Buddy's Ride - Triumph TR3 

I owned a 1959 TR3 back in the late '60s. WHAT FUN! Wish I still had it.

Who doesn't love old British sports cars. Mine was a 1967 Triumph Spitfire.

Tr-250 owner here, It's like driving a time machine.

Well done!!!

Just purchased a 59 and LOVE it...

I've owned and maintained my TR3A for 52 years, I'm now 75....There was a time when I had a Burmese cat named Elsa and I couldn't get down my driveway that she didn't jump into the passenger's seat....The local A&W knew us very well and would bring her chicken and me a teenburger...I haven't been well lately so the car's been sitting in my shop, but I'm improving and this summer will see us out and about again....The ethanol in the gas limits the fuel pump diaphragm to 3 years max, so I'll have to tend to that (again)...I have a Moss Motors kit but it seems very cheap, so I may salvage one from one of my spare pumps, or even go electric....I have never had an overheating issue, but drilled 4 holes in the thermostat flange and always ran 100% antifreeze...There were times that I simply removed the thermostat altogether....She runs at 50+lbs oil pressure, but there's a bit of blowby smoke, so I use a PCV valve into the intake manifold....A few years ago I had the radiator serviced and reassembled it with a small electric fan in front operated with a switch on the dash . I found the fan at a wrecking yard and thought, "Why not?" ....After 52 years she could use some 'freshening up", but then, so could I ....haha.......It amused me to hear you mention people's reaction to the car in your carport, Mine sat in my garage with a giant stuffed Snoopy that hardly fit in the seat and it's chin hung over the windscreen. I would leave the door open and the kids going to school would get the biggest kick out of it, along with their parents...I've had people in their 30's tell me they remember passing by, and that's a nice thing to hear.........................John (west coast,Can.)

To say nothing of the attention Buddy attracts with those goggles !

Congratulations! Beautiful house and a Classic British Sports Car... What a great combination!🎩🇺🇸🎩

Enjoyed your clip. My first car in 1964 was a 55 TR2. Now I have 2 TR3A's (59,62) and TS1 LO (53), the first Triumph production car built.

I had a 1960 TR-3A I purchased in 64 when I got out of the Navy. Had TR-4 pistons and sleeves installed, had the motor balanced and heavy duty clutch and clutch springs. A complete new wiring harness and a LOT more. That car was fast. I loved it and sure wish I had it now! I am glad you were able to get one when you retired. I have always said that the Triumph TR-3 is the most fun car ever made!! Enjoy

I had a '58 TR3 when I was going to college in 1968-9. There were very few foreign cars of any sort back then let alone a sports car, so I felt very unique. One of the things I thought was really cool about it was it sat so low that when you came to a stop light you could reach out and set your Coke down on the pavement while waiting for the light. When the light turned green I would reach back out, pick it up and go. I knew people were looking at me in amazement. There were a couple of things about it that weren't so neat. The rag top attached to the top front window frame by button snaps that were about 6-8 in apart. The gaps were not exactly tight, and a lot of things could slip through....rain, wind and bugs. More than once I would be driving along and suddenly, I would have a wounded pissed off bee in my lap. The door windows were separate from the doors themselves and when you wanted [or needed] windows you took them out of the trunk and slipped them down into a bracket on the door. Nothing was airtight about that car and the heater was not sufficient for driving in temps less than about 50 degrees.....so you dressed warmly in the winter. The muffler fell off in the second semester of my senior year...That made me love it even more.

The first car I ever bought was a 1961 TR3A I bought from my English professor in 1968 (he had just taken delivery on a new Morgan!) for $400. Northern Indiana winters were brutal but once spring hit and the top and side screens came off everything was perfect. Learned how to replace head gaskets, do brakes, and sort out Lucas electricals - a never ending source of education. Traded it for a 3.8 Jaguar saloon but of all the cars I’ve owned, the Trumpet remains my most favorite.

Well done video!

I drove a TR3B #74 DP in SCCA races out of the San Jacinto region (now Houston region) Always got 1st in Class 3rd overall. 1 DNF. (brand new Lucas condenser was a dud) Car was highly tuned. Had overdrive transmission. Out ran cars in higher classes, notably a Yenko Stinger and Triumph spitfire GT6. Could accelerate with old B production Corvettes up to 100 mph. 139 mph top speed on mile long straightway. Did not have cam as wild as what Kasner used but had a wider torque range. Power came on between 4500 and 6500 rpm. My personal driver was 68 TR4 IRS, mildly tuned. Very nice ride until a woman drove into the back while it was parked. Drove it from Houston to the Bay Area in 30 hours. Not much Interstate back then. Went through a tank of fuel at 120 mph through West Texas.

Awesome thing about Cali, you can do this and not worry about all the rust 20 years brings. I did something similar with my tr3 except it had sat for 3-7 years, and boy did that rust do a number on her. Had to redo a lot on the body, and replace the main subframe. I’m other words, I envy California cars

They are a fun car in a warm weather. I went to college in Vermont and they are not a winter car. They were real cold to ride in. However, in below zero weather it would start when no other car in the parking lot would start. The nice thing about your car it does not have wire wheels. They are the worst. Of course I paid $300 for mine in 1967. I bet yours was quite a bit more expensive,

I had a 57 that I got in 1977. I love your video but have one major complaint. That car should always be backed into the carport! She needs to show off her pout. I did a frame off rebuild and replaced the wet sleeves with the overbore kit that increased the displacement from 1991cc to 2187cc which made a huge difference in the power. The TR3 has incredible handling with the double wishbone front end. It was unusual in that the upper wishbone is smaller than the lower. That makes the front wheel on the outside of the curve lean into the curve due to compression of the springs from body role. The opposite is true of the inside wheel. This means that both wheels lean into the curve which really pulled the front end around. In spite of this it had very little tendency to under or over steer. You basically point it through the curve, and it would do it.

Absolutely gorgeous . Love the condition . I have a TR3 here in England which needed a total rebuild 20 years ago . So jealous of you having dry states .

This "thumbs up" is for Buddy" !

There's often confusion about the different marques. They're easily indetified by the front grill: TR2 - great gaping hole, TR3 - egg box, TR3A - million dollar smile.

Moss motors supplied me with over 5 thousand dollars worth of everything that made my TR3 worth twice as much ., they had everything

Sweet!

My rather better off friend when I was 21 drove a TR2 and I travelled many miles sitting behind the seats on the dif! I was driving a Morris Minor at the time so dreamed of driving a REAL sports car.. My Dad bought an XK150 which he let me drive so I was the poser at the rugby club!!

😊

Great video. Where can I find an 8 bladed fan? I have a 1959 Tr3a where the temp hovers around 180F.

Go cart.

None of these TRs have the original hubcaps. Too bad.