1967 Triumph TR4A IRS

Built in May 1967 and registered two months later, this gorgeous Signal Red Triumph TR4A was the subject of a professional nut ‘n’ bolt restoration a few years ago. It was clearly done to a very good standard as it is holding up very well and still looks magnificent.

Only in the care of the current owner for around a year, this example has the all-important independent rear suspension, a factory upgrade for the TR4A that transforms the way the car drives, rides and handles.

It also benefits from recent careful door alignment, paintwork refurbishment, and a rebuilt gearbox, so looks and drives brilliantly; the TR4A is justifiably popular, and this is a very good example of the breed.

The vendor’s attitude towards this TR4A’s bodywork can be summed up by the fact that he spent a nigh-on four-figure sum having the doors adjusted to fit properly. A common problem with the model, rectifying it involves stripping the interior and then separating the body from the chassis, carefully shimming it and then reassembling it all. 

It will come as no surprise to hear that the doors now fit properly and open and close with a precision that is uncommon in a TR4.

The Signal Red coachwork was, of course, fully restored during the restoration of 1998. The quality of the work was excellent, and the restorers went to great lengths to strip the car back to bare metal and make any necessary repairs before respraying it in its original Signal Red. Please do take the time to look at the online photo album for some snapshots of the work being undertaken.

Nonetheless, the owner is something of a perfectionist, so he commissioned some localized repairs here and there to bring it back to its former glory. This work was done equally well and the new and the old have been blended wonderfully.

The bulge in the bonnet and the subtly flared wheelarches give the TR4A something of a competition look, something the rorty exhaust and firm ride support.

Fitted with wire wheels from new, we are pleased to see that they’re in great shape, as are the centre-lock spinners. The tyres are matching Vredestein Sprint Classic, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The folding black roof looks excellent, and seals as well as any TR4 roof we’ve seen. The plastic windows are holding up well too, and don’t display any of the milkiness that marks an aging roof.

Work to do is minimal. There is, of course, the odd stonechip and blemish here and there but nothing that sets our teeth on edge or makes us think that any further remedial work is necessary.

But, if you are looking for a job then the front edge of the bonnet doesn’t align as well as the rest of the panels. This would be a straightforward job that would keep you out of mischief until you can take it for a carefree blast again.

The black leather seats come from a Mazda MX-5 and are considerably more comfortable and supportive than the stock items they replaced. Barely creased and in a fabulous condition, their installation is a very well-considered retro-modification and one we endorse, especially if you’re going to be using the TR4A for longer jaunts, a role it is eminently well suited to.

The walnut dashboard looks fantastic, being shiny, well-fitting and free of the usual cracks and chips - and there is very little in the way of peeling lacquer, either. The six gauges are in great shape too, as is the huge wooden steering wheel that gives the car its lovely vintage feel.

The door cards are good, as are the carpets. In fact, the whole interior feels and looks rather nice. An older restoration, it’s all still looking good but there will be the need for a bit of ongoing refurbishment here and there, most notably on the nearside A-pillar trim, the inside of the fabric roof, which has a little mildew on it, and the odd piece of trim has started to come adrift.

A period Motorola twin-spindle radio is fitted along with a pair of Radiomobile surface-mount speakers in the rear. A 12V power socket has been neatly fitted under the nearside dash too, which will be useful for keeping phones charged, or to plug a sat-nav into. Inertia reel seatbelts too.

The boot is nicely painted and utterly solid. Again, if we’re being hyper-critical then it could do with a bit of a clean but the spare is a wire wheel and both the fibreboard cover and carpet look to be in very good shape.

Like so many examples, this one used to jump out of second gear on the overrun. Not one to mess about, the vendor had the gearbox stripped and rebuilt with a new laygear, 2nd and 3rd gears, synchromeshs and bearings by Bill Hardy Engineering Transmissions Ltd., the well-known independent gearbox specialist. The work, which set him back almost a thousand pounds, cured the problem for good and should last another half-century.

A new battery has also been fitted, and it is nestled at the back of the engine bay and centrally located for optimum weight distribution.

Starting and running well as you can see from the video, the owner says it “drives superbly” a claim we can confirm is accurate following our test drive.

The engine bay itself looks utterly splendid. Clean and very neatly configured, ongoing maintenance will be an absolute pleasure – as will lifting the bonnet to allow others to admire your new classic wheels.

Interestingly, the date of service is written on the oil filter, and the tyre pressures and dipstick readings are written on tape in the engine bay. Taken together, we can only conclude that the car’s maintenance has been carried out by an unusually diligent owner who had the car built to use rather than to just display or flip for a quick profit.

If we’re being critical, then the air filters look like they could do with cleaning. Other than that, it’s ready to go as soon as the lockdown is lifted.

The TR4’s MOT certificate expires in October 2020, and was gained without a single advisory point, something that has been the case since 2013. As such, the online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage.

The car also comes the original owner’s handbook plus a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate confirming its original build specification.

There is also a sheaf of invoices and bills plus a hefty photo album to confirm the restorative work that has been done to it over the years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

NB. We know that you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on. Or, even better, contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call, where you can direct us in real-time.

The Triumph TR4A is popular for a reason; it’s tough, easy to maintain, decently fast, and enormous fun to drive. It also feels wonderfully vintage and so ticks a great many of the boxes for those of us who hanker after a hairy chested British roadster.

And this is a very nice example indeed, and one that has been the recipient of a great deal of recent work on top of that ground-up restoration.

Taking all this into consideration, we think it’s going to fetch something in the region of £21,000 to £25,000, which isn’t the cheapest Triumph TR4A you’re going to find on sale, but then it’s very far from being the most expensive; the owner is a sensible man and has set his reserve at a modest level, and one that we think the new owner will find to represent good value. Certainly since it has been in our care, it is a car that we have grown fonder of each time we look at or drive it.

This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.