This 1959 Triumph TR3A was built in June 1959 and dispatched to a US distributor in Chicago, Illinois, and it was later owned in Indiana. The seller purchased the car in 1995 and subsequently conducted an assortment of refurbishment work and drove the car more than 110k miles. The engine was rebuilt in 2017 to displace 2,289cc and also has been modified with an Offenhauser valve cover, lightened internals, an aluminum radiator, an alternator, electronic ignition, and a gear-reduction starter. The replacement four-speed manual transmission and its overdrive unit were overhauled in 2015. The car was repainted blue in 2019, the black leather interior has been redone, and the black convertible top was replaced in 2024. Other equipment includes wire-spoke 15″ wheels, front disc brakes, a front sway bar, uprated springs, hood louvers, a driving light, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, seatbelts, a heated driver seat, a JVC CD head unit, and a tonneau cover. This TR3A is now offered with a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate, manufacturer’s literature, shop manuals, refurbishment photos, service records, side curtains, spare and removed parts, tools, tire-changing equipment, a car cover, and a clean Wisconsin title in the seller’s name that lists the vehicle as a 1960 model.

Finished from the factory in Powder Blue, the car was repainted in 2019 in a process that involved epoxy priming, a base coat, and a clear coat as well as coating the underbody and frame with Eastwood frame coating. Rusted areas were cut out and replaced, with metal patch panels used in the front fenders. Both rocker panels have been replaced, and bodywork has been performed inside the rear fenders. A fiberglass front apron and a louvered hood have been installed, and the weatherstripping was replaced along with the hinges for the doors, hood, and trunk. A Robbins black soft top and a Stayfast black tonneau cover were fitted in 2024. The car also features a detachable one-piece windscreen, wind wings, fender-mounted side mirrors, an aftermarket antenna, a cowl hood vent, a driving light, a wide chrome grille, and a chrome front bumper and rear bumperettes. The seller notes that a van drove into the car at a yield sign and caused less than $500 worth of damage, which was subsequently repaired. The trunk is dented from the inside, and the paint is discolored at the rear of the driver-side rocker panel. The badges on the front grille bar are not included in the sale.

Silver-finished 15″ 60-spoke wire wheels were installed in 2018, as were their 165HR15 Verdestein Sprint Classic tires and inner tubes; a 48-spoke spare is stored beneath the trunk compartment. An ADDCO front sway bar is installed along with uprated front and rear springs, and the suspension and the steering have been overhauled. The brake calipers have been rebuilt, both master cylinders and the wheel cylinders have been replaced, and cupro-nickel brake lines and stainless-steel braided hoses have been installed. The handbrake handle’s ratchet and pawl have been heat treated.

The bucket seats have been retrimmed in black leather with white piping, and the black vinyl on the dash and cabin rails has been redone. The seat springs have been replaced, and a heated-seat kit was added for the driver side. The interior panels, door pockets, pull cords, center console, and glovebox also have been replaced. A JVC AM/FM/CD stereo is wired to four speakers, and a Triumph Spitfire heater has been adapted. The carpeting was replaced, although not all of it has been installed behind the seats. The driver seat exhibits wear, and the turn signals do not self-cancel.

The wood-rimmed steering wheel attached to a telescopic column fronts a Jaeger 120-mph speedometer and a 6k-rpm tachometer. Auxiliary gauges for oil pressure, fuel level, coolant temperature, and amperage are positioned at the center of the dash; the gauges have been rebuilt. The five-digit odometer shows 78k miles; the seller states that the odometer has rolled over once and that approximately 114k miles have been added under current ownership.

The inline-four was rebuilt in 2017 with an 89mm piston-and-liner kit, resulting in a displacement of 2,289cc. The seller cites the following modifications and replacement parts:

• Offenhauser valve cover
• Roller rocker arms on Tufftrided shaft with a spacer kit
• Shims under rocker pedestals and oil-feed line from main oil gallery to cylinder head
• Oversize valves with hardened seats and replacement manganese-bronze guides
• Replacement springs, retainers, and cotters
• Cylinder head milled and block decked to yield ~9.5:1 compression
• Cylinder head ported and polished and combustion chambers reshaped per Kastner
• Automotive Racing Products head-stud kit
• Piper Cams HR270/2 camshaft with replacement bearings
• Replacement lifters, timing chain, bearings seals, and thrust washers
• Block modified by #4 water jackets per Kastner and sealed inside
• Crankshaft reground and balanced with Viton rear-main-seal conversion
• Connecting rods lightened and shot-penned per Kastner
• Replacement oil pump and competition aluminum oil pan
• Oil cooler with thermostat and spin-on oil filter
• Narrow-belt conversion kit with damped crankshaft pulley, plus alloy water-pump and alternator pulley
• Alternator conversion
• Five-vane-impeller water pump and thermostat with sleeve covering bypass port
• Aluminum radiator
• Electric fan with thermostat in connecting pipe
• Dual SU carburetors rebuilt with replacement throttle shafts, grose jets, SU H-type Superdry jet-bearing kit, and heat shield
• Replacement throttle-link rods and choke cable
• Electric fuel pump with regulator
• Coated fuel tank
• Replacement fuel line and filter
• Lucas Sport coil
• Crane XR700 electronic ignition
• Pertronix Second Strike ignition box with adjustable rev limiter
• Gear-reduction starter
• TS Imported Automotive exhaust header with Jet-Hot Coating
• Stainless-steel exhaust system

The seller notes that the engine leaks and that it burns oil at a rate of about one quart per 1,000 highway miles. The aluminum radiator was installed during the winter of 2024–2025, and the oil for the transmission and overdrive were changed. The distributor, cap, rotor, spark plugs, and plug wires were replaced in May 2025.

Power is routed to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission and overdrive unit that were sourced from a later-model Triumph with a synchronized first gear. The gearbox and the overdrive were rebuilt in 2015, when steel TR6 bushings were installed and the bearings, seals, synchronizer rings, springs, and balls were replaced. A TR6 clutch kit is utilized along with a Fidanza Performance aluminum flywheel and braided clutch hoses; a tapered pin is not used at the clutch shaft. The rear end was rebuilt in 2012 with replacement bearings and seals and a German-built ring and pinion, and the driveshaft has been replaced. The seller notes rust in the floor that was covered over by a previous owner about 30 years ago as well as rust in the inner rocker panels; corroded areas were treated with rust-encapsulating paint, the seller tells us. The drain plug on the overdrive leaks, and the seller states that the O-rings on the shift rails may need work.

A replacement identification tag is affixed to the car. The removed tag that it was modeled off of is pictured in the gallery below.

The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate shows factory-installed options and serial numbers along with build and dispatch dates in June 1959.

An informational document provided by the seller is viewable in the gallery.

Additional refurbishment photos are presented in the gallery along with images of accompanying books, awards, and spare and removed parts.