1968 Triumph TR250

Highlights

• Older restoration still in great condition
• Huge history file going back to the car’s importation in 1988
• Professional RHD conversion
• Current owner for 27 years
• Very smart and usable example with rare factory hardtop

Overview

While at risk of stating the obvious, we love a sports car here at PistonHeads – especially those that are steeped in legend.

And there are few more iconic than the Triumph TR range. Proper sports cars from an era where launch control, KERS and adaptive driving modes weren’t even twinkles in the engineers’ eyes, and where the likes of power steering, front-wheel-drive and automatic transmission couldn’t even be mentioned in their presence.

A TR is a sports car of the old-school – big, beefy and indelicate to drive, but all the better for it. You don’t forget the driving experience, and to eke the best out of it requires real dedication and skill.

In today’s world, that analogue wrenching of the senses is a pretty special experience, and it doesn’t get any more engaging than the six-cylinder models that came late in the pre-monocoque TR era. Introduced in 1967 and sold for only one full year, the TR5 used a 2,558cc straight-six with Lucas fuel injection and 150bhp. That was a headline figure in its day, but the ‘5’ only accounted for one in ten six-pot TRs. The majority of those built before the super-pretty Michelotti body was replaced by the Karmann kamm-tail TR6 the following year were TR250s – built for the US market and with twin Stromberg carburettors in lieu of the Lucas fuel injection.

Like so many US-market TRs, this one came home during the classic car boom of the late 1980s, when it was converted to right-hand-drive and fully restored over a four-year period – the work being documented in the car’s history file. It’s still running carbs and still looks almost as good as it did in the 1990s – a testament to its current owner, who has been the car’s custodian since 1997.

History and documentation

• UK V5C
• MOT September 2024 – it’s MOT exempt, but the vendor has ensured it has remained MOT’d, with the car having a flawless, advisory-free MOT record right back to when digitised records began in 2006
• Full file of paperwork right back to the car’s arrival in the UK in 1988
• All old MOT certificates and tax discs from current ownership (1997-on)
• Invoices demonstrating an exemplary record of care, including regular visits to Willow Triumph in Darlington from 2011 to 2024 for general maintenance and repair
• Invoice for a £3,000 engine rebuild in 2013
• Letter from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust confirming that the TR250 was manufactured by Standard-Triumph in Canley, Warks, in June 1968

Interior

• Replacement high-back seats with head restraints fitted by current owner
• Original bucket seats included, still in exceptional condition
• Walnut dash which shows a little patina but no damage and clear varnish
• Original Motorola push-button radio which reportedly operates but is not currently wired in
• Three-spoke sports steering wheel
• Leather Triumph logo gear knob
• Carpets in good order
• Smart door cards with no obvious flaws
• Three-point seatbelts
• According to the vendor all the dials and controls work as intended

Exterior

• Older restoration in original Signal Red
• Restored between 1988 and 1992, with invoices in the history file pertaining to parts acquired such as new sills, assorted body panels and cellulose Signal Red paint
• Still presents very well with some minor signs of ageing – one or two small paint chips, some deterioration to the front number plate and some very small rust bubbles on the front valance, rear quarter panels and the very inner edges of both rear arches
• Described by the vendor to be in very good condition underneath
• Rare factory hardtop
• Soft top reported to be in good order
• Tonneau cover and hood frame included in sale
• 72-spoke wire wheels with period-style Vredestein Sprint Classic tyres with minor signs of age-related deterioration

Mechanical

• 2.5-litre straight-six
• Four-speed manual transmission with overdrive
• Twin SU carburettors
• The engine, believed to be the original unit, was substantially overhauled in 2013 which reportedly included works to the cylinder head to Stage 2, hardened valve seats for unleaded fuel, and a TR5 camshaft and extractor exhaust
• According to the vendor, it runs and drives well with good oil pressure, strong compression and no signs of overheating
• Stainless steel exhaust
• Recent new brake discs and pads

Summary

The Triumph TR250 is one of the sports car overlords – one of Britain’s most successful exports, with that six-cylinder performance and beguiling soundtrack matched with elegant, delicate styling features that define the Michelotti-penned big TR as one of the prettiest British cars ever designed.

This one’s a lovely example, guaranteed to raise a smile when you drive it or simply look at it. Yet being a Triumph, there’s also terrific club support and spares availability, despite it being 56 years since it first hit the road.

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Durham.