1958 Triumph TR3A – CARS-YDSE.com

Click on the picture to Z O O M in.

I’ve said this before but this time it’s absolutely true, “I actually drove one of these”. That’s not really such a big deal except it was for me.

I have a dear friend and we both lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. After college, I came back home and worked for a few years. That’s when Richard bought a TR3 and started the renovation process in his father’s garage. After the tear-down and before the reassembly, he wanted the engine and engine compartment steam cleaned. That’s when I got to drive it, sort of. We attached the car to his father’s car via a trailer hitch we rented and off we went. I was in the passenger compartment sitting on an old milk box and steering with a pair of Vise-grips clamped around the splines where the steering wheel usually was attached. It was in the heat of the summer and I remember driving in Paterson New Jersey in the 90+ degree heat as kids on the streets cheered as we drove by. We must have looked pretty odd to them but at least all they did was cheer.

I spotted this TR3A parked in a semi industrial area of San Francisco. This was a 3A and thus a “new and improved model” and it was in really great shape. I was kind of shocked to see it all buttonedup but with no signs of vandalism.

Watch the video below for some interesting facts about the car.

One other thing I remember, TR3s have a hole in the grille for a manual crank. Wow, that says a lot for the reliability of the Lucas Electric starting system.