Triumph TR6

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Sharp, clean and ruggedly handsome, the TR6 looked far more modern than the TR roadsters of old and proved a huge hit with the sporting driver of the early 1970s.

Restyled in 1969 by Karmann of Osnabruck, the TR6 gained a full-width nose and a squared-off tail. Under the new skin, the chassis remained basically the same as its independently-rear-suspended TR5 predecessor but handling was improved courtesy of wider wheels and a front anti-roll bar.

The 150bhp 2.5-litre Lucas fuel-injected straight-six power unit was initially unchanged, but was detuned to 125bhp for the US market and also for the UK market from 1973 onwards to meet stricter emissions regulations. Even in later detuned spec it could still hit 60mph in just 9.5 seconds with a top speed of 116mph.

First registered in July 1972, this striking TR6 is the full fat 150bhp version and looks so sharp you can hardly believe it is now almost 50 years old. Actually, most of it isn’t – in November 2009 it was involved in a shunt that saw it declared Cat C on the insurance register. However, every cloud has a silver lining and the owner took it as a perfect opportunity to buy the car back from the insurance company and give it the full Six Million Dollar Man treatment: “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster”.

And so, after much sweat, toil and cash had been expended, the beast came back to life. Better in every way, fully rebuilt around a new shell and now so sharp you can cut yourself just by looking! And you will need those figure-hugging bucket seats because under the bonnet lurks a rebuilt engine fitted with new Weber carbs that give it more poke than it has ever had before.

Equipped with overdrive and riding on sparkling chrome wire wheels shod with excellent tyres, it also has a new hood and has only covered 800 miles since the restoration was completed. Sailing through its last MOT with no advisories recorded and due to have a new ticket in time for the sale, it is being offered here for considerably less than it cost to build. A ‘no brainer’ as they call it in the trade.