Triumph TR2

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Long famed for their rugged reliability and idiosyncratic good looks, the 'sidescreen' TRs have attracted a fanatical following over the years.

Introduced in 1953 and styled by Walter Belgrove, the TR2 looked handsome and purposeful with cutaway doors and a front wing line that flowed gracefully up and over the rear wheels and was clearly influenced by the new Jaguar XK120.

Equipped with independent coil sprung front suspension, a live rear axle and all round drum brakes, it was powered by a notably torquey twin-carb version of the bullet-proof 2-litre Vanguard ohv engine which produced 90bhp and could propel the little car to 60mph in 11.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 107mph via the four speed gearbox. Not only that, in a 1954 road test, 'The Motorcar' praised Britain's lowest-priced ton-up car for returning 'astonishing fuel economy' of 34.5mpg over 1,904 miles.

Triumph's hopes that the car would be successful in competition were soon realised, the first of many notable results being a win on the 1954 RAC Rally. A TR2 prototype, driven by Ken Richardson, and with special under-tray and rear wheel spats, also achieved an average 124mph during high speed runs at Jabekke in Belgium, a remarkable achievement for the time.

Well received by press and public alike, the TR2 quickly established a strong place in the sports car market worldwide, remaining in production until 1955 when it was replaced by the TR3, by which time 8,628 examples had been sold, the vast majority in left-hand drive.

Built in 1955 but not registered until January 1956, this original UK market TR2 is among the last 140 cars made and comes with the desirable overdrive gearbox. Dark green with a red interior and chrome wire wheels, it was reputedly treated to a body-off restoration some years ago and is said to remain in exceptionally sound condition throughout. More recently it was treated to a rebuilt gearbox, new leaf springs, fuel pump, water hoses, plus sundry other items.

Although it has always been UK registered, it has spent the last couple of years with a collector near Berlin who drove it on temporary German plates, and last year passed a TUV test which is far more demanding than the UK MOT. The LHD drive headlamps required to pass the TUV have since been replaced by RHD units in order to pass the MOT which runs until January 2016, the only advisory being on a ball joint (a new one comes with the car but is yet to be fitted).

Said to drive as it should and easily capable of keeping up with modern traffic, it comes with a full set of weather gear and various old MOTs and service invoices. One of only 460 TR2 models still UK registered today, it looks good value at the sensible guide price suggested.