A great looking example of a late model MKIII Triumph GT6 from the final production run
Presenting in an eye-catching Magenta livery with plenty of bright chrome in evidence
Complete with a pristine and faithfully original looking cabin
The Appeal
Standard Triumph commissioned Giovani Michelotti to style a GT version of their convertible Spitfire in 1963. He obliged with a sleek fastback design, but the extra weight of the GT body irrevocably challenged the Spitfire’s modest 1,147cc engine. As a result, the Spitfire GT concept was shelved. The more aerodynamic shape, however, was successfully adopted for racing duties with fibreglass iterations fitted to racing Spitfire underpinnings. Such was the success of the GT bodied race cars that the road car concept was revived in 1966. In order to overcome the performance deficits, however, the 2L straight six unit from the Triumph Vitesse was fitted. The final MKIII version of the car appeared in 1970 with the most significant changes encompassing a general tidying of the design resulting in better aerodynamics.
This example of the six-cylinder GT6 is a late MKIII iteration and better for it. The MKIII featured what many consider the best suspension set up which had proved a little compromised in earlier models. Additionally, this car has been subject to a diligent and professional restoration resulting in a very impressive example indeed. Definitely one for the connoisseur.
The History and Paperwork
This example was built in August 1973 at the end of GT6 production
It was produced as a factory right hand drive car for the home market
The car wasn’t dispatched to the dealer, however, until February 1974
That dealer was Archers Limited of the West Midlands
The car was first registered in March 1974 when it was supplied to its first owner
The Triumph has been used and enjoyed by 10 previous owners
During this period the GT6 was extensively restored and repainted
Numerous other improvements were made cosmetically and mechanically
The current owner acquired the GT6 in September 2021
At that point the GT6 had covered a shade under 93,000 miles
Since that time the current owner has added around 4,000 miles
A good paperwork archive is included with the car
This includes the current V5 in the name of the owner
This classifies the GT6 as a Historic Vehicle
As such the GT6 is MOT and VED exempt in the UK
Despite that the car has been routinely MOTd
The current MOT is advisory free and valid until September 2023
A number of earlier MOTs are present in hard copy
A copy of the factory record from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust is on hand
Numerous repair and maintenance invoices are also present
These include the 2019 item detailing the £6,658 restoration
Other documents include a number of period Triumph leaflets and ephemera
The GT6’s interior looks to be in great overall condition
It appears to be admirably period faithful and complete
It is reported that new carpets, seat covers, and headlining have been fitted
The dashboard has also been refurbished and presents in an excellent condition
The seats are finished in soft looking black material
The centre sections are arranged into vertical box pleats
The bolsters and seat extremities are in a smooth finish
The cabin floor is trimmed with new fitted black carpets
Additional areas of black vinyl adorn the transmission tunnel and door cards
A new light coloured, perforated headlining appears to be tightly fitted
The dashboard is constructed from black vinyl top and bottom rolls
Between these is fitted a wood veneer fascia which has been refurbished
A range of white on black Smiths gauges are fitted
Black rocker switches take care of various of the car’s functions
A three spoke alloy and wood rimmed sports steering wheel is fitted
The gear lever features the signature overdrive on / off button
The luggage compartment is also trimmed in black carpet
The Exterior
This example is presented in a bright Magenta livery
We know from the factory record that this was the car’s original colour
Accompanying documentation confirms it was professionally resprayed in 2019
This work included the replacement of body panels where required
This appears to remain in an excellent overall condition exuding a deep shine
Some minor areas of early deterioration around the roof rails is reported
The chrome of the bumpers, light surrounds and other trim pieces appears bright
Again, the brightwork appears to have been re-chromed before the current ownership
The original marque and model badges appear present and correct
The GT6 rolls on a set of 13-inch, Minilite style alloy wheels
These are finished in silver and are fitted with chromed lugs
The wheels appear to be in excellent condition all round
They are shod with a matching set of Falken radial type tyres
These are in a 175/70 configuration
Cabin glass and light lenses appear clear and undamaged
Chromed twin exhausts hint at the car’s performance orientation
The Mechanics
In the MKIII GT6 the straight six 2L unit was producing around 105bhp
This originally endowed the GT6 with a 112mph top speed
The 0-60mph dropped to 10 seconds and fuel consumption even improved
Power is fed to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox
This is fitted with a switchable overdrive operating on third and fourth
This example has undergone some significant mechanical attention
The car was rolling road tuned in 2021 and the car starts and runs very well
The car has benefitted from new brake callipers, uprated discs and pads
New brake shoes and wheel cylinders feature at the back
The original brake servo has been refurbished
A rear leaf spring has been replaced as have trunnions and driveshaft universal joints
The owner reports that the differential is occasionally noisy
It may benefit from an oil change going forward
The clam shell bonnet opens to give unrivalled access to the engine
The condition under here is excellent overall
All the expected data plates are present
The underside of the car looks equally well presented
This area has been finished with the appropriate amount of underseal
Summary
The GT6 was a great addition to the Triumph range adding a welcome injection of Italian design allure and sophistication to the Spitfire concept. So much so that it soon became known as the “poor man’s E-Type.” The MKIII cars put to death the unsophisticated and outclassed rear suspension carried over of earlier models. With transformed handling came an end to the awful sagging rear end and the extreme negative camber.
With over £16,000 spent on bringing this GT6 up to the sublime standard we see today, this is definitely a car for the enthusiast or connoisseur. It is one of those British classics which is very hard to fault with just some minor paintwork required to bring it up to a show winning condition. Examples of this standard are becoming rare so bid early to avoid missing out.
Notice to bidders
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