Registration - FSL 955 Chassis No. - CT12294/0 M.O.T. - Exempt Odometer - 42,800 This is a very handsome and usable example of the quintessential ‘hairy-chested British sports car’, presented in good condition, with removable hard top, green paintwork and smart red leather interior with cream piping. MOT records from 2008 onwards (when its mileage was 40,177) appear to support the current declared mileage of just under 43,000. The car also boasts the desirable optional Laycock overdrive gearbox, which operates on second, third and fourth gears, and has recently been fitted with four new tyres. Introduced in 1961, the rugged TR4 lived up to its development codename ‘Zest’, its more angular lines – courtesy of designer Giovanni Michelotti - a departure from the curves of its predecessor and a clear nod to the future. It also had a decent-sized boot, unusual in small sports cars and making it ideal for jaunts away, and an innovative roof with fixed rear glass windscreen with rollbar and removable steel centre panel; a precursor to Porsche’s 1966 Targa top. The TR4 retained the Standard inline-four engine of the TR2 and 3, though an increased bore size resulted in 2138cc. Incidentally, that Standard engine was originally designed for the Ferguson TE20 tractor, though there is little that is agricultural about the TR4! Triumph aimed the TR4 at the American export market. It was strongly promoted through motorsport, notching up some significant race results in the USA, including class wins at Sebring. Triumph’s British Competition Department focused on rallying, with four suitably modified TR4s tackling the gruelling Tulip, Alpine, Liège-Sofia-Liège and RAC rallies in the hands of drivers such as John Sprinzel and Vic Elford. Some 40,000 TR4s were built, with the vast majority heading overseas. Today, fewer than 1,200 remain in the UK. In summary: • A apparently fine example of a very collectable and enjoyable British sports car • Declared mileage of under 43,000 • Removable hard top and optional Laycock overdrive
Classic Cars
