Hi everyone. My name is Nick and I’m a Brit originally from Norwich UK but have worked and lived in the USA since 2002. Currently residing in Hillsborough North Carolina. I took early retirement a couple of years ago and have been searching for a British sports car as a restoration project. Never really found anything appealing until about a couple of months ago when a friend of a friend made me aware of a local lady trying to sell her late husbands collection of partially restored vehicles. I reached out to her and after several visits and discussions I am the proud owner of TWO TR3s in very different states of repair.
The ‘Black One’ actually turned out to be a 1961 TR3A in British Racing Green when I’d pressure washed the inch of accumulated dirt off it. However the engine is earlier, around 1956 vintage according to the serial number. Unfortunately it was partially dismantled back in 2010 for repair and is missing a cylinder head. The previous owner owned a body repair shop and had totally restored the frame and bodywork several years prior so my challenge with this one is purely the mechanical and electrical systems. No big deal just time, effort and sourcing a few missing parts.
The ‘White One’ is a 1956 TR3 small mouth rolling carcass with a mass of spare parts in boxes that need to be identified and catalogued. The engine had been worked on but never run and the serial number suggests it’s 1961 vintage. In fact the number is about 350 higher than the commission number of the black one so it may have been associated originally with that car. I’m going to get the heritage certificates for both to see if there is any originality or if it’s just pure coincidence. Makes me wonder if the white one was originally purchased to be a donor car for the black one. Frame is in excellent condition and has been powder coated. Bodywork is in great shape and loosely fitted. This one is going to be a 3-5 year project for sure.
Happy to be in the ‘club’ and looking forward to picking a few learned brains as the projects progress!
The ‘Black One’ actually turned out to be a 1961 TR3A in British Racing Green when I’d pressure washed the inch of accumulated dirt off it. However the engine is earlier, around 1956 vintage according to the serial number. Unfortunately it was partially dismantled back in 2010 for repair and is missing a cylinder head. The previous owner owned a body repair shop and had totally restored the frame and bodywork several years prior so my challenge with this one is purely the mechanical and electrical systems. No big deal just time, effort and sourcing a few missing parts.
The ‘White One’ is a 1956 TR3 small mouth rolling carcass with a mass of spare parts in boxes that need to be identified and catalogued. The engine had been worked on but never run and the serial number suggests it’s 1961 vintage. In fact the number is about 350 higher than the commission number of the black one so it may have been associated originally with that car. I’m going to get the heritage certificates for both to see if there is any originality or if it’s just pure coincidence. Makes me wonder if the white one was originally purchased to be a donor car for the black one. Frame is in excellent condition and has been powder coated. Bodywork is in great shape and loosely fitted. This one is going to be a 3-5 year project for sure.
Happy to be in the ‘club’ and looking forward to picking a few learned brains as the projects progress!