Investment and Fun on a Budget!

The Triumph TR-6 sports car is the best buy today for fun and profit without making a large monetary investment. Today, the car is being "re-discovered" as a vintage sports car. It can easily maintain highway speeds and can out-perform many modern cars. Parts are readily available and its simple designs make it an excellent vehicle for owner restoration and maintenance. The current cost of these cars is relatively low and the potential for increased future value is good.

 

In the mid-60's, it became apparent that in order to continue to maintain Triumph's market share of the sports car market, a new more modern car with increased power, better handling and more comfort was required. The TR-6 was the answer. It was first produced in September of 1968 and was a combination of the best features of the previous line Triumphs in addition to a larger engine.

 

The increased power came from a 6-cylinder engine displacing 2498 ccs and producing 150hp. This was an increase of 2 cylinders and 45 hp over TR-4. The gear ratio was designed to provide a speed of 130 mph at 5000 rpm. The new engine gave the car impressive speed and satisfied the performance criteria.

 

The improvements in handling came from a fully independent suspension system. It was an improved version of the system used in the earlier TR-4 IRS cars. The resulting ride was slightly softer but the cornering and overall handling was not compromised.

 

The overall modernization of the car made it more comfortable on long trips. Although the body was derived from the TR-4 cars, it was slightly longer, wider, and heavier than the previous Triumph's. The interior was altered to give more comfort. The ride was not as harsh and the car was quieter. Air conditioning was offered as an option.

 

With the prices of the more powerful vintage sports car escalating, the price of TR-6s are still attractive. Austin-Healey 3000s are selling for $25,000, XK120 and XK140 Jaguars are more than $50,000. Even the XKE Convertibles are bringing over $35,000.

 

A good TR-6 driver-condition can be bought for $5,000 to $7,500. Show car quality cars are only selling for $12,000 to $15,000. At these levels, compared to the other vintage sports cars, the prices appear to have nowhere to go but up. A $5,000 to $7,500 investment can buy a lot of fun in a TR-6 and still allow a good chance of making a profit whenever you wish to sell it. The TR-6 is a good alternative to purchasing a new so-called “sports car” that begins to depreciate immediately.