1958 TRIUMPH TR3

1958 TRIUMPH TR3. The Triumph TR3 is a British sports car produced between 1955 and 1962 by the Standard-Triumph Motor Company of Coventry, England. A traditional roadster, the TR3 is an evolution of the company's earlier TR2 model, with greater power and improved braking. Updated variants, popularly but unofficially known as the "TR3A" and "TR3B", entered production in 1957 and 1962 respectively. The TR3 was succeeded by the Michelotti-styled, mechanically similar Triumph TR4. The rugged ‘sidescreen’ TR, so named for its employment of removable plexiglass side curtains, was a sales and motorsport success. With approximately 74,800 TR3s sold across all variants, the model was the company's third best seller in the TR range, behind the TR7 (111,500 units) and TR6 (94,500 units) models. The Triumph was campaigned in races, hill climbs, and rallies across Europe and North America, with several outright, team, and class victories to its credit. TR3B The "Triumph TR3B" is an unofficial name given to the final version of the TR3, which was produced in 1962. It was offered concurrent with the TR4, which started production in 1961. The "TR3B" was a special short-production run in response to dealer concerns that the buying public might not welcome the TR4. It had the body of the later "TR3A". Two series were produced: one with a commission number preceded by TSF of which 530 were produced. Of these 530 the last 29 were built as Triumph Italia's; one with commission numbers preceded by TCF of which 2804 were produced. Both series were partly produced in parallel. The TSF series were identical to the last run of TR3As, so with a two-litre engine and non-synchronized 1st gear transmission. The TCF series has the 2.138-litre TR4 engine. The engine is a straight-four, push rod, three-bearing, with wet liners. It has 9:1 compression and is very rigid. It was fitted with two H6 SU carburetors. It has 105hp (78kW) at 4,650rpm and 172N⋅m (127 lbf⋅ft) of torque at 3,350rpm. It gets around 20 miles per US gallon (12L/100km; 24 mpg) to 30 miles per US gallon (7.8L/100 km; 36 mpg). The top speed is limited to about 110mph (177km/h) by the gear ratio, unless it has overdrive. Electrically triggered overdrive (Laycock-de-Normanville Type A) was available as an option and operates on second, third, and fourth gears. Appearance is identical to the late US-version of the "TR3A", with the same wider head light rims, for the rest very similar to the TR3, except for a wider grille and door handles. It weighs 2,137 lb (969 kg). TR3 in motorsport competition Building on the enviable legacy of the Triumph TR2, the TR3 enjoyed much success in international motorsport competition. After the events of the 1955 ‘24 Heures du Mans’ , the French government moved to prohibit sports car rallying in that country, rallies then little more than long distance road races. In response, Triumph competition manager Ken Richardson had steel hard tops bolted to 100 TR3's, homologating the new sports car as a "grand touring" coupe, the GT class still permitted to race on French public roadways. A ‘grand touring kit’ was made available to customers as an optional extra (part No. 554313). TR3s were campaigned in the RAC, Monte Carlo, Circuit of Ireland, Alpine, Liege-Rome-Liege, International Tulip, Scheveningen-Luxembourg, Tour de France, Douze Heures de Huy, Lyon-Charbonnieres, Acropolis, Chimay National, and Corsica rallies, among others, achieving numerous outright, team, and class victories including six "Coupes des Alpes" awards. With its robust engine and rugged reliability, the TR was a popular competitor in continental hill climbs, such as the Ollon Villars and Eberbach Bergrennen, and endurance races like the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Mille Miglia. In 1959, three extensively modified TR3s, referred to as ‘TR3S’ models, were run at the 24H du Mans. Resembling the production TR3, the Le Mans cars employed glass fibre body shells, were six inches longer than the production vehicle, and powered by the prototype 1,985 cc (121.1 ci) twin-cam ‘Sabrina’ engine. The Jopp/Stoop TR3S reached as high as seventh place overall before being forced to retire for mechanical difficulties with just over an hour remaining in the race. CC rating: 1,798cc 110 ci (1.8L) B series NZ First Registration: 17-Mar-1958

Added 9 Apr 2026