depth look at the entire situation and see where to go next. I’m crossing my fingers that the only body work it will need is that passenger side accident and then its ready for paint prep and paint!

The engine runs great but it was rebuilt by an amatuer and will obviously need to be rebuilt sometime in the future, even though it only has 5000 miles on it. Its leaking pretty nicely and is covered in oil. Runs like a champ though! No high compression, just a standard stock rebuild.

Summary

Overall, EXACTLY what I was looking for. My criteria

$4k total, including any shipping or fees No massive rust (I cant weld yet) Runs well so I can enjoy it immediately

The only thing it doesn’t have that I really want is an OD transmission but I’ll swap one in when the engine goes out for a rebuild.

See you at Triumphest!