The British sports car industry has been a constant in the automotive world since almost the beginning. There’s certainly something special about these often quirky hand-built 2-seaters designed to do nothing other than put a smile on your face, and the tradition continues even today. There were inexpensive cars for the everyman and wildly expensive one-off machines for the fabulously wealthy and everything in-between. And there are few enthusiasts today who haven’t experienced the joy of running a burly little roadster through the gears, the pavement whistling past so near that you can reach down and touch it, listening to the baritone wail of an engine fulfilling its destiny. Motoring distilled down to its purest essence, that’s the traditional British sports car. Nothing extra, no creature comforts, no insulation from the machine and the road. If you’re not into that, well, then there’s something wrong with you.

Built in the breed’s heyday, this 1961 Triumph TR3A delivers on every single one of the promises made by the legend and the look. Striking after the war, British sports cars dominated early SCCA competition and speed freaks across the country quickly became enamored with these lightweight roadsters from across the pond. Triumph seemed to deliver an ideal combination of style, performance, and price and with the TR3, it all came together in the most ideal way. The bodywork is simply gorgeous, almost a ¾-scale Jaguar XK120 with swooping fender lines and proportions that cleverly disguise its diminutive size. Featuring an older restoration that was a multiple show winner in its prime, this handsome British Racing Green roadster is still wonderful to look at. Finish quality is extremely good, with a fantastic shine that sure looks like it was applied by the craftsmen in the Old Country. Panel fit is quite good and if you expect these cars to feel flimsy, you’re in for a surprise because when you slam the doors on this one it feels rock solid. And, of course, there are all those wonderful details, like the mirrors way out there on the front “wings,” the strip of chrome separating the fenders from the bodywork, and, of course, the Lucas lighting that’s just so quaint. It’s not perfect, of course, with the restoration being about 20 years old, but there are no major flaws and any complaints one might have will center around the usual signs of age, not defects or damage. Everything that’s awesome about British sports cars is neatly encapsulated in this handsome TR3.

With British Racing Green on the outside, the only reasonable choice is tan leather inside and this reasonably-priced Triumph is as beautifully outfitted as the Jaguar next to it that costs five times as much. Body-hugging bucket seats with black piping, matching black carpets, and genuine wood on the dash all make it feel far more upscale and expensive than it is, which was surely the point. Besides, they didn’t know how to do it any other way back then, so you get a lot of car for your money. The factory Jaeger instruments are all in good working order with just light fading on their faces (I believe they are original and unrestored), although the temperature gauge was replaced at some point by a modern Auto Meter dial that sticks out a little bit, but that’s easy to remedy. The big banjo steering wheel makes the steering feel light and agile in your hands and the leather wrapper around the rim is a big help. The stubby 4-speed shifter is inches away and falls to hand easily, snapping through the gears without much effort (watch the 1-2 shift until the synchros are warmed up). No radio, no heater, but if you need those things then a British sports car isn’t for you. It does, however, have a full set of weather equipment, including a full tonneau cover for the passenger compartment (too cool to just have the driver’s seat open), a folding top, and factory side curtains. You know it doesn’t seal up perfectly, but as the saying goes, any shelter in a storm. There’s a bit of space behind the front seats where a child could ride, but it’s better to think of it as extra storage to work in conjunction with the nicely carpeted trunk.

On paper, the 1991 cc inline-4 and its twin carburetors doesn’t seem formidable, especially with a rating of about 100 horsepower, but bear in mind that it only has to move about 1700 pounds of car. As with all British sports cars, it’s mostly about torque, and the burly little four moves this roadster with genuine gusto at almost any speed. Get it singing above about 3000 RPM and it’s downright enthusiastic, enough so that a fellow in a late-model 370Z found he couldn’t outrun me on city streets. The engine was likely rebuilt at the time of restoration and we don’t know how many miles it has on it, but surely not a lot. It doesn’t smoke or make unkind noises and springs to life with surprising ease. The engine is no longer detailed for show, if it ever was, but the chrome valve cover, twin air cleaners, and fresh ignition system components suggest that it’s been properly maintained throughout its life. It idles well even when cold and there’s the most fantastic exhaust note this side of the aforementioned Jaguar when you’re really running it hard. Sure, there’s some surface scale on the exhaust manifold, some evidence that a battery leaked at some point in the distant past, and a little grime in the corners, but none of it diminishes the overall experience. As part of our freshening, we installed both a new mechanical fuel pump and a back-up electric fuel pump, so it’s always ready to go.

“Car & Driver” magazine described shifting the TR3 back in their 1959 road test: “We changed gears by reaching out and taking hold of the rubber dust cover on the stick, and changed gear slots by moving just the thumb. It's as easy as that.” They’re not wrong, because once the gearbox is properly warmed up, shifting is a joy. The hydraulic clutch is smooth and progressive and the torquey engine doesn’t mind lugging around in 4th gear at 1500 RPM. But the real fun is in watching the tach needle spin around the dial and running it through each gear, listening to the exhaust note and feeling the rather strong push in the backside. It’s quite clean underneath, much like the engine bay, and we have recently serviced the brakes, which feature Girling discs up front for some added stopping power. The exhaust system is older and covered in surface scale, but I’d leave it alone for now—who knows how a replacement setup would sound? Certainly not better than this! Chrome wire wheels are a bit flashy, particularly with those 165R15 wide whitewall radials, but if you’re going to enjoy a car like this, why keep a low profile?

That’s the joy of a car like this—you can explore its limits without endangering the countryside. It’s always willing and eager, the brakes are effective, and just working with the machine at a brisk pace connects you in a way that driving your modern Porsche on the track never will. That’s surely why these remain popular year after year and it’s why we find ourselves in love with this neat little green roadster. Every time we look at it, it gets better, and we’re delighted with the way it works. It comes from the collection of an owner who cherished it for decades, and now it’s your turn to experience what generations of auto enthusiasts already know: there’s still no better way to have fun in a car than a traditional British roadster.