You know a channel is great when it features rare Lambos and Ferraris and RRs but people in the comments will lust over a TR6 or a Renault Gordini. Car guys are a different breed.
Lambos and ferraris are rare and are lame to drive around because no 1 wants to race them. Board quickly But a old Montego turbo or a 93 5 series BMW 4 litre debadged will bring delight day and night as it dispatches those that have spent out thousands on new kit only to be blown and shown by a old banger! Ahh the joys of the look on them 🤬faces. Priceless 😡
When I was living in Texas several years ago I met a man who had a spotless TR6. He said that he had rebuilt everything on it and it still broke down all the time.
I love how Iain once again gives the viewer a nod and a wink into the nuanced engineering for all cars that visit his garage. His knowledge is impressive no matter the brand or range. But you viewers already knew that...and it's why we watch another thirty minutes or so of zen.
My late Dad used to tune these for a living "Triumph Tune". He loved the Pi system and was one of the few people in the UK in the 70's and 80's who could actually set them up correctly. Our main family car right up to the mid 80's was a Mk1 2500 Pi Saloon. The head and the ITB's were all ported and polished. I believe it made 170bhp approx.
@@MrByootox My Dad did teach me a lot of what i know, but i went on to do an Apprenticeship with SAAB and worked with them for a long time before going solo with The SAAB Clinic which i still run today. But these days i just do engine tuning. I dont really remember much about Triumph's.
Your dad tuned my tr4a in the mid eighties. Stage 4 cylinder head, triumph tune inlet manifold, fast road cam 45 webers. He was the goto man if you wanted serious power back in the day. It easily powered passed tr6 ‘s to much disbelief.
@@terencebrown1754 He closed up shop in 1994 i seem to remember. My parents both retired to Swanage and i had to move out and find my first flat. Sadly lost Dad 3yrs ago to Cancer. Greatly missed.
I have an early 69 PI with overdrive that snuck into Canada. Restored it in 1989. Fitted a Bosch fuel pump and it has run reliably for 35 years with proper care. Own Porsche's and Ferrari but will never sell the TR-6...
@@AvaPxiaO Yes I do. It's a nice change from the effortless precision of modern cars. The TR-6 awakens the senses. You have to pay attention and drive it. Having said that , I wonder how I drove one as a teenager as my daily driver. Even in the Canadian winters! Thought nothing of it. I must admit though , that as I have become older/softer I can only take her in measured doses but I enjoy every mile...
As a Benz mechanic it was assumed I could work on anything from across the pond. Got one of these in the late 80s into the shop. Being Bosch certified I was under the misapprehension I knew everything injection. Got a lesson on this one. The valve is very much like American gas range valves. Aside from its multiple layers it is essentially the same. After that it was easy peasy as you Brits say. The car was a TR7 wedgy I believe. Edit: As for Lucas bits I'll say this. If your grounds are well done, and you keep things clean, most of it is serviceable
@@emmajacobs5575 I'm sure that California spec 2.0 litre TR7's were fitted with Bosch injection equipoment in order to pass that states emission requirements.
Lovely to watch this video as I have owned my TR6 for 50 years. I basically traded my ‘68 XKE for it. Even though I still think that the jaguar XKE was the most beautiful car ever made. I don’t regret my swap. So many memories over the years and the memory of the XKE would’ve just been working on it.
What a wonderful story. Similar on old an motorcycle for me, 46y in my possession. Reliability is so important. Vehicles can stab you in the heart and wallet if you cannot trust them. I can understand why you swapped, and as they age out, the TR6 only gains in attractiveness, even if it’ll never have the top model awesome beauty of that Jaguar, the latter would have become a fickle mistress!
@@GT380man So my brother had a Suzuki GT380 that he liked to race my 750 Bonniville. I would take him off the line then he would overtake me. Damn Ram Air
Alfa Romeo used a mechanical fuel injection system by Spica. It was very reliable. However, a lot of owners changed them out for webers for ease of horsepower increases.
The Laycock overdrive system is simply devine equating to a 6 speed gearbox, 3rd, 3rd o/d, 4th, 4th o/d. When changing down a quick blip of the throttle as you flick the o/d switch and you get a seamless gear change. Fantastic.
Great to see a humble TR6 in the workshop, what a lovely example this one is. As always Iain’s explanation of (as he would say) the nerdy stuff, was excellent and very informative. There’s never a dull moment on a Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop video!
I had a 2.5 PI saloon which served me as a high speed commuter from Leeds to Darlington in '73-'74. The weak point was said to be the HP fuel pump, but luckily I never had a problem. These were used as police cars. Got stopped once doing 100+ on the A1 and got off with a friendly warning.
Ha, ha, wonderful... I was stopped in a yellow Fiat 124 sport coupe in Peckham doing 55! They let me off too. I only did a quick burst, but still, today? No chance. Also today, I'd never speed. Times have changed. I love the 2.5PI saloon. It looks better than the stag to me.(I had three Vitesses).
My Dad had both a Mk1 and a Mk2 2.5 PI. He was (still is at 88) an “enthusiastic” driver and loved them dearly. The held the road like they were glued too; I think they had an independent rear suspension set up. We drove (on family holidays) all over Europe in the late 60’s and early 70’s and we only had problems with the HP fuel pump in hot weather (in Spain and Portugal). It was in the boot on one side under the luggage floor and was easily accessed so we used to wrap a wet towel around it, which worked a treat! Great cars!
I was in the metropolitan police summer 76 triumph 2.5pi area cars, I remember some unit in the boot overheating in the warm weather and having to blag ice from the street traders to pack round the thing in the boot to stop the motor cutting out.
British 6 cylinders do have a wonderful note, also this purple is so wrong yet like the mustard yellow, is a great colour, stunning car and great history.
Coming from the other side of the Pond, Triumphs were always exotic to me. I would love to own one, much like I was thrilled when I bought an MG (Midget) back in the 90's. They are what I think of with the quintessential British sports car, small and fast. I love the colour of this one as it really stands out. Thank you again and thank Paul for letting you show it on the channel.
If you want an English sports car, have it carefully inspected by an expert, and buy it! I live in Connecticut and I’ve owned a TR6, TR7, and 2 Lotus Europa’s. There are some great places to get service and restorations, it’s important to join a Triumph owners club, they can provide you with invaluable information and it’s where you’ll find the best cars for sale. My Triumph’s and Lotus’ always stayed garaged all winter, as well as on rainy days. It’s important to keep them dry to avoid rust. As long as you have a garage to keep one (and a main car to drive) there’s no reason not to get one. It’s certainly far less expensive than buying and maintaining a Porsche or a Ferrari, and if you have mechanical knowledge they’re easy to maintain yourself. The TR7 and TR8 are far more modern than the TR6, handle much better, and have more interior room. The TR7 got a bad reputation early on, which was really not fair, because it was a great car. The things that were problems (head gaskets) are well known by experts and have usually been rectified by now, that’s the advantage of buying an old English car: the problems are well known by now.
I'm Across the pond here in Canada and have been driving and restoring TR's for 38 years. I love your perfection and quality as well as your ability to use your ears. Well done!
The most fun I've ever had driving was when I was able to swap cars for a weekend with a friend's 1972 Lotus Elan. I'd had the chance for an odd drive in Triumphs and MGB's, but the Elan was in a class by itself. There are few modern comparisons for these mid 20th century British 2- seaters, for sheer driver pleasure. At least not for the money they cost new. 700hp and driving aids really can't compete for driver engagement in a light car designed to make best use of under 200hp.
Yes! It wasn't particularly powerful, but the light weight and the handling made it a contender. I had a ride in a modified Elan in 1970. I think that Lotus claimed 105 bhp or thereabouts for the standard Lotus/Ford engine. Those were the days when quoted HP figures were to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. It was more like 90. But the car was so light that the performance was quite good. Ian Walker Racing in London raced Lotus Elans. He would sell you a modified Elan with a genuine 165 bhp. That was fast 😁🤩
So pleased you highlighted a beautiful TR6! The first car I bought after graduation in 1980 and starting full time work was a 1976 TR6 in Periwinkle Blue. I loved that car despite it's rust and quirks. So much fun and all the comments one could ever want from strangers on the street. Sold when I got married but my wife still remembers our dates when she would give me a push to jump start the car when the started got hot. Good times!
Lovely in Magenta! In 2006, I bought a 1969 mk2 Triumph 2000 saloon. Most people who saw it threw their hands up in horror assuming it had the PI injection system whereas in fact it had carburettors. From getting to know a few people with 2.5 PI cars, In reality the PI system worked really well and was pretty simple if you took the time to understand how it worked.
In the days when I was selling Triumph, Rover, Jaguar, Daimler, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, the local Suffolk Police had a fleet of Triumph 2.5 PI's.....no problems with them because they got caned, every day. The problem was with owners who pootled them around...the 2500 TC sorted that out. I have had several TR6's over the years, most recently a Mimosa Yellow example ("the Mustard Pot"). Sounded great with the stainless steel (wheel barrow handles ) exhaust - much like a C Type Jaguar. Mine had a Bosch pump which sat outside the tank...I always understood the original pump was in the tank - cooled by the petrol!
I had a 1969 MGB fitted with electric overdrive, it made the car lovely to cruise on longer trips in Australia. Built at Zetland in Sydney, where a high school excursion featured MGB bodies being painted in a bath of paint, "ROTODIP," while slung on a rotisserie.
I just acquired a gorgeous Leyland P76 Targa Florio made at that very same facility In Zetland. An amazing era of automotive master strokes peppered with missteps from a cash strapped Leyland in that era.
Love TR6's. I have a 73 TR6 and always felt that the car never got the respect it deserves. Very reliable, affordable (for now), very fun, makes you smile every time you drive it and sounds orchestral.
Love that you shared this TR6. On my daily bus ride to school as a child once or twice per week a TR6 would overtake and pass the bus on a wild stretch of "Breakneck Rd" and the sound was glorious and obviously instilled lasting memories. 😊
Had a 2.5 Pi Estate back in the 90's. Loved the car to bits. 3rd / OD 3rd is great on winding roads. Needed to check the fuel pressure so headed to my local garage outside Market Bosworth to ask if they had a pressure gauge could cope with the required ~ 110 psi. 'What do you need it for?' was the response. I explained upon which they produced a plastic briefcase labelled Lucas PI Test Equipment. This was a factory original kit with a fuel pressure gauge and engine vacuum gauge with enough hose length to reach from under the bonnet to inside the car for road testing (just as well Triumph bonnets open forwards!). I recall that the Factory workshop manual for the 2.5 PI stated that customers would usually blame the petrol injection for any faults but chances are it was something else at fault and this certainly matches my experience. I met a chap who'd worked at a Triumph dealer in period who said standard practice on all PI equipped cars was to first do a 'second gear decoke', which generally solved loads of problems. Happy days.
A wonderfully preserved English sports car. What's more, is so refreshing to see a vehicle painted in such a stand out colour (Magenta) - as opposed to the current lot of vehicles that are normally painted in the colours of the 'German rainbow' - that consist of: White, Silver, Black and 150 shades of Grey.
Well said. I thought I was the only one with a dislike of monochrome cars! The German rainbow even determines resale values too! You are forced to have a black/grey/white one.
@@simondavies4603 Yes - monochrome cars. If you took a photo of a car park using both color and monochromatic film the outcome would be almost identical.
So very tired of 150 shades of gray and charcoal. A few new 2024 models are in some new weird colors, never saw a magenta TR6 before, til now. Nice color really, bold but a warm bright shade.
I used to restore Triumph TRs in the late nineties early 2000s. My favourite was the TR5 due to the beauty of the 4 and that great 6 cylinder pi. The TR6 was a lovely car to drive. I would definitely own one if I had the money spare.
Look forward to the overdrive feature. My father had a Dolomite Sprint that had the overdrive activated by a switch on the gear knob, I seem to recall it worked in both third and fourth.
Here in America we had a similar problem with fuel injection systems. The Corvette had a mechanical fuel injection system and there's a thousand antidotes out there about people removing the system and replacing it with a large Holley carburetor. I've even heard stories about 'Vette owners pulling off the system as soon as got the car home from the dealer! The sad part about all that behavior is that if they would have retained the injection system it would have significantly increased the value of their cars. I learned about the Lucas PI system while I was in engineering school , and to agree with you, I found it to be quite an elegant design, however, with that Lucas name attached to it, it made it a little less desirable.
Glad you could put away your “engineering snobbery” long enough for us to appreciate this beautiful version of the TR6, best looking TR of them all. Oh, and that colour…🩷
Thanks! You're a friend indeed. Also, brought back nice childhood memories of my dad's WWII pal who was the US Midwest sales rep for TRs in the 1960's. Passenger miles with a former P-47 pilot never got old. All the best
Iain, you are a walking encyclopedia of so many things automotive. As a long-time Triumph fan (and former owner), I really enjoyed this one. What a wonderful car, and a wonderful story. Indeed a "sweet ride." Thanks.
I owned a TR6 in the 80's, my first sports car and I loved it!. Back then it was pretty fast. It was very dodgy on the limit though the rear would just go with no warning.
I had a 1975 2500 TC, 4 speed manual, it was a beautiful sporty family saloon car, the valve gear tappy-tapped just like that TR, 35 mpg was easily attainable, my friend had the same car with the Laycock overdrive pretty rapid, great comfortable cars indeed.
My Dad's friend bought one of these used as an around town car and a fun jaunt to work occasionally. Work was at a GM car and van factory, he was a paint man.
Very interesting. I’ve never seen or heard a decent review of the Lucas fuel injection system until now. Another great original car. I wasn’t sure about the colour at first, but the fact that it’s original and has only been patched-in redeemed it for me.
My '76 tr6 (US carb version) had a valve tick that would not go away, my Mom bought it new and it always had the tick. I couldn't stand it any longer and tore it apart at about 50,000 miles. It had a bad cam lobe/lifter. I replaced the lifter and had the cam and other lifters reground at a local shop in San Diego. After that it sounded like a sewing machine. It was a good and reliable car for me.
What a wonderful colour this one. The question coming to mind pronto was if this magenta is as delivered from factory but you've actually answered it by going through the documentation. The colour suits her unexpectedly well in the sense that it is quite the surprise that it does. It actually accentuates all of her intricate lines very well. Stunning car, and thank you once again for sharing all of her delights 💓
Excellent presentation yet again Iain! I have a very early 1969 TR6 PI and as you say not the quickest, but the Lucas PI system once set up is reliable and fuel efficient (acknowledging the "sports" nature of the car). She keeps up with "modern traffic" and sometimes embarrasses it - with the straight 6 British soundtrack what's not to like? Will from now on call the A Type Laycock Overdrive on her the Overdraft! Many thanks!
Thanks, Iain, for my Brit car fix. I desired British sports cars in my youth, but by the time I could afford one, they were gone. Nice ones are quite rare here in America's rust belt, so I appreciate seeing this one. And I never knew TR6s were injected! Strictly carb'ed here stateside, I believe.
The Carb equipped Stateside TR6's were well down on power compared to the UK versions. We used to sell hundreds of them to USAF personnel at Mildenhall/Lakenheath in the day. They had the advantage of buying them tax free, and invariably bought them at the end of their tour of duty to take them home.
My car {a humble 1960 Rover P4, 100 }, has a Laycock de Normanville Overdrive ! { fitted from new, {Solihull,} and still working perfectly ! } There are actually 5 switches on it to make it work smoothly, in a very intricate, rod operated, throttle action ! 1} The lever on the steering column 2} The lever on the gearbox to ensure that the overdrive ONLY operates in top gear { 4th } 3} Two No. rotary cam switches, bracketted off the engine, operated by an angled lever, to optimise the speed range within which it may operate. 4} And finally a Kick-down switch under the floor mounted, lever type, accelerator pedal, to allow the immediate dropout of the overdrive, for instant acceleration, and return to normal Overdrive operation upon lifting the foot off the loud pedal ! A truly ingenious system, and relatively easy to set up ! Shame that it only has ONE carburettor, as I would have LOVED the Lucas PI system, but my Carburettor { an SU HD6}, is connected to the cylinder head via an Integral Carburettor Access. Love your Nerdy series Iain ! Take care, Stay safe, Stu xx
I owned one of these in 1984 ish, I forget the year, think '72 .. I'll never forget the exhaust sound bouncing off the buildings driving down Sevenoaks High street .. pure heaven! The little old ladies shopping must have hated me :)
I love the timeless design of the TR6. I was fortunate enough to have an uncle who had one that he bought new. That was before my driving days but I loved riding in it whenever I could. I was heartbroken when he traded it for a Porsche that, to my mind, lacked soul.
Really enjoyed this Vid Mr T, we had a breakfast spin in ours this morning, owned TR6's for 40 years. Your comments and perceptions on the car are spot on of course, from the throttle action to the steering feel and as you say, not the fastest car but very enjoyable listening to the glorious sound. Now to find someone to fiddle with my mixture with grips!!
If the tappet noise doesn't go away after the valves have been correctly adjusted, you may find that one or more of the rocker arms have dents in them(were they contact the top of the valve) you can either file them down smooth or replace them.
My two Suzuki GT motorcycles are a similar age, 1977. An R reg GT750A & an S reg GT380B. I’ve owned the little triple since 1978 & all but the first 6k miles of its 45k were ridden by me. I’ve very fortunate to still own it. Lucky decision making, or lack thereof, really, not selling it in 1982 when I got my first car….it could so easily have gone then, but it ended up under a pile of blankets at the back of my foster dad’s garage, pulled out by me when he passed in the late 1990s. At that point, I was seized by the wish to rescue & restore it. I have all the records back to 1978, and the original owner information from DVLA. I am with Mr Tyrrell, I too like beautifully designed mechanical systems. I’ve always admired the TR6, but I didn’t have the desire for nice cars until recently. I now own a just classic 911, a 996 40th anniversary edition. My wife and I drove it today, and the mechanical feeling from everything is a joy to me. Modern cars are superb, but left to a free choice, I’d stick with mid 90s to mid noughties vehicles with mostly mechanical & electromechanical systems. They tend to be robust if well made originally. Electronics and always connected vehicles leave me worse than cold, I find them creepily Big Brother. The potential for remote interference is obvious and I think is an inevitability. Fur ihre zicherheit & all that.
Back in 1960 my father, posted to a military base in Germany, bought a Ford Zephyr with overdrive on the 3 speed (iirc) box. It made cruising on the Autobahns a little nicer. In the mid 70s I spent a year working in the West Country. Rented a cottage and the chap who lived in the house opposite was a TR specialist with a nearby garage just outside Bath. His regular transport was a TR6 of one sort or another. Lovely sound as he drove up the narrow lane out of the village between the stone built cottages.
My stepdad had a TR6 from new until 2006. Fantastic car, serviced by his mate from new and was very reliable. He had the engine rebuilt and blueprinted at the end of the 80's, taking it up to 172bhp, Sadly I was never allowed to drive it, but it could shift after the engine rebuild and it sounded glorious. Said to me last month that he regrets selling it. Possibly the last of the hairy chested UK sportcars (TVR excepted),
Thank you for this rare opportunity to see and learn about this wonderful TR6 and its Lucas fuel injection. My father's 1968 Volvo 1800s had a lovely overdrive switch that illuminated a red dashboard light .Unfortunately it stopped working when he needed it most while driving it through the Canadian Rockies in 1975!
Very few of these still exist in the States, the metal just couldn't withstand the salt on the roads in the winter in the Mid-West and on the East Coast. I've only seen a few in the wild, but think a resto-mod with the engine from a Triumph Rocket III motorcycle would be delightful.
It's nice to see one with the original wood on the dash. So many people feel the need to go down the deep gloss burr walnut route, then next throw in the leather seats with coloured piping for the full t*rts boudoir effect.
Fine specimen indeed. We have a 1969 Triumph GT6+ in the family. My brother is coming from the USA back to Canada this summer to resurrect it .Should be a treat. I never fail to learn something watching your channel. Cheers
Great video. Brings back memories of my misspent youth in early 70’s when I sold TR’s at Puttocks in Guildford; the injectors would occasionally foul especially with cold stop/starts (like moving around the showroom) so mechanics would pull out the injectors just like you did to check them. Brilliant.
Iain, what an absolutely wonderful car. Another, brilliant, interesting and informative video. The passion you have for these cars comes through in every RU-vid video you do, and I share that passion. Thank you so much for taking the time to share these cars with us, I get so much from this window on the classic car world.
Great video! No need to apologize for a 70's Triumph TR6, in my opinion. They are wonderful looking and sounding sports cars...one of my favorites among the more well known British cars that were imported to the US. I also love the color. I don't believe I've seen one in that shade of magenta.
My friend purchased one in 77 it was white, he fiddled with the overdrive switch so it was on the gear stick and you could use overdrive in every gear so cooool. He let me drive it and I had never driven anything like it before, it cornered like it was on rails.😁
What a delight, that was a masterclass in explaining the Lucas injection system. Is it any wonder the little TR was on its best behaviour, surrounded by so many multi million pound exotics, looking on with disdain, on yet another BL creation. That for me, was one of Ians most informative and interesting technical videos, just a total delight to listen to. Thank you once again for such an interesting lecture, but Inca Yellow would be my colour of choice.
As I remember, the high pressure pump on these was basically a Lucas windscreen wiper motor, which explains their 'iffy' reliability. The other problem with these engines was that when the bores started to wear, this affected the obtainable vacuum, which in turn made the mixture too rich and smoky. Only real remedy was a rebore and pistons. Cheaper to get twin Strombergs.
Wow. Amazing. I have no experiences with Triumphs but would really like to. My first car was a 1974 Jensen Healey that I bought 26 years ago and lost it to rust two years ago. I’ve had a variety of MG’s and currently am the proud owner of Mk 1 Sprite. But wow this video has rekindled my desire to one day add a Triumph to my collection. My dad’s first car was a 1957 Truimph TR3 that he bought new in Miles City Montana
As i get older i am liking these kinds of cars more and more, seems you are getting something fun and enjoyable that you can use at sensible speeds. Great 70s color also :)
I used to drive a 1973 mk2 2.5pi saloon in ice blue, straight pipe with no silencer, sounded amazing and do 120 mph. Overdrive gear change would push you back in your seat. Fuel pump in boot overheated once, before I replaced it with a Bosch - just pulled out on to the A9 at Dunkeld and floored it and total fuel starvation, instead of leaving smoking rubber I puttered onto the verge nearly getting wiped by the truck behind. She was called Blueberry pie and was a true love of mine. Car was much admired by the many policemen she encountered.
I got an imported US model, 1970 in signal red. Restored it over 5 years, replaced the Strombergs with SU’s, installed SS manifolds and a big bore exhaust. Not fast but the sound of it is very satisfying!
Great job Iain! I wish I could disengage my overdraft with the flick of a switch 😂 Seriously though, when I got my TR6 it had no overdrive, so I added the J-type. Best thing I did as it transformed the car and it now cruises effortlessly up to about 85 mph.
Dear Iain, as an classic car enthusiast for over 40 years I really enjoy every part of your videos on youtube. An even as a German and not very skillful English speaker I can understand every word in your passionate technical explorations. Thank you very much and best greetings from Germany. Good luck, Martin
Your video took me back to when I owned a TR6, an earlier 150bhp model. That had been fitted with a Bosch pump and in the three years that I owned the car the fuel injection gave no problems. It was a great driving car that gave me lots of pleasure, just wish I could get in and out of one easily now!
I think highly effective, ingenious and simple design is the key to the best everyman classics in my opinion. Great video that captures that lovely sound and interesting injection system.
The mid-70s BMW 2002tii had a great mechanical injection system, too. I had one that was nearly impossible to find someone who knew how to set the system up correctly, like the Lucas system. I finally found a guy who lived out in the sticks and had the magic touch. The car was a dream to drive after he had done the deed.
It makes the world of difference. Another great BMW to use the Kugelfisher system was the M1. We did do a vid on one of these- it’s in the back catalogue. Thanks for sharing
I had a 1972 MGB GT that had overdrive on 3rd and 4th, activated by a simple switch on the dash. Very useful for extra gearing when cruising and a great way of exploiting that unique "B" exhaust sound, especially when near walls or bridge parapets to add echo chamber effects.
Interesting color! Classic Triumph, and yes, my knuckles still bear the results of working on my friends, whom I nicknamed Old Sparky. However, this one does deserve some attention. Like all English cars that I have worked on, they never rust a lot underneath as they are usually coated with oil. They should have been given a pan when parked to catch all the drips-priceless!
When I had my Dolomite Sprint in the 1980s, I was a bit concerned about oil leaks and consulted a "specialist" Triumph service guy. He explained that I could give him a huge amount of money and he'd try to fix it, with no guarantees. Or I could buy a drip pan. In contrast, my 23 year old 1989 Saab 900 Aero with 320,000 km / 200,000 miles on the clock never needed a top up between annual services and didn't drip oil. It was my daily driver and I also did long trips (over 1,700 km / 1,062 miles) each way in 44C / 111F temperatures and I enjoyed spirited driving.
The much maligned Lucas high pressure pump was a 14W windscreen wiper motor body with a pump bolted on the top! They used to overheat and stop. The in period mod was to replumb the returning (cool) fuel line and wrap it in a coil around the pump body to cool it down. Interesting film Ian.
Beautiful motor car. My first TR was a ‘75 Magenta TR6, a lovely colour when it is clean. I’m not sure that the dash is walnut. There is an inertia cutoff switch which cuts off the power to the fuel pump in the event of an accident, which was a safety feature. One morning I came out to start the car and it wasn’t starting. I managed to diagnose that they was no power getting to the fuel pump, which I traced to the inertia switch. Once bypassed, the car started and ran fine. I called into the Leyland garage but they said that the inertia switch was no longer available and that the best thing would be to go to a scrapyard and see if they have one on an old Triumph 2500 PI. I was a student at the time and when I got to Uni the guy I sat next to for the next lecture asked why I was late. I explained to him what had happened and he said that his father had invented the cut off switch and had a box of them in his garage. A few days later a new one arrived in the post.
This is great for me because my Dad here across the pond had a Spitfire '73 I think and he had trouble like you described. I can tell him now what the possible problem was. This was all between the years 1974 and 1977. Great Tyrrell, thanks!
