1957 Triumph TR3A #TS22126L

The TR2/TR3 | Projects/HowTos | My car | Maintenance History


Photos
When I was 17 years old I bought my first car, a 1960/61 Triumph TR3A, one of the most beautiful cars ever made, and I managed to buy it with the savings from my minimum wage job. I couldn't afford to keep the electrical system working, and it was putting me heavy into debt, so I had to sell it.

Ever since that day I've wanted my car back.


In March of 2002, my dying grandfather gave me an inheritance with the request that I use it for something fun. I planned to go pick up another TR3 on the last day of March and call my gramps on the way up, but sadly my grandfather died the day before, on 3/30/2002.

I have a feeling he would have appreciated how I used his gift.

Here are the photos that the seller sent me, I bought the car up in Bishop, California, which is past Mammoth Mountain, where the ski lift photos were taken.

The car is titled as a 1958 Triumph, but according to the VIN it was actually built on Sept 20th, 1957. It was a common practice back then, when models didn't change much year to year, to title a vehicle when it was sold instead of when it was made, to help people feel like they were getting a new car. Same thing happened with my last TR3, which was a 60/61. Evidently this also happened to prepare for the lead time of getting TR3As to the US. About 3600 TR3As were built in 1957 in this manner, from 22014-25632

Which means, according to the VIN, this was the 113th TR3A ever built, out of about 60,000.

I have a BMIHT Cert from the Heritage Motor Centre which has details about the production of my car:

Certificate Number: 2004/3145
Car/Chassis Number TS/22126-L
Engine Number TS/22580-E (doesn't match)
Body Number 978062-TS
Specification LHD, North American Export
Colour exterior Pearl White
trim Vermilion (leather)
hood (top) Black
Date of Build 20 September 1957
Destination (Dealer) USA

So, evidently my car was originally Pearl White/Vermilion, which means it would have looked more like this car

The current status, however, is:

Current Status
Car/Chassis Number TS/22126-L
Engine Number TS/35553-E
Body Number EB22191??
Transmission TS/22603 (removed)
301039? (part #?)
28H57?
Colour exterior Signal Red (32) (approximately)
trim Black (leather)

Current modifications to the vehicle are:


Maintenance History
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