BF Auction: 1959 Triumph TR3A
- Seller: Michael S
- Location: Tucson, Arizona
- Mileage: 50,000 Shown
- Chassis #: TS53363L
- Title Status: Clean
UPDATE – Since the seller could not take underside photos, we sent a Barn Finds Inspector over, and they could look at the car and take additional pictures of it. The images are in the gallery below and their review of the car is in the comments.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience driving a Triumph TR3, it is an exhilarating experience. The low-cut doors and low-down seating position add to the sensation of speed, so even going 30 mph feels fast. The large steering wheel offers excellent feedback. The 2.0 liter 4-cylinder provides plenty of low-down grunt and sounds great while cruising on the open road. It’s a pure sports car experience that every gearhead should experience at least once in their life! The example seen here has been in storage for the past three years, and while the seller has enjoyed it, health issues have made it difficult to use as much as they would like. So, they’ve decided to list it here as a Barn Finds Auction!
The seller purchased the car in 2007. In 2010, the engine underwent a complete tune-up to ensure it ran at its best. It also received a new interior, top, fuel tank, tires, and emblems. It could use some exterior cosmetic work. The seller had actually planned on repainting the car in 2020, but health problems put those plans on hold. While it would present better with new paint, we would enjoy it this summer while the weather is nice and plan on doing something with the paint come winter.
As you can see, the new interior looks nice but will need to be detailed as it has accumulated dust while in storage. All of the gauges and switches appear to be original and in usable condition. It’s currently equipped with an aftermarket steering wheel, but this is a common upgrade, as the original Banjo steering wheels can get a little tired after 64 years of use. There’s no word about how the turn signal switch is configured. It originally would have been mounted in the center of the steering wheel. Kits are available to mount the switch on the dash, which makes the conversion a simple task.
TR3s are known to be quite robust for a sports car. Triumph’s inline-4 engine was developed for passenger cars and tractors, so as you can imagine, they are very durable. While it isn’t a high-revving engine, many of these 2.0-liter engines have been used at the race track over the decades, where they gained a reputation for dependability. This one hasn’t been started since it was parked in 2020, but it was running well at that time, so chances are it will just need a new battery, fresh oil, and some new gas to run. As a note from the seller, there aren’t any signs of oil leaks under the car.
This TR3A looks like a fun project! It’s lived in a dry climate, so rust isn’t a concern. Getting it back on the road should take minimal work. While it will need some cosmetic work, it could easily be enjoyed as is. We’ve had several TR3s pass through the Barn Finds Garage and have always enjoyed working on and driving them. Whether you’ve experienced one already or have always wanted to, this might be the project for you! Be sure to cast your high bid, and if you have any questions, leave them for the seller in the comments section.
Bid On This Auction
Steve bid $8,200.00 2024-03-19 09:24:49 [auto]
Bogie bid $7,700.00 2024-03-19 09:24:49- Steve bid $7,200.00 2024-03-17 22:44:31
Peter Thelin bid $5,000.00 2024-03-17 14:58:43
Paul bid $2,500.00 2024-03-16 13:21:43
Gary bid $2,000.00 2024-03-15 14:23:20
Oliver Groce bid $1,500.00 2024-03-13 13:23:41
JR49 bid $1,000.00 2024-03-13 10:01:32
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Comments
Hard to consider without underside pics.
Due to health issues, the seller physically can’t take photos of the underside. We are working on how we can help them get more photos, so stay tuned!
You could possibly ask the seller to lie down on his back with his phone on his chest, then carefully roll over him.
Interesting idea Terrry, but using our Inspectors list, we found someone who can go take a look at it on Saturday! Stay tuned for more photos and info.
Looks like a nice car
I always wish I could experience driving a TR3. So did my dad’s friend, who despite owning a TR3 for around a decade could only keep it running for brief fits and spurts and spent 95% of his time working on it and not driving it. His TR3 was a great exercise in auto shop, not in autocross. And his TR3 was in much better shape than this one.
Assume that the underside is all rust! Had a 1958. Never could get the motor to stay tuned ! SU carburetors! Lucas electric! Ask if it comes with the iron hand crank so you can start the car when the battery can’t! I sold mine in 1974 for $300. Glad to have gotten out! The new buyer abandon the vehicle within a couple of weeks! If you buy it, be prepared to spend a lot of time/$!
I’ve owned many British roadsters that were solid and reliable so maybe your car had just been neglected? We are working on getting photos of the underside soon to clear up any rust questions. SU carbs are actually pretty simple and work great so, again, maybe yours were just worn out. People don’t expect crappy old two-barrel carbs to last forever on American cars. They are just used to being able to grab a new Edelbrock at AutoZone. If you rebuild SUs correctly or buy new ones, there isn’t any reason they won’t stay in tune. Also, the majority of problems I’ve experienced with Lucas stuff was caused by previous owners who did a mediocre radio install job or decided it would be a good idea to add more fuses. Did your car have either of these “upgrades”?
Agree with Jesse: these cars are so ridiculously simple to work on, that even a 10 year old with very basic knowledge could get one running. Sorry you didn’t have someone around that could have shown you what might be wrong with it to keep it running smoothly
Gotta agree with Jesse… I’ve owned a string of British cars with SU carbs and Lucas electrics for a span of 40+ years… and I’ve never had trouble keeping them roadworthy… The problem I often see is owners that never fully repair systems when there is a problem… they simply bandaid them to get them on the road… or they let them sit in the barn for 10 years, then wonder why it won’t run right when they pull it out and turn the key (although I’ve done that myself ;-) )
Your friend was unlucky. I had one back in 1990 that had mega miles on it, drove it like I had stolen it, hammered it unmercifully and it never gave me a moments trouble. I also had a 1955 Austin Healey 100/4 and much later an Austin Healey 3000 BN 7 two seat roadster and had more fun with the TR 3a than with both the Healey’s together as the Healey’s were more of a cruiser than a sports car.
Interesting that portions of the frame rails and even the rear bumper brackets appear painted the same colour as the car.
This is the first car I ever drove, back in 1964 in Corpus Christi, TX. Belonged to my sister’s boyfriend, Richard. I had been riding a Honda C110 for about 2 months so I had the clutch thing down. I agree with the author, the experience is a lot like driving a go-kart. Plenty of power, went exactly where you pointed it. After about 10 minutes of a 14 year-old’s focused effort, tires screaming all the while, we pulled up at our house on Santa Monica Blvd and Richard actually crawled out of the passenger side of the car and kissed the grass next to the sidewalk. Still puts a smile on my face!
Your escapade reminded me of the time I had my second TR 3. I was hammering it over a motorway on ramp, taking the curve at about 75 mph and the rear wheels just about sticking to the black stuff, when I ran over a piece of wood lying in the road. The car slewed sideways quite a bit before I could catch it and guide it around the rest of the curve without hitting the guard rail. No seat belts in those days of course in South Africa! Once it was straight and heading for the motorway, my 11 year old son said “Hey Dad, that was fun, can we go back and do it again?” !!! I would have had to change my underwear before that happened, I’m sure.
Isn’t this what we call a TR3A with the wider grille?
Well, I certainly hope for the sellers sake, and my sanity, it gets more than “no bids” for this really neat car. The blue is a bit loud and not a factory color, I don’t think. More like the royal blue grandpa painted everything.To answer Johns question, the TR3″A”, 1957-1962, although never officially called the “A”, just a TR3, featured what was called the “wide mouth” grill. The TR3 was equivalent to the MGA, in that, it was for many, their 1st British 2 seater. Splitting hairs on what was better, I suppose a dealer nearby dictated the sale. Like the MGB was to MG, the TR4 was to Triumph, and TR3s became beaters that nobody wanted. I’ve been seriously thinking about trading the Jeep for a British roadster, ANY vintage one will do, and I’d love to have this. Can’t have both, and I just wonder, where is this now, Az. ? I think the Jeep would make it, but I love the Jeep. You can see my problem.
To seller: wanna trade? Don’t answer that,,,,might not be me, but someone will get a sweetheart “elbow scraper”. Allegedly, a foot of snow for my area, but that too shall pass, and a British 2 seater, Springtime, mountain vistas with no worry about tipping over,( motorcycle),,hmm, going to have give this some serious thought.
Go for it, I had 2 in the 50’s and early 60’s. Great car lots of fun to drive.
Dave A.
These are getting harder to find in decent shape (not already restored and expensive) so I am thinking this looks like a pretty solid example of a really fun British sports car. I have owned one in the past and admire their simplicity. IMHO, this blue has to go away, but with a nice color done well the style on these can be stunning!
British racing green! A little gem there.
I bought mine in the late 70’s, was my daily driver for a few years, ran like a top, never had any mechanical or electrical issues ever. Lots of fun. I still have it and I’m in the process of restoring it which is definitely more costly than any American car. Virtually every part you would ever need is available just real pricey.
A friend of mine had one back in England ,in the late 60s and it was blue very similar to this one ,and it was original from factory paint .great fun cars to drive, wish i could afford it.
beautiful car and yes the SUs had to be adjusted every spring but that only takes 5-10 minutes and I replaced the generator with a Lucas alternator to keep everything low maintenance
OK. I had a “B”…..TCF510 as I remember. I got it out of a garage where it was under a pile of stored junk. For years. A battery, fresh gas, and I drove it home with snow flying. I had a great time with the somewhat banged up old boy, and while it failed to proceed a few times, it was never anything serious. The fun was well worth the minor hassles, and if I had the room, I just might pounce on this one. Overall, a lot of fun, and easy to fix if you have to. Rust? Probably. Again, easy to fix. years later, I found TCF 512 one mile away from me. Again, as the barn is full, I passed……..
My roommate in college had one, it was so much fun scoping coeds at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, on campus and at Glenmare Park a few blocks away during Spring Break.
Are there side curtains, a tonneau cover and does it have the electric overdrive?
I had a TR3 in 1972 and Joined the Navy in 1973 and gave it to my younger brother!
Is there a spare. Wheel and tire? Paul
It’s in the compartment behind the license plate.
Comments about the TR-3!! I owned one while in high school—the trans and clutch were on the pass seat….easy to get on the road.
IIRC, I paid $300 for it, hooked a tow cable and pulled it home.
Great torque from the long-stroke motor!!!!
Issues: easy to snap teeth off of the counter-shaft gear in the trans!!!
Rear main seals usually always leak!!
The trans with O/D are nice but are thin in the ground…..
The rest of the car is just British stuff that can be tedious to keep up with!!! But manageable!!!! Much fun to drive!!!!!!
hi, angel here, had one brand new in 1959 when i was discharged from the navy, had lots of fun with it. loved the car untill i hit the side of rail on a turn on the east river drive express way in Manhattan NY. slitly bent the frame. car drove off center had to off it. i would love to play with that one, brings memories. watching the bit.
My first ride in 73 was a blue 62. What a hoot! It’s a wonder I lived through it.
I certainly learned a lot. My first engine rebuild and transmission repair were a big part of ownership.
After I bought a big Healy I sold it on. The buyer called back in a couple of weeks and said the frame had rusted in half at the firewall. Spooky!!!! As I had driven it hard.
We sent a Barn Finds Inspector over to take additional photos of the car and they were able to take more pictures and also sent us their opinion on it.
First, the car is an obvious long time Arizona car – that means that although the underside has copious surface rust and corrosion, there is no evidence of either rust-through or older repairs of rust either. As a longtime car collector with years of experience with “California” and “Oregon” cars – this is actually better than most. Coastal California and Oregon cars can actually significant rust and rust through. I couldn’t see any evidence of that. Nor could I see any evidence of older collision repair – now it’s disclaimer time – I could really only see the front, the left side and the rear. There was absolutely no access to the right side.
I jacked the left side up as far as was safe yet found it was not possible to get as many photos to confirm what I saw with my eyes – no rust through, no evidence of collision damage. The floor panels and at least on the left side, rocker panels are original and free of penetrating rust.
The top is obviously newer and unused, the interior appears to be a commercially available upholstery kit but also appears to have had very little use since installation. I know one reader inquired about the turn signal switch as the original horn button/turn signal steering wheel hub is missing. I could see no evidence of a turn signal switch yet I saw a turn signal flasher under the hood.
With the left front wheel off the ground I observed some “play” in both the steering and in what might be trunions (king pins) or possibly just bad wheel bearings. There was a little more “play” in the steering wheel than it would have had from new, but not alarmingly so. When I was a kid 50 years ago and these were $300 – $500 cars we drove them with abandon in no better shape than this, and we lived to tell the tale! But now we’re older and we know better. At this time, I would say the car probably needs a complete restoration. I understand it was running and driving up until 2020 but I would want to go through the brakes, the play in the steering, probably the fuel system, cooling system, before trying to drive it, and cosmetically, it really needs a complete redo but it’s a good place to start.
Well, finally found my vice grips!
Actually the underside shots are better than a lot I have seen and, for what this car is, it definitely is in better shape than the majority that still wear all the original bits and pieces for the past 60 years. Perhaps just the paint if one is not that big on car shows. Should be great for classic rallys, etc.
yes it is terribly FUN to drive very fast and very small in the world of big 4×4 trucks we have here in tucson
I agree that this is an excellent car to restore as it is basically one of the most simple cars ever built that can come close to meeting modern performance on the road every day. I have owned over 6 of these in various types. While the top in important the toneau cover is equally important. Driving in the fall with only the drivers side open and side curtains on. There is plenty of heat coming from the engine, transmission and heater to keep you warm and all that fresh air. One serious note since this has wire wheels I purchased one that had the spinners reversed and the passenger wheel backed off, got trapped within the front fender and in turn tore the fender and passengers door off. This was one of those $200 cars back in the early 70’s and scared the hell out of me as I was in the passengers seat at the time. But beyond that stupidity these are so much fun. And they look kind of like a 4 wheeled English bulldog. Oh as for the carbs. Get a pair of long thin glass thermometers or something else that is scaled and take off the brass caps on the S.U. Carbs. Balance them so that both are at the same level and make certain there is the proper oil in the carb and you have a balanced set of carbs. Very simple once you know the trick.
I haven’t seen the side curtains or the brackets on the doors. I’m guessing there aren’t any to go with the car?
These are one of my all-time 1950s/1960s British sports cars. At one point I owned the 12th TR3 built – it was the New York and L.A. Auto Show car and I drove it home for only $300! An Austin Healey 3000 might have been a bit faster and a Bugeye quicker around a corner, but for all around fun combined some actual usability, nothing beat a TR3. Over 50 years ago I drove one from L.A. to Flagstaff, AZ and got caught in a rare springtime snow storm, but still being a teenager, I pressed on regardless. If you knew one end of a screwdriver from the other, maintenance and repair was no problem so whatever reliability issues these had when they were worn-out, it was very easy to keep them going. I changed a generator in a Baker, California auto parts store parking lot with no problem once.
I have a 59 tr3 with under 60k. It has sat far too long as it was last driven over 15 years ago. Last time there were issues in tuning the carborator
Engine is rust
So bid accordingly