WWzD/Automotive Alphabet Aerobics: T is for Triumph, Alternatively Titled: WWzD, Mr. KQ Edition

Owning an Italian sports car has been compared to having a beautiful younger mistress. The experience is exciting, dangerous, and expensive. Sometimes you'll be embarrassed to be seen in public together, but you'll privately love the sounds it makes. People who don't know you will laugh and assume you have a mid-life crisis, although the reptile part of their brain will envy you. It will explode at the least convenient times in the least convenient places. Your wife will eventually issue a "it's me or her" ultimatum. It will seem like a good idea at the outset and you'll be in love (or lust) for a little while, but ultimately you'll regret the decision.

Owning a classic British sports car is more like being friends with Whitney. The cost of entry is comparatively low. You'll smile a lot and have lots of fun, despite the lingering fear in the back of your mind that it could collapse in a heap at any time. Passers-by will grin and wave, people you don't know will come over just to talk, people familiar with the car will tell you stories about their experiences with it for hours. Sometimes it'll backfire and smell stinky. Your wife won't understand the allure at first, but after a while she'll grow to enjoy the experience too. Simply put, if you take care of [Wh]it, [Wh]it'll take care of you.

There are a number of affordable British marques if you're looking for a fun rear-wheel-drive two-passenger droptop. One is Triumph, which was founded in 1885 and went out of business in 1984. They made a number of sports cars with nifty names like Spitfire and Stag, but their premier model was always named after TR. Seriously, they had the TR1, TR2, TR3, etc.

You probably remember seeing the TR7/TR8 in the 1980s, or parked in front of the Sigma Chi house circa 1995-96 (the guy from Saddle River had a white one). They look like doorstops--this was a big design theme in the 1970s, particularly with Italian designers.

The TR7 has a weak 2.0 L in-line 4 making 90 (ninety?!) horsepower. The much rarer TR8 has a 3.5 L V8 that puts out a staggering 133 horsepower. The TR8 doesn't seem to command any premium over the TR7, and at this point both cars are 35+ years old so I'm not sure you'll find one that can meet those power figures, so I wouldn't sweat finding one over the other.

I'm not going to tell you not to get one of these, they're pretty and fun and the price of entry is low (here's one for $3750 OBO in Garden City). But even the crispiest example isn't worth much and repairs will be necessary and expensive if you can't do them yourself, and it doesn't really have a ton of cache (it was part of Triumph's death-gasp and is generally unloved--it's too new-jack for fans of British roadsters who are a tweedy lot, and it's way too underpowered for people who like its wedge styling). You'd be better off buying a 20 year old Miata.

The perfect Triumph is the TR6. Like all vintage roadsters it's completely analog--there are no computers between you and the carburetor, the brakes, or (God forbid) the steering rack. The driving experience brings tremendous tactile feedback in these types of cars. If you drive over a quarter you can tell if it's heads or tails. It has a straight-6 engine, a wooden dashboard, pontoon fenders, upright styling, and a faaaaantastic exhaust note.



BaT explains it better than I can and they have some helpful links at the end. TR6's are relatively plentiful and cheap too. This one was stolen for $12,500.

TR6s are also cool because they came in a broad range of riotous 60s/70s colors. Do you remember when cars had colors? Go to any car company's website and try to build a car that isn't black, white, or gray/silver. It's not uncommon for manufacturers to offer two different versions of black and three or more versions of gray. Here are your color options for a base Toyota Camry:

You won't have many more options for a base Honda Accord:

Chevrolet also provides a wealth of boring options for the top-of-the-line Impala:

If you're like me and you bemoan the death of colorful cars, take a look at these color charts, they'll break your heart. Here's my favorite:

That Carib Blue though! It would work on any convertible. Oasis Green is perfect for an SUV. God I love 70s car colors.

Here are the options for TR6s:

Wow! Conifer, Laurel, Saffron and Signal get it done for pre-1973. From 1974 onward Triumph put giant black rubber warts on the TR6's front bumper, but I'd deal with them (or just take the warts off) if it was British Racing Green, Java Green, Topaz, Mimosa or Pimento. Topaz and Mimosa might be perfect colors for this car. BRG is obviously an impeccable classic choice too. Here's a clearer paint card for 1973-75 which might be the best of the bunch.

The average TR6 is a little over $12,000. For about $20,000 you can get a very nice example. The only must-have, as far as I'm concerned, are Union Jack decals on the rear quarter-panels. If you're going to drive a Triumph you have to rock the Union Jacks.