Start with what the Triumph TR3 is: a car with 1991 cc Straight-four engine, built from 1955 to 1962, at the height of the post-war boom. What it meant takes a little longer.
Where it came from
The Triumph TR3 is a British sports car produced from 1955 to 1962 by the Standard Motor Company of Coventry, England. A traditional open two-seater, the TR3 is an evolution of the company's earlier TR2 model, with greater power and improved braking. Updated variants, popularly but unofficially known as the "TR3A" and "TR3B", entered production in 1957 and 1962 respectively.
The TR3 was succeeded by the mechanically similar, Michelotti-styled Triumph TR4. The rugged ‘sidescreen’ TR, so named for its use of removable plexiglass side curtains, was a sales and motorsport success. With approximately 74,800 TR3s sold across all variants, the model was the company's third best seller in the TR range, behind the TR7 (111,500 units) and TR6 (94,500 units) models.
Under the skin
The engine is 1991 cc Straight-four engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 955 kg. Drive goes through a 4-speed manual with optional overdrive. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 88 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Triumph line-up the Triumph TR3 has a clear place: it replaced the Triumph TR2; it handed the line to the Triumph TR4; the factory was ubl |United Kingdom: Coventry |Australia: Port Melbourne (AMI) |Belgium: Liège |Belgium: Mechelen |South Africa: Durban (Motor Assemblies). The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the Nissan Skyline. Nearby in the Triumph catalogue sit the Triumph SD2 and the Triumph Renown.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Triumph TR3 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.