OT: any comments on the triumph gt6+? Options

[emerygt350]

Looking at one this weekend. Any thoughts on them? My younger son is an 11 year old that wants an old British car.




It's not close to perfect. It looks like late model doors as it has the recessed door handles but I don't think those appeared till the mkiii.

[GregAmy]

I've got a buddy up here in the Northeast that has at least a couple and races one in SCCA's E Production category. PM your info and I'll send it to him.

It's a sickness.

Edit: unless you're buying it from AnthonyP out of NH? How many people actually have these? Anthony's a straight-shooter. A bit strange at times (you can tell him I said that) but a good guy.

[73-914]

Lucas electrics "The Prince of Darkness" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)
Is it raining? Wipers will quit working.
Is it nighttime? Headlights will quit working.
Need to defrost windshield? Heater fan will stop.

[technicalninja]

Having raised three male monsters, I'd wait.

His taste will change between now and then and when I put my boys in their first cars I intentionally choose "ego-killing" cars.

1st was a 95 Grand voyager that we called "the dumpster on wheels"

2nd was a 92 Accord 4 cyl auto station wagon (CB7- There's fan boys for these).

3rd was a 04 Odyssey.

These were AWESOME choices!

All their friends wanted to "go" in the large capacity vehicles which makes your kid "the boss".

None of them were "raceable".

All had modern safety features (ABS, airbags)

All had good heat and air.

None of them were worth anything.

They were larger than 50% of what's on the road.

Minivans DO NOT attract anything, especially the Police!

Small female "harem" loved the Dumpster which made Bryan EARLY for school as he wanted the closest parking to the building exit to take them out to lunch.

When one of the harems mothers wasted an Accord on the back of the Dumpster it didn't matter...

Now, a GT6 is an undervalued British sports car. Find a nice un-rusted one and it's probably a good thing to buy now.

More work than a 914 in the long run...

Probably the 914 will always be worth double what a GT6 is worth.

I'd recommend S30 Datsun Z car for better performance and far less mechanical bullshit but good S30 cost what good 914s do nowadays...

[930cabman]

How does one spell LUCAS?

I have never been fond of the Brit machines

[JmuRiz]

Rust...30 years ago my brother's friend had one that looked more like the Flintstone-mobile (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

FWIW, I think they are very cool looking and there is a lot of aftermarket support (at least there was back when I subscribed to Hemmings Sport and Classic magazine). 5-speed upgrades, efi etc.

[slowrodent]

I've owned 3 (or 4?) TR6s... I've always been fond of the lines of the GT6... They are not fast by any means, but can be tweaked to get more power.

They are fundamentally simple cars to work on. Restoration parts are readily available.
(or at least they were so about 10 yrs ago) (Moss Motors, The Roadster Factory)


They are prone to some frame rust, particularly where the rear suspension connects.
so I'd be sure to look into that. My last TR had an overdrive which made highway cruising much more pleasant.

Exhaust note of an old Brit inline-6 is so sweet! And in general that engine is quite durable.

As a youngster I drove mine from the DC beltway to my home In Pa. both winter and summer. It never let me down (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Brit cars like most others like to be driven. They are not happy after sitting for a long time;

Go for it!

Kevin

[emerygt350]

This one is local. there just seems to be so little to it I feel like the electrical demons should be fixable (famous last words).

Definitely agree with giving them caravans for first cars. This would be a father son project kind of thing.

[Tim17]

I have a 1970 GT6 that I restored. I love the way it looks, sounds and drives. I agree that these cars can have rust issues (gee I think my 914 does too). Parts are readily available and cheaper than 914 parts. The engine is super accessible unlike the 914. There’s an equally helpful and knowledgeable forum https://www.triumphexp.com.
I ended up doing a Lucas-ecotomy on mine partly because the previous owner had hacked up the harness.
These GT6’s aren’t very common and are becoming more valuable, but it’s still easy to spend more on them than you can sell them for. I don’t plan on selling mine anytime soon.
Here’s a link to my journal
https://www.triumphexp.com/journal/Tim-Higginss-GT6.6543/toc.

And a couple pics of my car.

[windforfun]

IMHO, I would avoid that car like the plague. I had a fairly new Spitfire when I was a kid & it was a plague. With problems that is. You couldn't even close the doors if you weren't on level ground. Buy a Honda or Toyota.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Tim17]

Duplicate post deleted

[windforfun]

How does one spell LUCAS?

I have never been fond of the Brit machines

I totally agree. Maybe an Aston Martin, but they're in the shop rather frequently. I'm too old now for that kind of horse shit. Especially for that much money.

[emerygt350]

Wow, that is gorgeous. Such an interesting body design.

[Olympic 914]

Slightly OT .. But the Roadster Factory Burned to the ground Christmas day 2023.

Many local friends that are British car owners are quite saddened

https://www.tribdem.com/news/photo-gallery-...d63b1e0b1d.html

[930cabman]

+1 with the father and son project.

His $ or dads?

[worn]

Slightly OT .. But the Roadster Factory Burned to the ground Christmas day 2023.

Many local friends that are British car owners are quite saddened

https://www.tribdem.com/news/photo-gallery-...d63b1e0b1d.html

Ohhhh noooo!!
I have the prince of darkness t shirt, but the same thing can be said about Porsche and Bosch. Except that Porsche ran earth wires. I love my TR6, but I love driving my 914.
Gonna counter the negatives. The parts are about a third the cost and well supported. The engines are far far easier to rebuild. The LBC s look great, and follow a lot of tradition. The wrenches use dimensions divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12. While metric numbers are sizes divided only by 2 and 5. A rare instance of metric shortcomings.
They are underpowered like the 914, but I am guessing that the 914 handles modified power a bit better. I love the 6 in my TR6.
Drove the teener more than 10 times more miles last year…

[Jamie]

A kid's first car should be an armored tank! With air bags!

[emerygt350]

My first car was an opel gt (at 14). Sometimes the kids can handle it. Probably not my son though, this would be project car not his first driver.

[emerygt350]

And yeah, my money.

[Bullethead]

Looking at one this weekend. Any thoughts on them? My younger son is an 11 year old that wants an old British car.




It's not close to perfect. It looks like late model doors as it has the recessed door handles but I don't think those appeared till the mkiii.

Had a buddy with one, I remember it as a long-legged GT in the classic sense with a smooth I6 that had open service access with the front flipped up. Good handling and the Michelotti styling is definitively Triumph. My big Healy was faster but a truck in comparison, a mutual friend that cruised with us had a Fairlady 2000. Great car... when the 240Z arrived at Datsun dealerships, we all realized Britcar days were numbered.

Still handsome cars. If it's a solid example and fairly priced, hard to see real downside. GLWTP! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)