1957 Triumph TR3A #TS22126L

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:

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 modifications to the vehicle are:

• Toyota transmission conversion
• GM alternator conversion
• Pertronix electrical ignition
• Electric locks, S.S. exhaust, Custom backseat
• Electric cooling fan, spin-on oil flter
• TR4 oilpan? TR4 carbs? (before I got the car)

Maintenance History
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