Re: A $97,800 TR4 at Auction ???
Yeah, pretty amazing stuff!
I emailed the auction house to see if their website info was accurate and ask if there was any special history to that particular car. They responded the price shown was correct and they knew of no special history. Maybe the bidders knew something the auction house didn't. It *is* a powder blue TR4, assuming it was restored to the original color, and that was the factory team rally car color. Kas Kastner briefly worked with the Triumph rally cars but said he didn't know anything about this particular car. Plus I think all the original team cars are accounted for (four or five TR4 total, if I recall correctly... two of which are at Revington TR, for certain.).
Shoot, I'm still trying to figure out how they managed to spend over $80K restoring that TR4, as is claimed in the auction description! Heck, for that kinda money I think I could probably restore a TR4, TR3, GT6, TR8 *and* a TR6 and maybe have a little left over for a nice dinner out and a vacation in Tahiti. At least, for that kind of money I'm certain I could restore the car more *correctly* than the one that sold at Barrett-Jackson.
I think I've noticed an uptick in TR asking prices and more "projects" coming onto the market, maybe some wishful thinking about enjoying a similar windfall. This sale is probably just an anomoly and things will settle back down eventually unless there are some more, similar auction prices.
Let's hope so, or that BMW actually comes out with a Triumph model to followup on their Mini Cooper success, as was rumored they might do. They own the name rights and their engineers were quietly looking over original Triumphs here in the U.S. a couple years ago. A new/retro TR model would almost certainly boost values. Original Minis basically doubled in value when they were "rediscovered" by the general public immediately after the *new* BMW/Mini was introduced.
I'd guess all the cars being parted out on eBay might be the biggest influence, likely driving prices higher on the fewer and fewer remaining whole cars. Even if nothing extraordinary happens at auction and BMW doesn't come through, TR prices are gradually climbing.
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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
