The last Triumph TR6 to go on sale to the public in the mid seventies is up for grabs and the Coventry-made classic could be yours for just £21,000.
The rare sports car was the second last TR6 to come off Triumph’s Coventry production line in Canley on July 15 1976.
The final TR6 built was never sold or registered and is believed to be in a private collection, so the car currently up for sale is likely to be the closest anyone could realistically get to owning the last TR6.
The bad news for any prospective car buyer is that it is being sold in Canada, meaning a UK buyer would also have to factor in shipping - but with the classic car market being a truly international one that shouldn’t prove an insurmountable stumbling block.
Anyone interested in owning a piece of Coventry automotive history can check out the vehicle on enthusiasts’ website The Triumph Experience.
Its owner Gary Arsenault, who is based in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, says: “This the very last Triumph TR6 delivered to a dealer and sold at retail and the second to the last TR6 ever built. Manufactured July 15, 1976, commission number CF58327 - the holy grail of TR6s.
“This is a feature car in the recently published ‘Triumph TR6 The Complete Story’.
“It is the second to last TR6 built in Coventry England and has the original factory installed brass plate denoting this.”
The TR6 is described as being in “superlative original condition” and has been “carefully maintained”.
The Tahiti Blue car has covered just 60,000 miles in its lifetime.
Coventry-based Triumph produced a run of much loved sports cars in an age when UK car makers excelled at delivering roadsters that were in demand all over the world.
The 1800 and 2000 roadsters of the late 1940s were followed by the TR series and it was at that point that the Triumph sports car phenomenon really took off.
First up was the Triumph TR in 1953 and the line continued through until the 1980s with the TR7, which though much derided was actually a sales success.
The TR6, launched in 1968, was unveiled as a totally new model, though in reality it was an evolved version of its predecessor the TR5 with redesigned front and rear ends.
In all almost 95,000 models were produced over its eight-year lifespan between 1968 and 1976.
It initially came with a 2.5-litre V6 engine and delivered 150bhp, though this was later reduced to 125bhp.
The UK version could accelerate from 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds and had a top speed of 120 mph.
It is still immensely popular with classic car enthusiasts and there are several owner’s clubs dedicated to it.
So, is the second last one made a good buy?
Author Mike Gould, who has written several books on famous British car marques, said: “I think many people would say that the TR6 was the last of the ‘real’ Triumph sports cars.
“A quick check on the internet shows £25,000 to be a popular price point for a fully restored car - so I guess $35,000 Canadian is reasonable for a late car.
“The TR6 is a genuine classic and parts seem reasonably easy to obtain so, like other Triumph sports cars it’s a great way of getting behind the wheel of a true Coventry classic.”
To check out the second last TR6 ever made in Coventry click here http://www.triumphexp.com/registry/CF58327U
V6?
