Triumph TR4, 4A, 5 & 6 (1961-1976)

When Michelotti’s sharp-suited TR4 was unveiled on the Triumph stand at the London motor show in 1961, the car looked thoroughly modern, especially when compared with the TR3A that it replaced. But under the skin the car was still a TR3A – little more than the outer panels were new. Despite this the TR4, and the TR4A which succeeded it, were among the fastest affordable sportscars on offer throughout the 1960s. Cheap to buy and run, the cars’ road manners left room for improvement – but they were pretty much unbeatable as stylish transport.

Triumph repeated the trick in 1969 when it unveiled the TR6, which was little more than a reskinned TR5 (itself a tweaked TR4), but it had a lot of people fooled. Even with the mechanicals, main structure, doors, chassis and windscreen carried over, the car looked fresh enough to appear new. The car was also the last of the true TRs in the eyes of many enthusiasts, yet it’s still often overlooked by those wanting a proper British sports car.

All these years on, you can buy a good TR, look after it and drive it sympathetically, and you’ll be able to sell it on without losing your shirt on it. If on the other hand you’re looking at buying a car to treat as a project there are plenty around (TR5 projects are rarer) along with a decent supply of parts. Whichever route you choose, get ready to listen to everybody you ever meet while out in your TR, because they’ll all want to relate at least one anecdote to you about their friends, relatives or neighbours who ‘used to have one of those’.

For the full story pick up your copy of the June 2010 issue