One of the great subsets of our hobby is that of postwar British sports cars.  Triumph, MG, Austin Healey, Sunbeam, Morgan, and others all came to market after the war with two-seat sports cars.  Each accomplished the role in distinctly different ways but still managed to carve out their niche in the market.  One of the most memorable was the Triumph TR3.  With its excellent performance and low-door good looks, the TR3 is still fondly remembered and desirable.  If you happen to be looking for a good project sports car, this 1958 Triumph TR3A for sale on eBay in Altoona, Pennsylvania is looking for a good home.  While it is intact and complete, rust has visited the car.  A previous owner has inexplicably also left a skim coat of fiberglass in the floor pans.  Despite these distractions, bidding is currently at $4,950 with just two days to go.  Is this a worthy project to take on to put the wind in your hair?

The story on this bluish silver TR3A is that it is an estate car that has been sitting in storage since 1984.  In 1984, Ronald Reagan was finishing his first term as president, Prince released the album Purple Rain, and Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire while filming a Pepsi commercial.  Feel old yet?  At any rate, the seller feels that this Triumph is a good candidate for restoration after all those years, as it is a complete car with several good body panels.

Some may feel that the seller is damning the car with faint praise.  However, it is more of a realistic attitude.  Triumph TR3s often suffer from rust in ways that make other cars seem made out of stainless steel.  Not only is corrosion often evident in the bottom of the fenders, quarter panels, and sills, but it makes itself most insidiously known in the floor pans and the frame rails.  When the seller states that the “Doors, hood, and trunk open and close easily,” then this is a sign of someone familiar with the TR3.  Sticking doors is a big sign that the frame is compromised from rust.  The hood and trunk, not so much.

On the subject of rust, the seller curiously says that the rockers were covered at some point and looked good.  I am curious as to what that means and hope that a reader who speaks Triumph will share in the comments an interpretation.  We are also told that the inner rockers have some rust that will eventually need attention and that both the trunk and the spare tire compartment are solid.

To the seller’s credit, there has been some documentation of the conditions underneath the car.  The picture above shows some of the worst damage.  Especially curious is the sheet of what looks to be galvanized metal over this section of the frame.  Behind that section is a rather important spring mounting point that might need close inspection.  We are told that the floors are solid, but they have been covered with a layer of fiberglass.  The seller isn’t sure why that was done, because the floors underneath look solid.  Perhaps this TR3 wasn’t the last owner’s first Triumph.  Maybe they fell through the floors on the last one and didn’t want to relive the experience.

Inside is a mixed bag of good and bad news.  The seller says that most of the electrical system works as it should except for the temperature gauge.  While it is supposed to be a mechanical temperature gauge, a non-working electric one sits in its place.  Another notable inconsistency is that the turn signals have an auxiliary switch.  The car is equipped with a trafficator, which is a semaphore-type arm that pops out of the body to alert drivers that a turn will be made.  It doesn’t currently work though.  The seats were recovered but never bolted in and the side curtains and top are long gone.  The seller does state that a top bow is present though.

Looking under the hood we see the standard 1,991 cc inline four-cylinder engine that powered these cars.  The seller tells us that the engine runs well, maintains oil pressure, and starts easily.  The transmission is functional and has benefitted from a new slave cylinder.  The brakes, on the other hand, are described as “functional.”  This may be an area that the buyer focuses on first.

In all, this TR3A is in good shape for an unrestored car.  However, it is also the kind of car that you need to inspect on a lift to peruse the underside.  You may also want to throw a magnet in your bag as well for the body panels.  Rust is obviously a real issue with these cars.  This one is not too far gone, but it will need some work in that area.  Hopefully, it will find a good home soon.