Highlights

• Significant mechanical overhaul with substantial expenditure
• Solid and structurally sound chassis
• Interior presents well with refurbished seats and new inertia reel seatbelts
• New full stainless steel exhaust system fitted
• Drivetrain has received considerable attention with new clutch, overdrive gearbox, propshaft, and differential
• An older restoration that now requires further restoration work

The Appeal

The Triumph GT6 is a British six-cylinder sports coupé built by Standard-Triumph, based on their popular Triumph Spitfire convertible. Loaded with much the same perky character, and carrying impressive Giovanni Michelotti-designed fastback lines, they were a fine, charismatic sports car - and really came into their own by the MK2 and MK3.

This 1973 example is the refined, facelifted Mk3, which is often regarded particularly well by enthusiasts. This GT6 has undergone a significant mechanical overhaul, with substantial expenditure to ensure it runs and drives well. The interior appears in smart condition for its age, with refurbished seats and new inertia reel seatbelts, while the chassis is nice and solid and plenty of mechanical work has been completed to bring it up to fine, working order.

History and Paperwork

• Registered in 1973
• Supplied to its first owner by Henlys of Manchester
• The car has had 15 former registered keepers
• Used until 2008, at which point it was laid up until 2022 
• The car was restored about 25 years ago and now requires cosmetic work
• Purchased in November 2022 to recommission it
• Valid MOT until July 2024
• The odometer is showing just over 20,000 miles on a five-figure odometer
• The vendor reports a total mileage of at least 120,000 miles
• No formal service history, but all receipts for recent expenditure and restoration 25 years ago are included
• Complete with Heritage Certificate

The Condition

• The vehicle is structurally sound with a solid chassis
• As the restoration is now 25 years old, some age-commensurate wear is now visible
• Paintwork has some defects
• The vendor notes a slight colour mismatch on the offside front wing
• Both front outriggers are in good order; the nearside has been replaced
• Floors, inner/outer sills, bulkhead, valences (front is fibreglass), and wheel arches are all solid
• Corrosion is present on the leading edge of the roof/top of the windscreen surround
• Some blistering is present in front wing seams, adjacent to one of the rear wing seams, and at the bottom of doors
• All glass is intact and original, with some wear/scratching on the driver's door drop glass
• Brightwork is fair, with some pitting/dullness on front and rear bumpers
• Petrol cap is pitted and could benefit from a rechrome
• Rear trim finisher has some marks/dings
• Door handles and mirrors were replaced last year
• Interior presents well with clean carpets and good seats
• Seats have been refurbished with new seat foams
• New inertia reel seatbelts have been fitted
• Headliner is clean with slight discolouration in places
• Dash is clean but not original and appears a bit dull
• Steering wheel shows some wear
• All gauges are in working order

The Mechanics

•  1,996cc (2.0 L) OHV I6 engine
• Manual transmission with 4 gears and overdrive
• Substantial expenditure has been made on the car's mechanical condition
  • Spin-on oil filter conversion has been done
  • Crankshaft rear seal has been replaced - this has reduced but not completely eradicated a light leak
  • Fuel system has been updated with newly rebuilt 
  • This includes Stromberg carburettors, a new inlet manifold, fuel tank, and fuel pump
  • The vendor notes that the fuel system could still use some attention to get full performance
  • New full stainless steel exhaust system has been fitted
  • Cooling system works well and is fluid-tight
  • New radiator, hoses, water pump, heater return pipe, heater matrix, and heater valve have been fitted
  • Engine core plugs behind the exhaust manifold have been replaced
  • Drivetrain has received considerable attention
  • New clutch, clutch master and slave cylinders, overdrive gearbox, propshaft, and differential have been fitted
  • New driveshafts/universal joints have been built using good quality parts
  • Braking system has been almost completely replaced
  • New master cylinder, servo, rear cylinders, back plates, shoes, drums, and flexible hoses have been fitted
  • Some rigid brake lines have been replaced
  • It's reported that the front calipers, pads and disks are nearly new, having been replaced by the previous owner
  • Most of the running gear has been refurbished
  • New steering rack, steering column bottom flexible joint, front suspension, front anti-roll bar, steering swivels/kingpins, rear hub assemblies, and rear suspension have been fitted
  • Newly rebuilt overdrive gearbox fitted (supplied by Mike Papworth)
  • The vendor notes that when purchased it had a very noisy non-overdrive box fitted
  • Newly rebuilt differential - again Mike Papworth supplied, and running a 3.63:1 ratio
• The vendor notes that the engine doesn’t smoke and pulls well, but has a bit of timing chain rattle on start up
• We've been informed that the car carries no knocks or clunks from the drivetrain
• The gearbox is reportedly still bedding in
• The vendor notes that the brakes are effective and the handbrake works correctly
• A new rear transverse spring has been fitted, and the vehicle will come with a huge quantity of spares - some brand new but not yet fitted, and also all displaced parts from recommissioning work

BEFORE YOU BUY