#triumph tr3

[pennanbrae]

A classic Triumph TR3 roadster attempts camouflage with the building.

[les-belles-mecaniques]

1957 Triumph TR3 Roadster

[motorific]

[bbyalessandra]

A classic Triumph TR3 Roadster, embodying timeless British automotive design.

[gracespacepace]

Just a really awesome workshop for a gawk.

Source: Peninsula Sports Car Services (Australia)

[minerallentblog]

My dad’s and my 1963 Triumph TR3B.

Dad traded in his 1958 3A in on this in 63. He and grandpa drove down to Wichita to trade for a new TR4, but neither was impressed by the boxy styling of the TR4.

The dealer suggested the TR3B because it still had the swoopy style, but hid the 4’s larger motor and all synchromesh transmission. This example didn’t have the overdrive option.

Dad drove it to college in the 60s and work in the 70s. It got a mediocre body job in the 80s before I drove it to high school. Then, when my sister wanted to do the same in the 90s, dad decided it was too dangerous and garaged it.

It sat untouched and increasingly piled upon in dad’s garage until 2021 when it moved to my garage. Technically I’m storing it for him. He generously offered to let me drive it whenever I want; I just have to get it running.

I did get new tires for it by lending it to a local high school to fill the role of Greased Lightning in their stage version of Grease. I helped with dressing it for the musical, and they replaced the 1960s Michelin X radials it was still wearing.

Come to think of it, it really was too dangerous for us to be driving to high school! 1969 tires weren’t safe in the 80s or 90s.

I bought the hard top on eBay. It’ll take some care before it’s ready to use, but the whole car will need some care before it’s really ready to use.

[greatistheworld]

Hear me out

Hear me out

What if you spent more time ruminating on pleasant things

[diabolus1exmachina]

Fairthorpe Electron Climax (1 of 7). 

The British automotive landscape of the 1950s was vastly different to what we have today. There were myriad car companies, each vying to be the best they could be. Some were in the business of luxury, others were trying to satiate post-war Britain’s need for a family transport, while others were focused solely on performance. And it’s that latter contingent that brings us to the car we have listed for auction here, namely a 1959 Fairthorpe Electron.

Fairthorpe is a rare but nonetheless notable name in the book of British motoring history. The company was founded by Donald Bennett, an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot. Famed for becoming the youngest Air Vice Marshall in the Royal Air Force, Bennett was just as comfortable on the spanners as he was in the cockpit. And he put this passion to good use in 1950 with the birth of Fairthorpe Cars, based in Chalfont St. Peter.

Bennett wanted to build cars that would offer thrills and excitement. He also wanted to make cars that were, to provide those thrills, lightweight and agile. His first offerings were ambitious, but ultimately not brilliant. There was the Atom, a curious coupe with a two-cylinder motorcycle engine in the back, though it was most notable due to it being one of the first cars to utilise a fibreglass body. This was followed by a more traditional, front-engined model known as the Atomota. However, like its predecessor, it sold in small numbers.

Bennett wasn’t to be put off though, and in 1956 Fairthorpe launched the car we have here; the Coventry Climax powered Electron. It was fast, it was light, it was agile and care of the Microplas Mistral body, it was sleek. However, it was also expensive, and as such, Fairthorpe launched a cheaper Electron Minor version fitted with a Standard Ten engine.For a select few, though, the Coventry Climax Electron proved itself to be a formidable racer. Around twenty were built with upgrades such as the suspension, brakes and rear axle from a Triumph TR3. Sadly though, as is the case for cars of this ilk, they soon faded into obscurity. As such, only around seven are known to still exist today, of which the one listed here could possibly be the best. This is a true slice of automotive history.