1968 Triumph Other

2.0 L

Manual

KC10138L

I bought this car nearly 10 years ago and, after a few immediate repairs (new gearbox, brake pads, intake manifold, carburetors), I drove it halfway across the country where it was my daily driver for the first four (over the course of which it got a new clutch, slave cylinder, starter motor & solenoid, voltage regulator, generator... yes, generator! Not alternator... and four new tires). After another move, it spent the next four and a half years garaged indoors until I could finally afford to take it to a shop and have the work done to it that it needed. Ron Shimek, an Austin mechanic specializing in Triumphs and MGs (www.shimekauto.com), did the repairs necessary to put it in excellent running condition (brake work, carburetor tuning, new wiring harness, tie rod ends, and rear diff repair, among other things). Sadly, it's spent most of the last year in my driveway. Now I've moved again and I'd like to see this car in the hands of someone who will enjoy it as much as I did ten years ago. This is a fun car to drive. It's low and narrow and handles like a go cart. It's exceptionally unique: while I've encountered people that have owned one, or are familiar with the GT6, I've never personally encountered another one on the road (though I have waved to several Spitfire drivers). It has a very distinct sound, and garners a lot of attention. It's easy to work on and mechanically simple; you can see in the photos just how accessible the engine is. I have both the Haynes and Bentley manuals for it, as well as a parts list that offers an exploded diagram of every component on this car. I've found parts easily and inexpensively– thanks largely to Victoria British– and, while I hesitate to call it reliable (it is a British sports car, after all), it never left me stranded anywhere. And it's in better working condition now than it's ever been before. It starts right up, doesn't overheat; every switch and light works perfectly. Now for the negative points (this is as comprehensive a list as I can prepare):The paint is looking a little worse for wear; you can see areas in the photos where it has chipped away and there is a minor amount of body rust in spots. The roof has a network of small cracks in the paint but no rust. The car was originally blue, and you can see the original color show through in the door sills or in parts of the engine bay; I'm not sure how professional the white paint job was, or how long ago it was done (it was at least two previous owners ago), but this car could benefit from new paint.I believe the interior carpet and panels were hand-made by the previous owner and they look it, especially on the rear deck.The sunroof was an aftermarket addition and, while it works just fine, there are a few tears in the seams of the headliner (just where the headliner was pulled too tight; it doesn't sag).There is a dent in the passenger side rear quarter panel (where most of the chipped paint is); someone backed into it pulling out of a parking lot years ago. I had the dent roughly hammered out so it wouldn't impact the rear tire, and sanded down and primered over the larger areas where the paint was chipped, but that's as far as I ever got in repairing that. It wasn't hit hard enough to affect the axle, suspension, or chassis; the dent is only a cosmetic problem.There is a faint clicking sound from the rear of the car when it coasts to a stop. The mechanic that did all the recent work to it assured me that it's nothing in the engine or drivetrain; it could be a missing tooth in the rear differential but it's not a serious problem, as it doesn't affect performance and it shouldn't get worse over time.There are a couple of unnecessary additions on the dashboard; the cigarette lighter and the clock aren't connected to anything (when the wiring harness was replaced, power was restored to original dashboard equipment only).The door locks require a gentle touch, but they work just fine; the door locks and ignition are the same key.There is a separate key for the locking gas cap (as cool as the original flip top cap looked, I didn't want to become an easy siphoning target).The registration is out-of-state and six years old. I didn't keep up the registration while it was garaged.It could use new speedometer and odometer cables; the speedometer operation is erratic (the needle is often loose and bouncy or gets stuck at a higher speed), the odometer stopped recording miles several years ago. Of course it was garaged for most of those years and I'm making a rough guess that it should only have about 10,000 miles in addition to the 23,370 on the odometer. (That 23,370, incidentally, is miles on a rebuilt engine, which was also at least two previous owners ago.) The tach and all other gauges work flawlessly.The gas in the tank is old, and I suspect it has water in it. It should probably be drained and replaced before any major trips.In addition to the manuals, it comes with a few extra parts that I've collected or saved over the years: extra dashboard switches (those clicky brass three-pole switches weren't available through Victoria British, last I checked), replacement fuel filters, lightbulbs, and contact points, some fuel pump parts, an extra gas pedal (I had a dream of one day converting it to the original pushrod throttle linkage of the early Mk I's, but the pedal was as far as I got). This car runs and drives well. It would be a fun daily driver or a great candidate for restoration. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. Here are a few additional shots of the chassis and underbody: Here's a video of the car starting with a cold engine (choke out, high idle): ...and another starting with a warmed-up engine (choke in, low idle; the fuel pump doesn't have to be primed, I was just demonstrating the fact that it has a priming lever):