About a year ago I discovered a few 1980's motoring magazines I had
saved, because of TR related articles. In "Sports Car Mechanics" June
1985 was an article called TR4 1/2. It features a car first seen by
its (then) current owner in 1968 in a dealership in Stoke-on-Trent, &
purchased from a scrap yard ten years later. The only photos of the
bodywork are from the front, high up & a little distorted by a
wideangle lens. The car is red, with pop up headlights and round
side/indicator units set on a small black grill & matching black
bumper. The engine is a 1998cc six cyl with triple SU's. The article
states that the car was one of a number of experimental cars owned by
the factory between 1962 & 1968, several letters from Triumph's PR
people confirm this, although Graham Robson is quoted as saying he
believed the car was modified after leaving the factory.
Moving on to the Jan issue of Thoroughbred & Classic Cars, at the end
of their feature on TR's is a page of pictures of prototypes,
specials, Le Mans cars, etc. Amongst them is a white car with chrome
grille & integral side lights, & pop up lights. It is described thus:
"1963 Zest....this Michelotti design was a prototype for the TR6,
economics meant he had to build it on a TR4 chassis....Power was from
a triple SU fed 2 litre straight six engine from the Standard
Vanguard saloon."
Seeing this again I remembered the old article & a quick check
confirmed it: Both cars carry the plate 6206 VC. Something has
happened to the grill & bumper, but it seems to be the same car.
So what is it? Another Zest? It must have been a design exercise for
the TR4's replacement (5 or 6), but if that is so it seems strange to
give it the same code name as the TR4 prototype. Also, how many TR5/6
prototypes did Michelotti work on? The Rossi Clarke book has pictures
of a stunning prototype with TR5PI badging, called Ginevra it falls
somewhere between a Stag & a Spitfire. Does this car still exist?
Anyone able to shed some light on these cars?
--
William Davies
1975 TR6 PI
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