1967 Triumph TR4A IRS

Yes, it’s a stalled project, stalled because the previous owner was 70 years old and taken ill before he could finish this, his last and final car restoration. Stalled because the current vendor, only the car’s sixth in more than 50 years, bought it as a joint project with a friend - only to have his partner pull out of the project.

But this tale of woe is a good thing, isn’t it? Good because we’ve all dreamed of buying a rolling chassis and a box of bits, putting in a bit of elbow grease and then driving off into the sunset with a car that owes us the square root of sod all, haven’t we?

And this is your chance. Your chance to prove to your other half that romance isn’t dead because only a romantic fool would embrace a box ‘o’ bits in the expectation that they can save a bundle by doing it themselves – but the world is full of romantic old fools like us, and we salute anyone with the foresight, courage and confidence in their own ability to buy it.

It’s red and quite rusty in places but all the major parts appear to be there. The firewall has clearly been patched, but it’s solid and we reckon a few hours with an angle grinder and a tub of P38 would see it looking pretty good.

The impressively curved windscreen is there and looks like it needs nothing more than a good clean. However, the windscreen surround will definitely need some repairs as it is holed through with rust. As is the driver’s door – and the rear deck where the boot bolts on doesn’t look too clever, either.

But, and it’s a big but, the boot and cockpit floors look okay, and the sills look solid, albeit with some surface rust. But the fact that the superstructure is essentially solid means that panel alignment shouldn’t be a problem and you should be able to take your time cutting out and replacing the rotten metal one section at a time.

There’s more good news too, because the car comes with a luggage rack and mesh headlight grilles, plus several boxes of parts, some of which are labelled. The upgraded, larger-than-standard wire wheels are in good order too and are shod with decent tyres. The car also comes with a set of steel wheels and Pirelli P3 tyres.

The folding fabric roof is rotten. So rotten that we’re not sure it’s worth the effort of carting it home with you but the optional, aftermarket hardtop is said to be worth a couple of grand or more all by itself when its restored and it even comes with the rare glass window. Try finding another one of those on eBay…

It’s an interesting arrangement, too. This TR4A has the centre panel frame (the so-called Surrey Top) so you can remove the middle piece of the hardtop, a bit like a targa and you still have a portable roof that folds up.

A roof that cool – and expensive - has gotta be mitigation when you’re being quizzed about blowing the family’s savings on buying it, hasn’t it?

The black vinyl seats are trimmed with white piping, but you don’t care two hoots about that do you because you’re going to get them retrimmed in supple black leather anyway, aren’t you? However, should you run out of money (and you will…!) then it’s good to know that the passenger seat is actually pretty good and could easily be cleaned and reused.

Some of the carpets might need to be replaced, but they’re all there in case you need a template and some of them look pretty good. In fact, that’s pretty much the story with most of the trim; most of it looks to be there, some of it can be reused, and some will need replacing.

Oh, and the dash top doesn’t look like it’s cracked!

The good news is that the chassis looks pretty solid. Of course, a prudent owner would want to scrape off the underseal to double-check the integrity of the chassis for themselves but we’re optimists and would like to think that no-one would go to the trouble of undersealing anything that is rotten, especially as it was his last great project.

But then we are incurable romantics…

The engine is there, but we wouldn’t want to bet on it starting. Still, if it turns over then you might be lucky and escape with nothing more than minor fettling. On the other hand, you might not. That’s the joy of buying a restoration project isn’t it? Some days you’re winning, and on others you are most definitely losing.

On the winning side of the matrix, the previous owner fitted new adjustable Spax dampers along with new rear suspension frames for teh IRS rear end

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever.

Only kidding. It shows nothing at all, but then you’d be more worried if it did, wouldn’t you?

It does come with a V5 registration document though, along with some photos of the work the previous owner carried out on it.

Look, it’s a fairly solid car with a lots of boxes of bits that need polishing and fitting. It’s a gamble, but the owner is a sensible chap, so he isn’t expecting to retire on the proceeds.

But, if you’re looking for a barn find project (yup, the decimal point has just moved one place to the right…) then this might be right up your street. As far as project cars go, the TR4A’s simplicity, ease of repair and rock-solid spares situation means that this could be a lot of fun.

Just don’t turn up with a winning bid and expect to drive it home, okay?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Hull; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. 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, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.