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I think they key here on the rarity factor is production models. Not specials which of course are much more rare.
 
My Triumph 1300TC must be worth a fortune!!! :wink:
 
Andy,

You are correct. However, the TSF cars were/are essentially 1962 TR-3A's and thus join the many thousands produced. The TCF cars have the bigger TR-4 engine, brakes, and syncro transmission. They are the last and best examples of the TR-3 series. There is no comparison between a TSF and TCF car. The TCF cars also command the highest price among TR cars,Italia excluded,according to NADA. If one wants a real TR roadster, and not a coupe, the TCF cannot be beat.

Paul
 
Hey Vaark...Glad you like your TR3b. Can't imagine how your enthusiasm would play in a crowd of TR owners...depends I guess on how loud you are. By the way I think what added to the TR3b's rarity is lack of sales.
 
Vaark01 said:
Andy,

You are correct. However, the TSF cars were/are essentially 1962 TR-3A's and thus join the many thousands produced. The TCF cars have the bigger TR-4 engine, brakes, and syncro transmission. They are the last and best examples of the TR-3 series. There is no comparison between a TSF and TCF car. The TCF cars also command the highest price among TR cars,Italia excluded,according to NADA. If one wants a real TR roadster, and not a coupe, the TCF cannot be beat.

Paul
Click to expand...
Basically, this is all a "numbers matching" game here. Now, nearly 46 years after the very last sidescreen TR was produced, many of the remaining cars -- from the earliest long-door TR2 on -- are being "restored" with later all-synchro gearboxes (or even Toyota 5-speeds) and complete TR4 engines or at least 86mm pistons and liners. (These days, it's not that easy to find good new or used 83mm kits as per original.) And those 86mm pistons and liners were an option from the late 1950s; even before that, more than a few knowledgeable enthusiasts figured out that a quick displacement boost could be obtained with Ferguson tractor or Standard Vanguard pistons and liners (85mm).

Many sources quote that the all-synchro TR4 gearbox WAS standard equipment from TSF1 on, and there wasn't really any significant change in brakes that I'm aware of. And a lot of 3Bs came from the factory with all-vinyl interiors instead of the part-leather interiors much more common on the earlier cars. Bottom line is that the 3B was essentially a: a way to keep supposedly fearful-of-TR4 American dealers happy; and b: a way to use up a lot of leftover bodies and other bits.

They're great cars, no doubt about it. And, side by side, original to original, they do come out as possibly just a bit better than the TR3A.* Why NADA thinks they're worth upwards of $5000 more than any TR3A is beyond me, though, and I find it intriguing that NADA lists the TR3B only under the 1962 model year, when an awful lot of them were titled and sold as 1963 models well into calendar year 1963! But this is the same NADA that lists a 1962 Spitfire "Mark I" [sic]: the <span style="font-weight: bold">Spitfire 4</span> was introduced in the UK late in 1962, and the official introduction in the United States was in January 1963, at which time I'm quite sure Standard-Triumph USA was not willingly selling brand-new "1962" Spitfires!

Sorry if this seems to be a rant and/or if it seems directed only to you. I don't mean it that way. It's just that I've been in this hobby too long to let misinformation continue and perpetuate.

*<span style="font-style: italic">I'm well aware of the premium that a numbers-matching TR3B can bring over a similar TR3A. I used to own TCF1564L, with original engine (TCF1621E, I think) and original TSF body number tag, along with other original bits...or what was left of them. The car had been wrecked (front end and rollover), stripped and then left to the elements for years before I got it. It was still very restorable, but probably only because it was a TR3B with those all-important numbers. I've long since sold it on, having gotten far more for it than if it had been a 3A. Perhaps the buyer or someone else will restore it some day.</span>
 
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