1968 Triumph TR5

“ What a beauty this one is! In fabulous (original colour) condition. ”
Desirable manual (with overdrive) gearbox.

Background
The TR5 might look very similar to the achingly pretty TR4 (both were designed by Michelotti) but the later car has a 2.5-litre, fuel-injected, 150bhp straight-six under the bonnet, a significant upgrade over the TR4’s 2.1-litre inline-four.

Replacing carburettors with fuel-injection might have been a rarity at the time but it turned out to be so reliable and effective – the TR5 could streak to 50mph in just 6.5 seconds – that it was carried over into the TR6.

Front disc brakes help the TR5 pull up smartly, while independent rear suspension and rack-and-pinion steering help keep it pointing in the right direction.

An overdrive and wire wheels were options, as was a ‘Surrey Top’ roof, which neatly combined a rigid rear section with fabric panels above the occupants’ heads.

Just 2,947 examples were built in the 13-month production run, and of that number only 1,161 were built as right-hand drive, UK-spec cars the rest being assembled for export, largely to Europe.

Overview
This UK-market, right-hand drive Triumph TR5 boasts Valencia Blue coachwork and a black interior, the same colour scheme it left the factory in according to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust factory record in the history file. The same piece of paper also shows that it has also managed to retain its original registration number of ‘UYF 723F’.

Restored in 2010 with an emphasis firmly on reliable touring, the highly-regarded Robert J Forster rebuilt the TR5’s 2.5-litre engine with a fast road camshaft. Around 15,000 miles have been put on it since, meaning it is little more than nicely run-in.

The gearbox was rebuilt using Stag components where possible, and the front brakes are now four-pot jobbies from Wilwood. The suspension is via adjustable Spax dampers, and the cooling system runs with an electric fan and an uprated aluminium radiator. The fuel system benefits from a custom-built long-range fuel tank and swirl pot, and the petrol is pumped from it via a Bosch fuel pump. The engine exhales via a stainless-steel exhaust system that sounds as good as it looks.

Other niceties include a hazard warning light switch for touring in Europe and period Lucas spotlights, while more modern updates include a new wiring loom in 2022.

This emphasis on reliability and long-distance touring is exactly what the seller was looking for when he bought it back in 2024, later using it to strike out across Spain twice as well as roaming down through France as far as the Mediterranean coast.

Estimate: £35,000 - £40,000

View Current Bid Price HERE