• Complete body-off restoration in the late 1990s
• Presented in original colours of Signal Red with black interior
• Factory-fitted overdrive 
• Extensive history file with photographic record of restoration

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

Produced during a golden period for British sports cars, the Triumph TR4A perfectly embodies their timeless appeal thanks to its crisp styling, responsive handling and robust four-cylinder engine. 

Still in exceptional condition following a meticulous rebuild in the late 1990s, this particular TR4A is presented in the same attractive colour scheme – Signal Red with a black interior – with which it left the Canley factory on 5 June 1967. It was destined for Cookes Garages Ltd in Crewe, and its Heritage Certificate notes that it was specified with 60-spoke wire wheels and a heater. It cost its first owner the princely sum of £968 4s 6d. 

Having subsequently passed to owners in Lincolnshire, Kent and Norfolk, the Triumph was in need of restoration by 1998. The intensive, body-off process is fully documented in a photo album and via an enormous collection of invoices and receipts in the car’s extensive history file. 

Once the work had been completed, the now-pristine Triumph was seldom used until it was sold to a new owner in 2009. It soon became a regular visitor to Goodwood for Breakfast Meetings as well as the Revival, and after the owner moved to Devon in 2015, he revelled in its performance on trips across Dartmoor and along the Teign Valley. 

More recently, the gearbox and overdrive have been rebuilt, while subtle, well-chosen modifications range from upgraded seats – complete with headrests – to inertia-reel seatbelts and K&N air filters. This Triumph TR4A is now being offered for sale having covered only 19,500 miles since its rebuild, and is a beautiful example of this exhilarating, entertaining sports car.

MODEL HISTORY  

Triumph’s enduringly popular series of TR sports cars lasted for almost 30 years, and was a huge sales success not only in the UK, but also in the all-important American export market. Along the way, it achieved considerable competition success and retains a strong following more than four decades after the last TR left the factory.

The TR4 was launched in 1961, and while it carried over many of the basic mechanical components from the outgoing TR3, it featured an all-new Michelotti-designed body that was far more modern and practical than that of its predecessor. 

Beneath the bonnet was the same Standard four-cylinder engine, but enlarged from 1991cc to 2138cc, and the four-speed gearbox now had synchromesh on all four gears. There was also the option of a Laycock de Normanville overdrive that operated on second, third and fourth, while rack-and-pinion steering replaced the TR3’s cam-and-lever set-up. 

Autocar tested a TR4 in 1962 and said that it was an ‘invigorating car to drive, offering eager performance with compactness and manoeuvrability’.

In 1965, the updated TR4A was introduced with a revised chassis that featured independent rear suspension, plus an engine that produced slightly more power thanks to a modified cylinder head. In the US market, it was possible to buy a TR4A with a live-axle set-up rather than the new independent rear suspension, but the vast majority were specified with the latter. 

The TR4A sold well and continued Triumph’s run of competition success – its highlights including a class win at the 1966 Sebring 12 Hours – before the end of its production run in 1967.   

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