I have owned an early Austin Mini, an MGB and a TR3. None of them ever left me stranded on the side of the road. But living in Winnipeg and Calgary these cars were ice boxes in winter. Maximum heat just took the chill out of the cold air in winter but would be just fine in California. Still miss those cars. I test drove a used Austin Healy 3000 in the late 1960's but it had a rust hole right behind the convertible top. I passed in favor of a used TR3 but this rusted later.:eek:

Yes, the Monza system I had on mine really gave it a deep growl.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Back in 1974 I bought a brand new 74 914 2.0. At that same time one of my dad's friends bought a new TR6. He offered to let me drive it, so I took it for a little spin on my favorite loop of off and on ramps of the interstate. It was a horrible little rattly car, and it was really hard to think of anything positive to say to him. I let him drive my 914 with me in it, and that 95 HP mid engine made him jealous. He was not fond of the shifter, but the brakes and the overall quality was simply better in my primitive 914. I was really happy I went with the Porsche.

About the same era, one of the guys I met at the local foreign parts store had a highly modified Spridget. Half Sprite half Midget. It had super low gearing and topped out at 65 MPH. With the national speed limit of 55 he figured that was enough for him. He had huge fender flares and wide tires. He was a fun competition at the local autocross. We were in different classes, but I could usually beat his times.

I know the 914 has gotten really expensive in recent years. I have no clue about the British cars of the era.

Mine was a 1976 but my parts car was a 1973. The parts car was complete with engine and drive train, paid 600 bucks cash for that one just to get the frame. We swapped out the intake and exhaust manifolds and got rid of all the emissions stuff, and put the free-flow Monza exhaust system under it and all combined really made for better performance.
When I needed parts, I got them from a company called "The Roadster Factory", I actually still have some of their catalogs from back then.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I had a TR6 back in the mid 70's but not sure about the vintage. It was a heap in beautiful British racing green. I had waaaay too much fun in that thing while it fell apart around me. I had no money for upkeep and wish I did because it was YUGE fun.

Fella in our 'hood has a TR6 that he's cleaned up really nicely. Pretty car, great colors etc., was pretty nice when he bought it, only nicer now as he's done lots of stuff to it. I really was kind of jealous of him having it, until I got a ride in it. Cramped compared to my old P-cars, and you really do sit down low in them. I used to want one in my garage, but now I'm happy just to admire those others have.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1640274961.jpg

Back in high school and college I used to compete, as a "guest", with the local SCCA club autocrosses against 2 of their members in E stock. I had a 79 Fiat X 1/9, and the other 2 guys had a Mk 1 spitfire and an MGA.

The timer would frequently fail when the other 2 guys had their runs. It NEVER failed when I took my laps.

I was probably 50-50 in beating the Spitfire, but I never could beat the MGA. I think he was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Club. :D

Yeah, I found out the hard way about the cost of things when I got out on my own. When something broke on the car, it was a bit expensive to get it fixed. Of course I was young and dumb at the time and could do better with one now.
Dad had a Mk 1 Spitfire back in the early 70's but he didn't have it very long. My mother had a brand new MGB in 1977 when we lived in Destin. That MGB had every option available, even had a hard top with sunroof and electric overdrive and wire wheels. I was actually looking for a MGB when I found my TR6.
Funny thing about the electrics. When I first got the car, I remember checking everything and pulled on the little hazard light switch. The lights started blinking like the should and after a few seconds, smoke started coming out from behind the wood dash at the switch and there was a sizzling sound!!! I quickly pushed the switch back in and it all stopped. I never pulled the switch again. Lol,
Good times.


Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

ROFLMAO.

Dr, it hurts when I hit my thumb with a hammer...

Another funny story about when I first got my TR6. Our driveway was on a slight hill, not super steep, but a gradual slope. I had parked the car on the grass to the side of the concrete driveway, had the top down, took the car out of gear, and set the parking brake. I got out of the car and shut the door. When I shut the door, all of a sudden the car started rolling and I jumped behind the car to try to stop it. I should've jumped in the car but no, dummy me at 18 years old, I jump behind the blasted thing thinking I can stop the slow roll which was picking up speed!!!
So here I am sliding, car is rolling and the shoes I have on are like Wallabees, with no tread on them whatsoever, didn't help my situation!!! We, the car and I, go sliding down the side of the driveway, we pass the mailbox and now are in the street. On the other side of the street are vacant wooded lots and beyond that would be a canal. Now out in the street my shoes get a little traction and I managed to get the car stopped just at the opposite side of the street. I remember pushing off of the curb and getting it to stop completely. I looked around and nobody had witnessed any of this, not a person in sight. I collected myself, got my keys out, hopped in the car and started it up, pulled it back to where it had originally been parked, it off and left it in 1st gear. From then on, even though I had the parking brake fixed, I always parked the car with it in gear.
These pics were taken when I first got the car. You can see it has the temporary paper tag on it. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d723dd24e7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9018ff0d7a.jpg

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

This shows where I parked the car in my story. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9b4535c157.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f1cdd2dbef.jpg

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

These were taken in 1987 at Tango Mar. Tango Mar is about a half mile west of the Sandestin Beach Resort.
Best summer of my life, living at the beach, driving a red sportscar!!! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c2aa02b176.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...718503e2c8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f4f509084c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...413643f063.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f914a445ef.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...25c733cd82.jpg

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Yep, with a manual trans car, always in gear. Parking brakes these days are pretty reliable, but in the past, not as much. I've also had a car that did not have the parking brake set, but was in gear pop out of gear and roll into another car. That was fun.

Yep, I look back on that story and laugh, but it would've definitely been a different outcome had the thing knocked me down and run over me. Lol.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

The TR6 is interesting.

I am a fan of British cars. Spent a ton of time with a 65 MGB that I loved. Think Tr2/3/4/250's are awesome. I would enjoy a GT6. (Don't really like the Spitfires however)

But I just don't care about the TR6.

They look funny. (I get it, I like a TR4 and 250!) They seem to be a crummier qualilty (Considering I have never driven one, that is an ignorant comment)

It is probably the era. Early 1970's was a pretty low point in auto design. As we transitioned into emission friendly & crash friendly cars, the charm sort of fell away. I think this is the issue with the TR6. Similarly, a rubber bumper MGB is an absolute atrocity!

About 5 years ago I ran across a 1973 MGB roadster for sale. The last year of chrome bumpers and low stance.. I snapped it up before someone else did. 22K original miles parked in a garage for all those years. All original of course and cleaned up like new. The door buttons were recessed half way so I took the door panels off to access the mechanism and fixed both sides easily. The padded rail at the top of the door cards is a stick of wood! 1x2 poplar by the looks of it. I couldn't believe they were actually still using wood in a 1973 automobile. I decided to check suspension components, wtf are the shocks? A single short arm coming out of a small box. No wonder I wasn't overwhelmed with the handling. The engine ran great but performed and sounded like a 1940s design, most likely because it is! Cute little car though and I sold it without even advertising. A guy saw it downtown and had to have it. I paid 3K, put a new battery in, cleaned it up and sold it for 8k 2 weeks after buying it. Now 5 years later it's worth at least 3 times that. Wish I had hung on to it longer now but oh well, it was an easy 5 grand flip.

I feel about the same level of fondness for the TR6 and the MGB and the MGB-GT... I wouldn't kick one out of bed, but not really my dream car. But if you step back just a few years and into the era of the TR3, MGA, Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite and 3000 and BN7....
https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-10-2016/LgAorv.gif

My Father was a British car fan. Our family cars were Jag MK II's for years.

A parade of other British b(r)ands followed (Super 7's, Europa, other Jags, a rescue TR, MG) and we were fine until the weird Italian stuff started showing up.

We had an intervention. :cool:

I loved working on them with my Dad and have nothing but fond memories and, since we were in California, semi rust free.

The art of driving fast slow is all I can say.

I did have a female English teacher my senior year in HS that drove a TR 4 in BRG. Toss up on which one was cuter. I'd have driven either.

I remember when I was about 3-4, my dad (6'2" and ~200# drove an MG Midget, and brought home a big German Shepherd. It was quite the picture.
Before I was born, he had a Bugeye Sprite and an AH 3000. I can't remember if he had any other Brit cars. I know he had a VW bug or two, and a Corvair or two before I was born. I think most of his cars were domestic and or V-8 (put the Corvairs in the previous list as they are/were unusual compared to the run of the mill 60s domestics.

Before I "graduated" to my 911 as my "weekend" car, I had a TR3A, TR6 and TR8. The TR6 was fun, but more than a bit crude and noisy, especially compared to the TR8. Remember that the TR6 was really an update of the TR4 & TR250 and as such is really a late-50's/early 60's design mechanically. The TR6 was also notably slow in modern terms; 0-60 in something over 10 seconds for US-spec cars.

There is ALWAYS more rust that first appears. Just ask any owner of a pre-galvanized 911.

I could not help but laugh when the seller says that it is "only surface rust".

Previous posts have provided a comprehensive list of things to examine, but also please note that these are relatively easy to fix and maintain cars, and that parts are readily available. If, however, rust has taken ahold of the frame - walk away quickly. There are quite a few of them out there for reasonably prices.

I luckily had the strength to walk away from an MGA that was complete and ran but needed virtually every part replaced. Same with a local Austin Healey 3000 MkIII that looked ok from the top (lots of Bondo evidence, however), but the frame was little more than oil-covered rust. It takes guts to know when to walk away, but I learned from my mistakes. My current 911 needed a lot of TLC (I got it from the original owner who lost interest in it), but it was mechanically and structurally sound and that made all the difference.

Btw, The Roadster Factory and Moss Motors were my go-to places for TR parts.