While we Americans like to think that we perfected the “big engine in a small car” idea, the British aren’t too shabby at execution, either. Sure, there are plenty of little cars with equally little engines running around, but it’s all about perspective. Less weight means better handling, better brakes, and a connection to the road that you just can’t get when there’s almost two tons of steel around you, and when there’s a beefy six-cylinder powerplant pushing it around, it can be a whole lot of fun.

This 1975 Triumph TR6 is an older restoration with some use on it, so it has a traditional British car feel: worn-in but not worn-out. It isn’t perfect, but none of its joyous road manners have been diluted and in its current state, you’ll never hesitate to set out for the open road without a care in the world. That’s the advantage of the imperfect car—no worries. Carmine red is the car’s original color and it was treated to a fairly decent respray a few years ago, so it looks bright and clean. The body panels are straight and don’t seem to have spent much life in an adverse climate, so the slab-sided bodywork lines up rather well although the door gaps are a little wide. The TR6 was an evolution of the TR4, although a fairly comprehensive restyling by the designers at Karmann gives it a unique identity that’s extremely attractive. The car doesn’t have stripes or decals beyond the traditional TR6 Union Jack sticker on the rear quarters, and that’s how we like it.

The black interior features recent seat covers so they look great and are all-day comfortable. The dashboard is made of real wood, not some plastic substitute, and all the original Smiths gauges are fully operational. The three-spoke wheel feels meaty in your hands and is big enough that you can toss the relatively lightweight TR6 around with ease, even without power assist. The 4-speed shifts cleanly, although the gates are little vague but you’ll get the hang of it in no time and it’ll become second nature. Weather protection is decent, thanks to a recent black top, and a black boot is included with the car. There’s also a decent-sized trunk that makes this a good car for a weekend getaway.

You’ll enjoy the TR6 largely because of the burly 2.5-liter inline-6 under the long hood. It has been rebuilt to stock specs and yes, dual carburetors were standard equipment. There’s a modern alternator up front, a new battery, and a fresh tune-up, so it lights off easily with just a little choke. There’s a big hit of torque available at almost any speed and while it isn’t a high-RPM screamer, you will enjoy running it through the gears and listening to the baritone howl of the exhaust.

We’ll admit that the undercarriage is a bit crusty—it hasn’t been restored and the car is now more than 40 years old. But the important parts are solid: the frame and the rocker boxes. The 4-speed manual has a fresh clutch attached to it, so it’s crisp and lively and 3.45 gears make it a reasonable high-speed cruiser. The all-independent suspension makes for a very competent little sports car and this TR6 never seems to plant a tire wrong. The torquey six makes shifting purely optional and the brakes are quite good considering the car’s modest curb weight. Factory steel wheels wear bright trim rings and hubcaps, along with a set of 195/75/15 Bridgestone radials that fill the fenders properly.

Designed for fun and only fun, the TR6 is on our short list of cars to buy and hold. Earlier cars like the TR3 and TR4 (never mind the TR250, which has already skyrocketed) are seeing big gains in the market and we’ve seen time and time again that a high tide tends to float all the boats. These cars can’t be this affordable forever and we’d argue that the TR6 is the best-driving of them all. This is fun on wheels, nothing more and nothing less. Call today!

Harwood Motors recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any car in our inventory prior to purchase.