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.
