1975 Triumph TR6

The TR6 is adored by British sports car fans as the last of the traditional hairy-chested English roadsters. While it’s possible to argue with the precise wording of that statement, the TR6 was certainly antique in many ways when it was introduced in late 1968. A narrow cockpit, separate body and chassis and a bouncy ride courtesy of its rather crude independent rear suspension made it seem in many ways to be little advanced from the TR4 of 1962 or even the TR2 of 1953.

On the plus side, Karmann of Germany had done a masterful job of updating the TR4 body shell while actually changing very little. The 2.5 liter straight six, while not a powerhouse in emission controlled twin carburetor form, had plenty of torque and made some of the best sounds in sports cardom. TR6s are easy to maintain, good-looking, rugged and have easy parts availability. They make an ideal first collector car.