1966 Triumph TR4A IRS Warehouse find in dry salt-free Georgia! Stored many years

Description

I have made the decision to let go of a few of my "keepers" from my collection of Triumph automobiles, and here is one of them I have stored with intentions of future restoration.The Story: I bought this TR4A several years ago in northern GA, where it was dry stored in a long-time closed country store building. I had it transported by trailer by tow truck to East TN where it has remained in storage since. The car has been in two states, South Carolina in the Columbia area, and north Georgia, both of which were not using road salt at the time this car was being driven back in the seventies, so it remained very solid relative to most of these TR4A's, and is one of a very low number still in existence that did not succumb to rust or wreck and end up in a salvage yard.The Condition: It is a complete and very original car, with it's original wood panel dash, guages, and all fenders, hood and trunk appear to be the factory steel ones. Note that it still retains its fibreboard radiator shroud which is usually missing, so an indicator that the car has not been tampered with, and the inner fenders are solid with no rust or wrinkling, which is very rare to find one that has not had a front hit at some point in the past. Excellent body and body shell here! The drive train also appears to be original and all intact. Optional Wire Wheels are proper 60 spoke for this year. (Most have steel wheels with hubcaps) The car deserves a full restoration but probably can be made to run and drive with some attention to the brake and clutch hydraulics, as these cars are known to have very robust heavy duty 4 cylinder engines with their beginnings having been in tractors! Not many folks know that the TR4A, which is the final run of the TR4, with its IRS (Independent Rear Suspension), which was very innovative at the time, will outperform a 6 cylinder TR6! I have not had this car running or driving as of yet, but most of these old TR's don't take much, and I will leave that to the new owner to hear her fire up for the first time! As part of my inspection, I did look at the frame as well, which is remarkably solid as these cars go, and looks excellent over 95% of the channels front to back, with small areas noted that should have attention if fully restored. I have pictured the frame, including an area in front on the driver side that has a dent probably from a high curb, and a dent exists midway back, common on these cars due to their low height, and I observed one small rust spot that will need a patch just forward of the passenger side trailing arm about two inches of area pictured. Nothing observed that has caused a structural insecurity. Note pictures of the frame rails and trailing arm attachment areas are excellent and solid. The body has been pictured in detail as well as rocker panels. Floors are pictured underneath and are original and solid for the most part although I recall a piece of metal placed under the carpet on the front floorboard, probably covering common small rust holes that occur from wet carpet on most of these cars since the tops tend to leak a little! Nothing serious and very, very superficial as well. This car is far better than all others I have looked at over the years for a restoration, but I do want to cover the few areas needing attention in my attempt to fully disclose, yet there is much more that is positive about this car than negative. Mileage on an old car can be hard to determine, so I am selling as "unknown" and put 999999 where mileage is indicated on the ad. Aluminum number plate is pictured as well as the title to show that they match. I reached eBay's limit on photos but tried to add the important ones, although it is tucked away behind other vehicles in storage so difficult to picture well. It would certainly look better in front of a stately mansion or a pond setting but you'll have to use your imagination.Terms: I am selling the car as I bought it, in its "as is" condition, just as you see it, with all its parts, without warranty or representation. My description is an attempt to generally describe the car, and cannot be comprehensive as I have not delved into all aspects of the vehicle. Please feel free to ask questions, and better yet, come view the car prior to your bid if able. I will pass to the winning bidder a GA title with matching numbers that I received with the car, with former owner signature on back. I will meet your shipper to load if needed. All sales final, with a deposit in 24 hours of auction end by PayPal of $500 to secure the transaction, with balance due in 10 days. Any fees for payment of the balance should be assumed by the buyer.Thanks for attending this auction!

On Oct-02-16 at 19:12:34 PDT, seller added the following information:

Update on the car...it is perhaps now up to about half what it should sell for, but there are 3 days to go and the reserve is set low per eBay's recommended strategy to encourage bids. This afternoon I showed the car to a bidder who intends to buy the car, and plans to bid before Wednesday night. In the interest of full disclosure on what is revealed to me, I am sharing the findings. He looked the car over in detail, and having owned and worked on one just like it, as well as other sports cars, he is knowledgeable. He did find minor spots of rust on the rear frame extensions underneath the trunk area, consisting of two on the bottom of the left side and one on the bottom of the right side, which I had missed in the description because I had not personally seen them before even owning the car for years. He said they were not structural in nature and are easily patched if someone wants to fully restore the car in detail. Not in an area that has any stress or function but just run under the rear trunk shell. He looked over the body shell as well as the important areas of the frame which are from the trailing arm attachments forward. No problems or rust noted and in good shape. Pieces of tin were observed on the front floorboards only, covering small rust places but again not serious or structural and can be patched without replacement of full floorboards. He also said the car is all there except for two front lenses on the light pods on each front fender, and a windshield wiper arm. These may be obtained online for under $50 for all parts. Noted that the cars are hard to find complete as he has been looking for awhile now. In addition, it was noted that the convertible top is fully intact and in good shape short of cloudy plastic windows. The gentleman was satisfied that this is a good car and hard to find in this overall solid, very straight condition. Thanks for looking at this action. This will make an exceptional car.

On Oct-03-16 at 18:52:05 PDT, seller added the following information:

Update again...more feedback from an onlooker who claims to be knowledgeable emailed today saying he observed in a photo that there had been a rocker panel overlay at some point, noting that it had been repaired, and he asked about why I had not shared that. I did ask for an explanation of what he saw or meant, but he did not respond, so I assume he means it had at least one outer rocker panel replaced or repaired, which may be a positive thing to many folks. In response to that, I must say that it is impossible to describe everything that has occurred over a 50 year history of an automobile, as I was not the owner throughout the decades, and cannot know all. Certainly those that expect perfection, or a time capsule that has never been driven or ever had any mishaps, should consider seeking out the Triumph TR4A's that are selling at $45,000, as that is what cars in number one level high grade condition are bringing in the collector world. What is offered here is an opportunity to get into a reasonably solid, reasonably straight car, that is better than most you will find, for a reserve under $5000. And it is apparent that it has spent its life in a southern British car friendly environment that is far less harsh than, for example, the northeast, where they are often far worse due to salting of roads. Folks who know this, and appreciate this, will be satisfied with this car at the low price. The price this car will sell for leaves plenty of room to bring this car up to par and be well under the value when done, and many prefer to do the work themselves and know what they have, versus paying $25,000 or more for a done car that may have questionable restoration that needs re-working. Thanks again for looking at this auction, and I am happy to have good info to pass along to bidders.

On Oct-04-16 at 06:04:48 PDT, seller added the following information:

Last update nearing auction end...I am getting lots of interes, questions, and feedback from TR enthusiasts, and have 172 "watchers" of this auction which is a very high number. Further inspection of this car reveals NO RUST in the engine bay where the joints of panels meet, and importantly, NO RUST on the upper sides of the inner fenders, or wings as they are known in Great Britain, where if it were a really rusty car, there would be rust evident at and around the attachment screws of the inner fenders. Noted that at the rear, it appears some minor body repair was done at the top of rear quarters at some time in the past. Good news is that all of the proper seams are intact on the upper panel to the rear of the top, and the four seams where panels join in the rear are original and intact. It was noted that TR's you will find that were seriously rusted would be filled in these joints, but it was noted that this car is fine and original in those areas, and good in the trunk area also where rust commonly occurs. Overall, a good base for a restoration that will make a great car.

On Oct-04-16 at 12:26:57 PDT, seller added the following information:

For those who are unsure about this car's potential, here is an email received from a UK bidder who would like to buy the car but is unable to make arrangements in time...
To: motormoss
Subject: Re:{Ebay member} has sent a question about item #272393017331, ending on Oct-05-16 18:00:25 PDT - Triumph: Other TR4A IRS
Sent Date: Oct-04-16 10:29:12 PDT

Dear motormoss, Right car not right time unable to move other assets in time due to work content. Thought I could store one but not possible as space no longer available. For info in UK your car will get £20,000 . I reckon £10 l investment will yeold £20 K sale.