College Car: 1963 Triumph TR4
The cars we drove in our youth often hold a warm place in our hearts, and finding that car or truck we owned in our formative years is a goal for many enthusiasts at some point in their lives. The seller of this 1963 Triumph TR4 notes that it belonged to her husband in college and has remained in the family ever since, now off the road for 30 years. Can it be saved? Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,000 in Wisconsin.
The desire to hold onto the past is a uniquely human condition, and while I suspect this TR4 ended up in the seller’s garage mainly out of circumstance rather than overwhelming nostalgia, it’s still hard to let go of once it’s there. The TR4 is a vehicle that transports many people back to their younger days, as old British sports cars are cheap to buy an offer a level of romanticism not accessible in most cars at a college student’s price point. The interior remains decent, but I can’t help but wonder if the rodents have moved in.
The engine appears complete, but the seller knows very little about its health or what it would need to return to form. From what I recall, these are fairly hardy engines, and even if it’s a total trainwreck, replacement motors are not hard to find. The bigger concern with a vintage British roadster is rust, and given this TR4 resides in Wisconsin, it is a concern – but the seller seems to think that any rust is minimal. Still, you’d want to peek underneath before buying.
I love the color, and I’d wager that factory yellow TR4s are somewhat sought after. The seller notes the steel wheels are the same color as the exterior, which could have been factory or a cheap respray job in the 70s when color-coordination was a popular styling trend. The seller is not wrong that the soft top appears to be in surprisingly decent shape, but that may be one of the few bright spots of this forgotten TR4. What do you think – would it present far better if someone simply blew the dust off of it? Thanks to Barn Finds reader NW Iowa Kevin for the find.
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Comments
The owners have been watching BAT auctions too much. This is not a $5000 project car (to me), More like $1500 and maybe I would take a chance. Clean it up a bit and see what is really there. It has been in one place for quite a while. British cars can be brought back, even if sitting for quite a while. It all depends on their sitting conditions. I like TR4’s but the marque doesn’t make the right $ number at this stage……..sorry!
I agree with you Joe, so many people see their vehicles value as if it has already been restored. This is going to need a lot of work. Good on the owner for keeping it but a little clean up before offering it would go a long way in selling it.
Being a ‘63, it’ll have the TR3- like solid axle frame, which isn’t as prone to structural rust as the TR4A frame. The engines are tough and have replaceable cylinder liners, so even if it’s seized, it’s an easy rebuild. Really nice early TR4s go for decent money, so this one might be worth restoring if you can do most of the work yourself. Otherwise it might be a fun driver as it is if it’s solid and just needs cleaning and recommissioning. The seats appear to be from a Fiat.
These were down market from the Healy 3000, but pricier than the MGB, Sunbeam Alpine and its little brother, the Spitfire.
As a prior commentor noted, as a pre-IRS car, terminal rust damage would be less likely.
I hope that the new owner can save it.i I love the color!
I can’t get a message to the seller. If I try Facebook, it tells me that this member won’t allow messages from anyone. so, what now, if someone want some info. or wants to buy it.
Always ask high let it get posted here for us to make negative comments about the asking price then take a reasonable offer and you got the fee world wide advertising.
A guy I went to school with had one of these. He rode with me quite a bit in my 64 Impala convertible as that thing seldom ran. We pushed it, “easily lol ” quite often. He finally gave up and his parents got him one of those little Dodge Japanese pickup trucks that was black With the yellow, red stripes. we towed the Triumph with a rope to the scrapyard and watched the claw take it to oblivion.