Simplicity in all things mechanical is an asset. Look under the hood of a modern car and you can assume there is an engine in there, providing it’s not all-electric, but as to what you are looking out and how to identify it has become a bewildering exercise. That wasn’t the case in the ’50s and especially with British sports cars, they were a contrived statement of modern antiquity – and appreciated for it. Need an example? Here’s one, a 1958 Triumph TR3 roadster, located in Vorhees, New York, and available here on craigslist for $5,900. Thanks to Ikey H. for this tip.

The Triumph TR3 succeeded the TR2 and preceded the…? If you guessed TR4, you would be mostly right but there was a TR3A (’58 to ’62) though it was still officially referred to as a TR3. The differences were primarily a wider grille, exterior door handles, a lock for the trunk (boot) lid, and a toolset. The TR3 had already moved to front disc brakes in ’57, so they were not an improvement for the TR3A as is sometimes reported. The TR3/3A, 71K copies in total, were produced between 1955 and 1962 with about 10% of the total destined to stay in the UK and the remaining 90% headed overseas.

This TR3 example has been parked in dry storage for years. That’s good but not good enough as the tin worm had done its damage to the floors by then. This is a New York state domiciled car and it has been off of the road since 1986 so the damage must have occurred prior to nap time.

But all is not lost, the seller claims that the upper body and frame are solid. There are a few bumps and contusions in places and some missing trim too. The repainted orange finish (it was originally green) has its share of scrapes but it appears to be mostly all there, minus the grille – no word on its whereabouts. And as can be seen in this image, the tacked-on luggage rack, while maybe functional, is not exactly in keeping with the TR3’s sculpted lines. And speaking of this image, it’s curious; it looks like this TR3 has suffered a back end explosion that blew off the hatch and dislodged the spare – odd positioning. Of note, the convertible top would probably work better as a radio antenna, there’s a convertible frame but no top; no mention of side curtain availability either. Regardless of this TR3’s weary aesthetics, it still looks pretty sound and its wire wheels and knock-offs help to pull it together. That said, the original green finish would be more fitting for a car of this nature.

Under the bonnet is a 2.0 liter, in-line, four-cylinder engine that develops 100 HP. The seller states, “Engine in good condition, last time started (checked up) couple years ago.” I think this is a new take on the old, “ran when parked” claim so I’d mark this TR3 as non-operational. The seller adds that the four-speed manual gearbox “seems in good working condition, switching gears but it has an oil leak.” And yes, the leak is readily visible, along with a differential lubricant leak, in the accompanying images. But simplicity abounds so perhaps getting the “go” back in this Triumph won’t be a titanic task.

Honestly, the interior looks like tetanus shot territory. The passenger seat is missing, we know about the floor pan shortcomings and there is a mold-like substance on the switch-gear and instrument panel. But other than that… The interior is going to need a complete redo but the original gauges and steering wheel are still in place and owing to the minuscule interior volume, it shouldn’t be too overwhelming a task. There are a couple of holes in the instrument panel that would appear to have housed something of an electrical nature, and probably something important, so it would be worth knowing what occupied those spaces.

While an exercise in simplicity, British sports cars always seem to have a magnetic attraction to rust, and this one is no exception.  Even so, this TR3 sportscar is still passable, it just needs typical help. Concerns should abound about the engine, if it ran a couple of years ago, the seller would be best served by trying to get it to run now. This “should run”, “might run”, “did run”, “ran when parked”, “used to run” etc. is a continuing thread in so many listings, actually in too many listings. While not a rare car, at least based on volume, this Triumph still seems to be a pretty good starting point for building a nice, simple, enjoyable driver. Providing of course, that the engine isn’t a boat anchor, and the missing sheet metal real estate is limited to the passenger compartment footwells. So readers, what’s everyone think? Is it worth taking this example on as a restoration project or are there too many unknowns?