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Triumph TR6 - How old?

I was born in 1963. Being that I was just a kid when the tr-6 first came out, I was curious of a few things:
1)How old were the people who actually purchased these
cars new?
2)What kind of work did they do in the late 60s' and
70s'?
3)Was this a chick magnet car at the discos? Or was it
a car that chicks drove to the discos?
4)What market was Triumph going after?
5)Why did people Purchased the tr-6 rather than the
240z? (I'm sure I'll take some flack on this
one!!)
6)Who still listen to the Bee Gee's?

Any good stories out there?
Regards,
Benji
benji

Benji Check back a couple of weeks and click on look for TR6 owners age this will answer your questions, As for Q5 Datsun 240z the z came about 4 years after the TR but had they both been released at the same time I am sure that the Datsun would have been favorite as it was a great car and out of the box outperformed the US spec TR6 by miles, Thankfully the Triumph was built like a tank so many more of them appear to have survived than the ferrous oxide Datsun, I have been fortunate to have owned both and I will always remember my first 'Z' as the best car of my youth. As for the 'Bee Gees I hate modern music!
Clive P

I actually had a Z some time ago, absolutely a wonderful car, light, spirited, good looking. BUT NOT A TR6! The TR is just a lot more macho..beefy looks, bulldozer engine...
Id say I enjoy the TR alot more but certainly woudn't knock the 240z..

bob
Bob Craske

Looking at the age of most TR6 owners, they would most likely ask, "What is disco ?"

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A and still only 20 years old

http://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthreads/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1920/ppuser/4127
Don Elliott


I remember reading, way back when, that the TR6 was marketed as a man's car. The article mentioned something about the heavy clutch being something only a man could deal with. Times were different back then.
HP Henry Patterson

The 240Z was a coupe, not a convertible, so that is one major difference. When the Z came out, somehow the japs figured out how to make it sound like a real British sports car. The Z was a fantastic car--well designed, very drivable, etc., but there aren't many out there.

The TR6 is a true British Sports car. There is no comparison between a japanese wannabe and the real item.

John
JL Bryan

The Z is a GT, feels a little British. It was a car that you could take a long trip in and not be beat at the end of the day, as compared to feeling a bit spent in a TR. A friend of mine had a 280 2+2 and couldn't sell for half what he thought it was worth (beautiful body, no rust, original owner). I think the top bid was about $3K on ebay. Would have been a great buy for someone, but there were others that sold for about the same. As the auction houses say "If the top goes down, the price goes up." And if the Z cars were topless, they'd bring more.

The TR6 was, it seems to me, marketed to a more working class college guy. Compared to Porsche, where a bit more of daddy's money would be needed. And compared to MGB as a bit more manly (the TR had 6 cylinders and that long hood, shifted with a heavy pedal and a firmer hand). I think some of that stuff is what makes it a chick magnet, but not necessarily a girl's car.

Hope I didn't offend anyone, in the '70's we didn't worry about that as much as today.
Tom

I had an MGB right before they came out with the TR6. My favorite cars back then were the Jag XKE's, but the word was that they were a nightmare to keep on the road. Second choice was Austin Healey, and they were a great car. Third choice was a TR4 that I tried to buy, but couldn't get the price down enough. Unfortunately, they were rare, hard to get, and a bit more in the used car market than MGs.

In 1971, I got married and had to get rid of the MGB. I was still in grad school, so we ended up with a 1971 Ford Maverick. My thoughts at that point in my life were a new Jag or Porsche when I started making money. That didn't work out.

I saw the TR6 as similar to the big Healey's, but more modern. MGs were kind of cute, but very common place. The Healey's were getting older by then, and just weren't a consideration. The Jags and Porsches kept getting more and more expensive. The TR6 hit the sweet combo of being affordable, kind of sexy, and the big 6. If I hadn't been married back then, I would likely have bought a new one in the mid 70's when I started working. But then kids came along, etc.

Thats what I remember about the debut of the TR6.

John
JL Bryan

This thread was discussed between 16/12/2005 and 20/12/2005

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